Sen. Rhonda Fields

Beginning July 1, 2025, the act requires a municipality that prosecutes an act of domestic violence and that contracts directly with one or more defense attorneys to provide counsel to indigent defendants to ensure that the municipality's contract does not use a fixed or flat-fee payment structure for indigent defense services. The act requires the municipal court to instead use the same payment structure and rates that are paid by the state of Colorado to attorneys or other interdisciplinary team members under contract with the office of alternate defense counsel and consistent with chief justice directive 04-04. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE July 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The law has allowed, but has not required, a county or a municipality to adopt a resolution or ordinance that either establishes business licensure requirements for massage facilities or regulates and prohibits unlawful activities to prevent the operation of illicit massage businesses that engage in human trafficking-related offenses. The act: Makes a legislative finding and declaration that it is a matter of mixed statewide and local concern to establish a statewide requirement that a massage facility operator, owner, or employee, including an independent contractor who is involved in the routine operations of a massage facility (employee), submit to a background check, which generally means a fingerprint-based criminal history record check (background check); Requires every county, city and county, and municipality (local government) that has a massage facility within its jurisdictional boundaries to adopt a local process that ensures that the required background checks are conducted; Requires such a local process to also require, as a condition for a person remaining as or becoming a massage facility operator, owner, or employee, that: Every current operator, owner, and employee submit to a background check on or before the earlier of October 1, 2025, or any other date specified in the local process; and Every prospective operator or owner to submit to a background check at least 30 days before being granted a license to operate the massage facility or assuming an ownership interest in a massage facility; Prohibits a person from being a massage facility owner if the person either has not submitted to a required background check or has either: Been convicted of or entered an accepted plea of nolo contendere for a felony or misdemeanor of solicitation of a prostitute, a human trafficking offense, or money laundering; or Is registered as a sex offender or is required by law to register as a sex offender; Prohibits a massage facility operator or owner from employing at a massage facility a person who has not submitted to a required background check; Authorizes an operator or owner to employ at a massage facility a person who has been convicted of or entered an accepted plea of nolo contendere for a felony or misdemeanor of solicitation of a prostitute, a human trafficking offense, or money laundering, or who is registered as a sex offender or is required by law to register as a sex offender, if the operator or owner believes that the person does not pose a threat to customers or employees of the massage facility; Authorizes the local licensing authority for a local government that has established massage facility business licensure requirements to suspend or revoke the license of any massage facility that has an owner or an employee who is prohibited from being a massage facility owner or employee; Requires a county and a municipality within the county to consult with each other when developing, as is still authorized but not required, a resolution or ordinance to establish business licensure requirements for massage facilities or regulate and prohibit unlawful activities to prevent the operation of illicit massage businesses that engage in human trafficking-related offenses, and, by mutual agreement between a county and a municipality within the county, allows a municipality to elect to have a county's resolution or ordinance apply to massage facilities operating within the jurisdictional boundaries of the municipality in lieu of adopting its own ordinance or resolution; and Because a massage therapist is required by current law to submit to a background check to obtain a license to practice massage therapy, exempts a licensed massage therapist from the act's background check requirement. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act modifies the "Property Tax/Rent/Heat Credit Rebate" (PTC),which is available to qualifying seniors and individuals with a disability who earn income below a threshold amount and who pay real property tax, or a tax equivalent through rent, or heat or fuel expenses, or an equivalent through rent, by: Merging the separate statutory sections that provide the PTC for assistance in the payment of real property tax and provide the PTC for assistance in the payment of heat or fuel expenses into a single statutory section; Updating certain dollar values used to calculate the PTC to their current levels; and For tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, allowing the PTC only to qualifying seniors. Qualified individuals with a disability for tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025, are allowed an income tax credit. Eligibility with respect to disability mirrors the eligibility as it exists under current law for the PTC. The income tax credit is allowed in the following amounts: $1,200 for a qualified individual filing a single return with federal adjusted gross income less than or equal to $10,000 or for 2 qualified individuals, or a qualified individual and a nonqualified individual, filing a joint return with federal adjusted gross income less than or equal to $16,000; $1,000 for a qualified individual filing a single return with federal adjusted gross income between $10,001 and $12,500 or for 2 qualified individuals, or a qualified individual and a nonqualified individual, filing a joint return with federal adjusted gross income between $16,001 and $20,000; $800 for a qualified individual filing a single return with federal adjusted gross income between $12,501 and $15,000 or for 2 qualified individuals, or a qualified individual and a nonqualified individual, filing a joint return with federal adjusted gross income between $20,001 and $24,000; $600 for a qualified individual filing a single return with federal adjusted gross income between $15,001 and $17,500 or for 2 qualified individuals, or a qualified individual and a nonqualified individual, filing a joint return with federal adjusted gross income between $24,001 and $28,000; and $400 for a qualified individual filing a single return with federal adjusted gross income between $17,501 and $20,000 or for 2 qualified individuals, or a qualified individual and a nonqualified individual, filing a joint return with federal adjusted gross income between $28,001 and $32,000. The department of revenue must adjust the amounts of the credit and the amounts of adjusted gross income annually for inflation. An individual who is both a qualifying senior and a qualified individual with a disability and meets the eligibility requirements to claim both the income tax credit and the PTC can only claim one or the other in the same income tax year. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF), in collaboration with the behavioral health administration (BHA) and the department of human services (CDHS), to develop a system of care (system of care) for children and youth who are less than 21 years of age and who have complex behavioral health needs. At a minimum, the system of care must include: Implementation of a standardized assessment tool; Intensive-care coordination; Expanded supportive services; and Expanded access to treatment foster care. The act requires HCPF to convene a leadership team that is responsible for the decision-making and oversight of the system of care and to convene an implementation team to create a plan to implement the system of care. The act requires CDHS and HCPF to report progress on the development and implementation of the system of care to the general assembly. The act creates the residential child care provider training academy in CDHS to create a pipeline of high-quality staff for residential child care providers and ensure that individuals hired to work at residential child care facilities receive the necessary training to perform the individual's job functions responsibly and effectively. The act requires CDHS to expand the number of treatment beds available for children and youth whose behavioral or mental health needs require services and treatment in a residential child care facility. The act requires CDHS to develop a system to establish and monitor quality standards for residential child care providers and ensure the quality standards are implemented into all levels of care that serve children and youth in out-of-home placement. The act requires CDHS to develop a system to incentivize residential child care providers to implement quality standards above CDHS' established minimum standards. The act requires CDHS to make publicly available on the department's website a directory of each residential child care provider's quality assurance. The CDHS program that provides emergency resources to certain licensed providers to help remove barriers the providers face in serving children and youth whose behavioral or mental health needs require services and treatment in a residential child care facility currently repeals on July 1, 2028. The act extends the program indefinitely and requires CDHS to contract with additional licensed providers for the delivery of services to children and youth who are eligible for and placed in the program. The act requires CDHS and the BHA to increase the minimum reimbursement rates paid to qualified residential treatment programs for the purpose of aligning room and board payments across payer sources. The act requires HCPF to contract with a third-party vendor to complete an actuarial analysis in order to determine the appropriate medicaid reimbursement rate for psychiatric residential treatment facilities. The act requires CDHS to contract with one or more third-party vendors to implement a pilot program to assess the needs of, and provide short-term residential services for, juvenile justice-involved youth who do not meet the criteria for detention. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates money to the department of human services and the department of health care policy and financing to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 6, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 6, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires health insurance carriers (carriers) to comply with federal price transparency laws and to make available an internet-based self-service tool that provides real-time responses to a covered person's questions concerning carrier prices that are based on cost-sharing information. The act also requires carriers to submit information required by federal pharmacy benefit and drug cost reporting laws to the commissioner of insurance and to make certain information regarding price transparency publicly available. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law prohibits an individual who is under 18 years of age from using a wireless telephone when driving. Effective January 1, 2025, the act applies the prohibition to an individual who is 18 years of age or older and updates the term "wireless telephone" to " mobile electronic device". The act does not apply to an individual with a commercial driver's license who is operating a commercial vehicle. The following uses of mobile electronic devices are exempted: By an individual contacting a public safety entity; By a individual during an emergency; By an employee or contractor of a utility when responding to a utility emergency; By an employee or contractor of a city or county acting within the scope of the employee's or contractor's duties as a code enforcement officer or animal protection officer; or By a first responder. It is not a violation of the act to use a mobile electronic device in a motor vehicle that is at rest in a shoulder or lawfully parked. To cite an individual for a violation of the act, a law enforcement officer must see the individual use a mobile electronic device in a manner that caused the individual to drive in a careless and imprudent manner. The penalties for a violation are: For a first offense, $75 and 2 license suspension points; For a second offense within 24 months, $150 and 3 license suspension points; and For a third or subsequent offense within 24 months, $250 and 4 license suspension points. A violation will be dismissed if the individual produces proof of purchase of a hands-free accessory and affirms, under penalty of perjury, that the defendant has not previously claimed this option to dismiss. Current law requires a peace officer who makes a traffic stop to record the demographic information of the violator, whether a citation has been issued, and the violation cited. The act clarifies that the peace officer must record whether the act has been violated. The executive director of the department of transportation, in consultation with the chief of the Colorado state patrol, is required to create a campaign raising public awareness of the requirements of the bill and of the dangers of using mobile electronic devices when driving. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024 PORTIONS EFFECTIVE January 1, 2025(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires health benefit plans to provide coverage for doula services in the same scope and duration of coverage for doula services that will be included in the department of health care policy and financing's request for federal authorization of doula services (request) under the "Colorado Medical Assistance Act" (medical assistance program). Doulas providing services must meet the same qualifications for and submit to the same regulation as individuals providing doula services as recommended under the medical assistance program. Coverage for doula services will be implemented for large employer health benefit plans issued or renewed in this state on and after July 1, 2025, or 12 months after submission of the request, whichever is later. For small group and individual plans, doula services will be implemented if the division of insurance and the federal department of health and human services determine that the benefit does not require state defrayal of the cost of the benefit or the division of insurance determines defrayal is not required and the federal department fails to respond to the division's request for confirmation of the determination within 365 days after the request is made. The act authorizes the department of public health and environment (department) to partner with the designated state perinatal care quality collaborative (perinatal quality collaborative) to track the statewide implementation of the recommendations of the Colorado maternal mortality review committee, implement perinatal health quality improvement programs with hospitals that provide labor and delivery or neonatal care services (hospital) to improve infant and maternal health outcomes, and address disparate care outcomes among certain populations and of those living in frontier areas of the state. No later than July 1, 2025, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, the act requires hospitals to submit specified data to the perinatal quality collaborative concerning disparities in perinatal health care and health-care outcomes and beginning December 15, 2025, to annually participate in at least one maternal or infant health quality improvement initiative (initiative), as determined by the hospitals. The act authorizes financial support for hospitals in rural and frontier areas of the state, hospitals that serve a higher number of medical assistance patients or uninsured patients, and hospitals with lower-acuity maternal or neonatal levels of care. The act requires the department to contract with the perinatal quality collaborative to issue an annual report, no later than July 1, 2026, and no later than July 1 each year thereafter, on clinical quality improvements in maternal and infant health outcomes and related data, as well as other information that can be shared with hospitals and health facilities, policymakers, and others and posted on the internet. The act includes protections for the confidentiality of certain data collected or shared under the act. No later than July 1, 2025, the act requires the medical services board to promulgate rules to include coverage under the medical assistance program of over-the-counter choline dietary supplements for pregnant people and to seek federal approval for the coverage if necessary. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, $1,328,652 is appropriated from the general fund to the department, for use by the prevention services division, with the assumption that the division will require 0.9 FTE, to implement the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the behavioral health first aid training program (training program) in the office of suicide prevention (office) in the department of public health and environment (department). The purpose of the training program is to: Improve overall community climate and promote adult, teen, and youth behavioral health, mental health, and mental well-being; Train educators and school staff; employees of community-based, youth-based, or nonprofit organizations; employees of organizations that serve underserved populations; faith-based community members; law enforcement officers; first responders; and active duty or retired military personnel (candidates) to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance use among adults, teens, and youth; Train candidates on how to respond to an adult, teen, or youth who is experiencing mental health or substance use challenges; Train candidates on crisis intervention strategies and best practices; Prepare candidates to teach adults and teens how to recognize warning signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges; Prepare candidates to teach teens how to find a responsible and trusted adult for assistance when a peer is struggling with mental health or substance use challenges or crisis; and Prepare candidates to teach adults how to respond to a teen or youth struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis. The office is required to contract with a Colorado-based nonprofit organization (third-party entity) to offer and administer the training program to organizations that apply to participate and are accepted in the training program that include, but are not limited to, school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind, local public health agencies, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, organizations that serve underserved communities, law enforcement agencies, first responder organizations, military forces, and faith-based organizations (organizations). The act requires the office to promulgate rules to establish criteria for an application process. The third-party entity shall create an application process based on the rules promulgated by the office. In selecting organizations to participate in the training program, the third-party entity shall prioritize the organization's geographic diversity, existing resources and infrastructure, and plan to implement the training program and associated curriculum. Subject to available appropriations, the training program is available at no cost to the organizations selected to participate. The office shall use pre- and post-course surveys developed by a national mental and behavioral health organization to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. The third-party entity shall administer the pre- and post-course surveys to collect evaluation data from the organizations that participate in the training program. The third-party entity shall submit a report to the office summarizing the evaluation data collected. The office is required to include a summary of the evaluation data collected and recommendations, if necessary, concerning the training program in the office's annual report submitted to the general assembly each November 1. The training program is scheduled for a sunset review and repeal, effective September 1, 2033. The act appropriates $250,000 to the department for purposes of the training program. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university student to wear objects of cultural or religious significance as an adornment at a graduation ceremony. The act prohibits a preschool, public school, or public college or university from restricting what a student may wear under the student's required graduation attire as long as the adornment complies with the preschool's, public school's, or public college's or university's dress code policy. The act allows a preschool, public school, or public college or university to prohibit a student from wearing or displaying an adornment that is likely to cause substantial disruption of, or material interference with, a graduation ceremony, but the prohibition must be the least restrictive means necessary to accomplish a specifically identified important government interest. Prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year, the act requires a preschool, public school, and public college or university to develop and adopt a policy that aligns with the requirements of the act. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE June 5, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates the statewide welcome, reception, and integration grant program (grant program) in the department of labor and employment (department) to provide grants to community-based organizations that provide culturally and linguistically appropriate navigation of services and programs to migrants who are within one year of arrival in the United States. A grant may be used for: Conducting an intake and assessment of needs; Providing cultural orientation; case management; employment services or referrals to employment services; housing, housing-related services, or referrals to housing; English as a second language classes or referrals to classes; financial orientation; referrals to mental and physical health services and disability services; interpretation and translation services; transportation services; and immigration legal assistance or referrals to immigration legal services; Distributing emergency and transitional supplies; Assisting migrant parents to enroll their children in public school or summer programs, including early childhood programs; and Other eligible expenses. The act requires the department to issue a request for proposal for a nonprofit organization to administer the grant program. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $2.5 million from the general fund to the department for the grant program. APPROVED by Governor June 5, 2024 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2024(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)