The bill requires applicants for initial licensure or certification, as well as current licensees and certificate holders, to submit to a fingerprint-based criminal history record check for: Podiatrists ( sections 1 and 2 ); Dentists and dental hygienists ( sections 3 and 4 ); Medical doctors, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants ( sections 5 and 6 ); Nurses ( sections 7 and 8 ); Certified nurse aides ( sections 12 and 13 ); Optometrists ( sections 16 through 18 ); and Veterinarians ( sections 19 through 21 ). Sections 9 and 10 of the bill establish standards for certain professional nurses, practical nurses, and retired volunteer nurses who suffer from a physical or mental illness or condition that renders the nurse unable to practice. Section 11 of the bill eliminates the nurse alternative to discipline program. Sections 14 and 15 of the bill require an employer of a certified nurse aide (CNA) to report any violation of the CNA practice act that results in a CNA being terminated from employment, including resignation in lieu of termination, within 30 days after the termination or resignation. The state board of nursing is authorized to fine an employer that fails to report the termination or resignation. Section 22 amends the 'Medical Transparency Act of 2010' to include a person applying for nurse licensure under the 'Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact' within the definition of 'applicant'. Section 23 of the bill repeals the current 'Nurse Licensure Compact' and adopts the 'Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact'. Section 24 appropriates $576,126 from the Colorado bureau of investigation identification unit fund to the department of public safety to implement the bill.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Sponsored bills
Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill requires the transportation legislation review committee to meet 5 times before November 15, 2017, once in each geographic quadrant of the state and once in the Denver metropolitan area, to: Make available to meeting attendees the 2016 research study of changes to the state transportation commission districts (districts) since the boundaries of the districts were last redrawn in 1991, prepared by legislative council staff with the cooperation of the department of transportation as required by House Bill 16-1031; and Offer opportunities to members of the public to express their opinions regarding the districts or the research study and offer comments and suggestions regarding whether the districts should be modified. The committee may consider the availability of remote testimony, and a public hearing conducted by remote testimony for the purpose of obtaining testimony from a single geographic quadrant of the state or from the Denver metropolitan area may count toward the requirements of the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill establishes the Colorado secure savings plan (plan), which is a retirement savings plan for private-sector employees in the form of an automatic enrollment payroll deduction individual retirement account. Employers with a specified number of employees in the state are required to participate in the plan, but any employer may choose to participate in the plan. The Colorado secure savings plan board of trustees (board) is created and consists of the state controller, the director of the governor's office of state planning and budgeting, and 7 additional trustees with certain experience who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. The trustees on the board have a fiduciary duty to the plan's enrollees and beneficiaries and are required to: Establish investment options that offer employees returns on contributions without incurring debt or liabilities to the state; Establish the process for allocating investment earnings and losses to individual plan accounts on a pro rata basis; Make and enter into contracts and hire staff as necessary for the administration of the plan; Conduct a periodic review of the performance of any investment vendors; Cause money in the Colorado secure savings plan fund (fund) to be invested with the intent to achieve cost savings through efficiencies and economies of scale; Establish the process for an enrollee to contribute a portion of his or her wages to the plan for automatic deposit and establish the process by which the participating employer forwards those contributions to the plan; Establish the process for enrollment in the plan including the process by which an employee can opt not to participate in the plan; Accept gifts, grants, and donations from specified entities and pursue options for bank loans or a line of credit to cover the start-up costs of the plan; Procure, as needed, insurance against loss in connection with the property, assets, or activities of the plan; Allocate administrative fees to individual retirement accounts in the plan on a pro rata basis; Set minimum and maximum contribution levels; Facilitate education and outreach to employers and employees; Ensure that the plan complies with all applicable state and federal laws; Deposit all gifts, grants, donations, fees, and earnings from investment of moneys in the fund into the fund and pay the administrative costs and expenses for the creation, management, and operation of the plan from moneys in the fund; Determine any nominal and reasonable assistance that may be provided to businesses to offset the initial costs of enrolling employees in the plan and complying with audits and plan implementation; Prepare or cause to be prepared certain annual audits and annual reports regarding the plan; Develop a process to ensure that employers are in compliance with the requirements of the plan and develop a penalty structure for employers who fail, without reasonable cause, to enroll employees in the plan; Conduct or cause to be conducted a financial feasibility study to ensure that the plan will be self-sustaining; and Conduct an analysis of relevant consumer protections available under federal law and make recommendations to the general assembly regarding additional necessary consumer protections that should be included in legislation implementing the plan. The bill specifies the process by which the board is required to engage an investment manager to invest the assets of the plan and specifies the investment options that the board is required to create. The bill creates the fund as a trust outside of the state treasury, specifies that the fund will include the individual retirement accounts of enrollees in the plan, and allows the board to use a certain percentage of money in the fund for the administrative expenses of the plan. The money in the fund is not property of the state and cannot be commingled with state money. The board must design and disseminate employer and employee information packets regarding the plan and the options for employee participation in the plan to all employers that participate in the plan. If, based on the required financial feasibility study, the board determines that the plan will be self-sustaining and would promote greater retirement savings for private-sector employees, the board must recommend to the general assembly that the plan be implemented. The board may not implement the plan unless the general assembly, acting by bill, directs the board to implement the plan. The bill dictates the timing for the board to implement the plan, if directed to do so by the general assembly, and a time frame for employers to establish a system by which enrollees in the plan can remit payroll deduction contributions to the plan. Employers must automatically enroll employees in the plan unless an employee has opted out of participation in the plan. Enrollees may select an investment option and contribution level or use the default investment option and contribution amount established by the board. The bill specifies that the state and employers do not have any duty or liability to any party for the payments of any retirement savings benefits accrued by any individual through the plan. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill allows the juvenile court to take jurisdiction involving a juvenile in a juvenile delinquency case and subsequently enter orders addressing parental responsibilities and parenting time and child support matters when: The juvenile court has maintained jurisdiction in a case involving an adjudicated juvenile, a juvenile with a deferred adjudication, or a juvenile on a management plan; An action related to child custody, a dependency and neglect action, or an action for allocation of parental responsibilities involving the same juvenile is not pending in a district court in this state, and the court complies, as applicable, with the requirements of the 'Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act'; All parties, parents, guardians, and other legal custodians are in agreement or have been given proper notice; and The juvenile court finds that it is in the best interests of the juvenile involved. The juvenile court is required to provide notice in compliance with the Colorado rules of civil procedure, except that service must be effected not less than seven business days prior to the hearing. The notice must be written in clear language stating that the hearing concerns the allocation of parental responsibilities. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Under current law, a public school that includes any of grades 7 through 12 is eligible to receive a grant through the behavioral health care professional matching grant program. Sections 2 to 5 of the bill add elementary schools to the list of public schools eligible to receive a grant through the program. Under current law, a public middle, junior, or high school is eligible to receive a grant through the school counselor corps grant program. Sections 6 to 10 of the bill add elementary schools to the list of public schools eligible to receive a grant through the program.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Sunset Process - Senate Education Committee. The Colorado health service corps advisory council reviews applications and makes recommendations for participation in the Colorado health service corps program (program). The program awards educational loan repayment for medical professionals who agree to provide primary health services in federally designated health professional shortage areas in Colorado. The bill continues the Colorado health service corps advisory council indefinitely. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Current state park law excludes seaplanes from the definition of a 'vessel', and applicable park rules essentially prohibit seaplanes from landing in or taking off from state park water bodies. The bill creates a pilot project to allow amphibious seaplanes to land in at least 2 state parks after the seaplanes have been inspected for and decontaminated of aquatic nuisance species. The parks and wildlife commission may adopt rules to implement the pilot program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill authorizes the division of youth corrections in the department of human services (division) to establish, at its discretion, a youth corrections monetary incentives award program (program). The purpose of the program is to provide monetary awards and incentives for academic, social, and psychological achievement to juveniles who were formerly committed to the division to assist and encourage them in moving forward in positive directions in life. If the division does establish a program, it shall devise, in collaboration with a selected nonprofit organization (nonprofit), appropriate participation criteria and criteria for awarding individual scholarships to deserving juveniles. The criteria may include that a juvenile in the program maintains the highest grades possible during each academic term and makes continual progress in therapeutic or other programs, if applicable, during each academic term. The criteria may also require that scholarship money awarded to a juvenile may only be used for educational or other expenses approved as necessary and valid to the juvenile's continued improvement by the division and the nonprofit. If the division establishes a program it shall use a request for proposals process to contract with a nonprofit. The division and the nonprofit are authorized to accept and expend monetary and in-kind gifts, grants, and donations on behalf of the program. Such money must be used to provide scholarships and other incentive awards to the juveniles in the program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill: Amends the definition of 'autocycle' to: -Specify that an autocycle is a three-wheeled motorcycle that does not use handlebars or any other device that is directly connected to a single front wheel to steer and in which the driver and each passenger ride in either a fully or a partly enclosed seating area that is equipped with a safety belt system; and -Eliminate the requirements that an autocycle be equipped with air bags and a hardtop enclosure that protects occupants from the elements and can support the weight of the vehicle without harming occupants when the vehicle is resting on the enclosure; Makes a conforming amendment to the definition of 'motorcycle' to clarify that an autocycle is a motorcycle; Amends the definitions of 'motor vehicle' and 'safety belt system' used in the laws governing mandatory child restraint system and safety belt use, respectively, to clarify that those laws apply to autocycles and that, with respect to the mandatory safety belt use law, every driver and passenger in an autocycle, including a back seat passenger, must wear a fastened safety belt.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)