Concurrent enrollment - transfer of credits - website - concurrent enrollment expansion and innovation grant program - appropriations. The act clarifies the differences between concurrent enrollment, dual enrollment, and other programs that enable a student to earn postsecondary credits while the student is enrolled in high school. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, each school district, charter school, and public school operated by a board of cooperative services (local education provider) that enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 is required to provide the opportunity for concurrent enrollment. A local education provider cannot unreasonably deny approval for concurrent enrollment or limit the number of postsecondary courses in which a qualified student may enroll unless the local education provider is unable to provide access due to technological capacity. A local education provider may determine the manner in which it provides opportunities for concurrent enrollment. The act clarifies the information that a local education provider must provide to qualified students and their parents concerning concurrent enrollment, the transferability of postsecondary course credits, and the costs that a qualified student or the student's parent may incur by enrolling in a postsecondary course through concurrent enrollment. The act clarifies that a qualified student and the student's parent are not required to pay tuition for concurrent enrollment. The act requires the department of education and the department of higher education to create a concurrent enrollment website to provide information to the public concerning the various types of programs available to enable students to earn postsecondary credits while enrolled in high school. The act creates the concurrent enrollment expansion and innovation grant program (grant program) to provide grants to local education providers to use in starting to offer concurrent enrollment or expanding the availability of concurrent enrollment. The department of education shall administer the grant program, including providing an annual report that explains how the grant money is used, who is enrolling in concurrent enrollment and the types of courses they are enrolling in, and the number and transferability of postsecondary credits earned through concurrent enrollment. The department shall submit the report to the state board of education, the department of higher education, the Colorado commission on higher education, and the education committees of the general assembly. The department shall also post the report to the concurrent enrollment website. The act directs the state board for community colleges and occupational education to provide management and coordination of efforts to implement efforts to maximize participation in concurrent enrollment through the community college system. For the 2019-20 fiscal year, the act appropriates $44,916 from the general fund to the department of education for college and career readiness, $1,500,000 from the marijuana tax cash fund to the department of education for the concurrent enrollment expansion and innovation grant program, and $105,000 from the general fund to the department of higher education for a limited purpose fee-for-service contract with the state board of community colleges and occupational education. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Sponsored bills
Passenger tramway safety board - continuation under sunset law. The act implements some of the recommendations of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the passenger tramway safety board (board) by: Continuing the functions of the board for 11 years, until 2030; Removing the requirement that letters of admonition be sent by certified mail; and Replacing statutory references to the program administrator with references to the program director. Specified provisions of the act are contingent upon House Bill 19-1172 becoming law. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Internet service providers - state-funded broadband deployment - state procurement preferences - open internet requirements to receive state funds or contracts - complaints to federal trade commission. Section 1 of the act disqualifies an internet service provider (ISP) from receiving money through a grant from the broadband deployment board (board) or through any state fund established to help finance broadband deployment if the ISP engages in any of the following practices: Blocking lawful internet content, applications, services, or devices unless such blocking is conducted in a manner consistent with reasonable network management practices; Engaging in paid prioritization of internet content; Regulating network traffic by throttling bandwidth or otherwise impairing or degrading lawful internet traffic on the basis of internet content, application, service, or use of a nonharmful device unless the impairment or degradation is conducted in a manner consistent with reasonable network management practices; or Not providing reasonable transparency regarding its network management practices. Section 1 also requires that, if an ISP is found to have engaged in any of the practices listed above, the ISP must refund any money that it received in the prior 24 months through a grant from the board or from any other state funding source established to help finance broadband deployment. Section 2 requires the broadband deployment board to periodically review the federal trade commission's and federal communications commission's websites to identify any actions the federal agencies have taken against an ISP that seeks or has received broadband deployment grant money from the board. If the board determines from a review of the federal agency action that the ISP engaged in one of the practices listed above, the board shall deny the application or inform the public utilities commission of the action. Section 3 requires the attorney general or the attorney general's designee, in collaboration with the board, to develop guidance for consumers on how to file a complaint with the federal trade commission to allege that an ISP has engaged in any of the practices that violate federal law regarding interference with the open internet. The department of law shall post the guidance on its website. Section 4 requires a governmental body, when contracting for broadband internet access service, to give preference to an ISP that certifies to the governmental body that it will not engage in any of the practices listed in section 1. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Colorado food - school grant program - nonprofit grant program - appropriation. The act establishes a grant program in the department of education (CDE) to encourage providers that are entitled to federal money for lunches for students (participating providers) to purchase food products from Colorado growers, producers, and processors (Colorado food). The grant program reimburses participating providers for the amount of Colorado food that the provider purchased in the previous school year. The act caps the reimbursements at $500,000 per year. The act establishes a separate program in CDE to make a grant to a nonprofit organization to make grants to entities that promote the sale of Colorado food to schools and to eligible providers to encourage the purchase of Colorado food. The nonprofit organization is required to conduct an annual evaluation and report to CDE. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $168,942 from the general fund to CDE for the school purchasing programs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
School counselor corps grant program - applications for federal or state student aid - appropriation. The act requires the general assembly to appropriate $250,000 each year for the 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 fiscal years from the general fund to the state board of education. The state board of education shall distribute the appropriation to education providers that receive a grant under the school counselor corps grant program for the purpose of educating and supporting students and families in completing and submitting the free application for federal student aid or applications for state student aid.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
High school innovative learning pilot program - appropriation. The act creates the high school innovative learning pilot program (pilot program) to support school districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools (local education providers) in providing innovative learning opportunities to students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 (high school students). Each local education provider that is selected to participate in the pilot program is allowed, for purposes of school finance, to count high school students who participate in innovative learning opportunities as full-time pupils regardless of whether they meet the required number of teacher-pupil instruction and contact hours for full-time enrollment. A local education provider may apply to participate in the pilot program by submitting an application that, among other things, describes the local education provider's innovative learning plan (plan). The act specifies other requirements for the application and requirements for the plan. The department of education (department) implements the pilot program by reviewing the applications and recommending to the state board of education (state board) the applicants that should participate in the pilot program, and the state board selects the participants. The recommendations and selections must be based on criteria specified in the act. The act limits the number of pilot program participants in the first year but states it is the intent of the general assembly to increase participation to 100% by the 2025-26 budget year. The act directs the department to contract with a statewide nonprofit entity to assist the department and local education providers in applying to participate, participating, and evaluating the pilot program and in preparing a report concerning implementation of the pilot program. The act specifies information that each participating local education provider must submit to the department concerning its participation in the pilot program and requires the department to prepare an annual report summarizing the information and evaluating the success of the pilot program in increasing high school student participation in innovative learning opportunities. The pilot program is repealed, effective July 1, 2025. For the 2019-20 fiscal year, the act appropriates $129,563 from the general fund to the department of education to implement the pilot program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
The bill requires the council created and existing pursuant to section 23-1-108.5 (council) to implement a plan for determining and awarding academic credit for postsecondary education based on past and present work-related experience. As a part of the plan, the council must also determine how academic credit for postsecondary education will transfer to the extent possible from career and technical education programs and technical certificate programs to state public 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education. The council must consult with representatives from state institutions of higher education, representatives of the Colorado work force development council, and representatives from growing industries in implementing the plan. The bill requires state institutions of higher education to develop plans to evaluate whether postsecondary education was acquired by work experience and to accept and transfer academic credit awarded for work-related experience as courses with guaranteed-transfer designation or as a part of a statewide articulation agreement. The bill supplements Colorado's student bill of rights to include a provision declaring that the council shall implement a plan to award academic credit for past and present work-related experience. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
The bill exempts from licensure by the director of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies a person who engages only in hair drying services, which services include drying, styling, arranging, curling, hot ironing, or cleansing hair. Portions of the bill make conforming amendments necessary to harmonize the bill with the title 12 recodification bill, House Bill 19-1172. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Under existing law, a disability trust is not valid unless, among other requirements, the trust provides that upon the death of the beneficiary, or termination of the trust during the beneficiary's lifetime, whichever occurs sooner, the department of health care policy and financing (department) receives any amount remaining in the trust up to the total medical assistance paid on behalf of the individual and that no other person is entitled to payment until the department is fully reimbursed for any assistance. A disability trust is not valid until the department ensures that the trust complies with state law and any applicable rules. The bill clarifies that a disability trust must provide that the department receives reimbursement from the trust only upon the death of the beneficiary, that no other person is entitled to payment until the department and any other states' medical assistance agencies are fully reimbursed for any assistance, and that a disability trust is not valid until the department ensures that the trust also complies with the requirements of title XIX of the federal social security act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) Read More
Public meetings - notice - online posting. Current law requires local governments to post notices of public meetings required by the state open meetings law in physical locations. The act allows a local government to post the notices on the local government's website. The notices are accessible to the public at no charge. The notices shall be searchable, if feasible, by type of meeting, date and time of meeting, and agenda contents. A local government that posts notices of public meetings on its website may continue to post the notices in a physical location, but is not required to do so.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More