Colorado

Polis signs 48 more bills into law | CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

Published

12 months ago

May 27, 2023

Polis signs 48 more bills into law | CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

Nineteen days after the end of Colorado’s 2023 legislative session, Gov. Jared Polis has signed 297 bills into law.

After being signed, bills take effect in August, 90 days after the general assembly adjourns, unless otherwise specified in the bill. A full list of legislation signed this year can be found online by clicking here.

Polis has until June 7 to sign, veto or let the bills passed this session become law without his signature.

Here are all of the bills signed into law this week.

Senate Bill 1: Authority of public-private collaboration unit for housing

Transfers $13 million to the Unused State-Owned Real Property Fund and expands allowable uses of the fund to include development of housing projects by the Public-Private Collaboration Unit in the Department of Personnel and Administration. Signed on Saturday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 275: Colorado Wild Horse Project

Creates the Wild Horse Management Project in the Department of Agriculture to operate programs to support the management of wild horses in Colorado. Signed on Saturday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 6: Creation of the Rural Opportunity Office

Codifies the Rural Opportunity Office in the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Signed on Saturday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1247: Assess advanced energy solutions in rural Colorado

Requires the Colorado Energy Office to conduct studies of electric transmission and energy generation in rural Colorado. Signed on Saturday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 295: Colorado River Drought Task Force

Creates the Colorado River Drought Task Force. Signed on Saturday.

Senate Bill 174: Access to certain behavioral health services

Requires select mental health services to be covered for Medicaid members under 21. Signed on Saturday.

House Bill 1265: Born to be wild special license plate

Creates the “Born to be Wild” special license plate for the purpose of funding conflict mitigation related to gray wolf population management. Signed on Saturday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1268: Private treatment for out-of-state defendant

Updates the process and parameters for private treatment standards for interstate compact offenders. Signed on Saturday.

House Bill 1260: Advanced industry and semiconductor manufacturing incentives

Modifies existing tax credits, allows local governments to designate new areas where manufacturers may access certain enterprise zone tax credits, and creates a task force. Signed on Saturday.

Senate Bill 145: Stegosaurus state fossil license plate

Creates the stegosaurus state fossil license plate. Signed on Monday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 285: Energy and carbon management regulation in Colorado

Renames the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission as the Energy and Carbon Management Commission and expands the commission’s regulatory authority to include emerging energy generation and storage technologies — specifically deep geothermal and underground gas storage. Signed on Monday.

House Bill 1210: Carbon management

Directs the Colorado Energy Office to contract with an organization to develop a carbon management roadmap. Signed on Monday.

House Bill 1281: Advance the use of clean hydrogen

Creates a state approval process for clean hydrogen projects and a refundable income tax credit for using clean hydrogen. Signed on Monday.

House Bill 1198: Teacher externship program for science technology engineering and math disciplines

Establishes a teacher externship program in the Department of Labor and Employment. Signed on Monday.

Gov. Jared Polis’ property tax relief plan — explained

Senate Bill 283: Mechanisms for federal infrastructure funding

Makes two transfers for the purpose of providing state matching funds for federal funding opportunities. Signed on Monday.

Senate Bill 75: Deletion of child’s name from criminal justice records

Requires courts to replace identifying information on judicial records involving children with “child victim” or “child witness” to protect the individual’s identity. Signed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 290: Natural medicine regulation and legalization

Modifies the regulation of certain natural psychedelics and updates the criminal provisions related to the administration Proposition 122. Signed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 255: Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund

Creates the Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund in the Department of Natural Resources to compensate landowners and agricultural producers for losses from wolf depredation. Signed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1026: Family time for grandparents

Allows appointments of legal representatives to represent children in matters involving grandparent family time. Signed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1187: Alternatives in criminal justice system and pregnant persons

Limits when the courts may detain or incarcerate a pregnant person or a person in a postpartum period. Signed on Tuesday.

House Bill 1091: Continuation of child care contribution tax credit

Extends the child care contribution tax credit, currently set to expire after 2024, through 2027. Signed on Tuesday.

House Bill 1233: Electric vehicle charging and parking requirements

Includes a number of provisions to incentivize the expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Signed on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 292: Labor requirements for energy sector construction

Requires energy sector public works projects to comply with apprenticeship and prevailing wage requirements. Signed on Tuesday.

House Bill 1081: Employee ownership tax credit expansion

Makes several changes to expand the Employee Ownership Tax Credit. Signed on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 303: Reduce property taxes and voter-approved revenue change

Refers a ballot measure to voters at the November 2023 election and changes the treatment of property tax backfill payments to consolidated city and county governments under Senate Bill 22-238. Signed on Wednesday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1311: Identical temporary TABOR refund

Conditional upon approval of the ballot measure referred to voters in Senate Bill 23-303, this bill directs that TABOR refunds that would otherwise be paid in FY 2023-24 via the six-tier sales tax refund mechanism be instead paid in equal amounts to qualifying taxpayers. Signed on Wednesday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 304: Property tax valuation

Specifies factors that assessors must consider when valuing property, requires counties with a population of at least 300,000 people to use the alternative protest and appeal procedure, and requires assessors to provide certain information to taxpayers upon request. Signed on Wednesday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1057: Amenities for all genders in public buildings

Creates requirements for public buildings regarding non-gendered bathrooms, baby diaper changing stations, and signage. Signed on Wednesday. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1105: Homeowners’ association and metropolitan district homeowners’ rights task forces

Creates the HOA Homeowners’ Rights Task Force and the Metropolitan District Homeowners’ Rights Task Force in the Department of Law. Signed on Wednesday. Read more about the bill here.

‘This is not enough’: East High students to continue fight for gun violence prevention

Senate Bill 265: Prohibit professional discipline for marijuana

Limits the consideration of civil or criminal judgements based solely on the consumption, possession, cultivation, or processing of marijuana during professional licensure applications and disciplinary actions. Signed on Wednesday.

House Bill 1241: Task force to study K-12 accountability system

Creates a task force in the Colorado Department of Education to study and make recommendations concerning best practices and improvements to the public school accountability and accreditation system. Signed on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 209: Remove erroneous date from CLIMBER Act

Removes a reference to an erroneous date in the Colorado Loans for Increasing Main Street Business Economic Recovery Act, or CLIMBER Act. Signed on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 210: Update administration of certain human services

Modifies procedures for human services functions in multiple agencies. Signed on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 282: Jury Appreciation Day

Establishes Sept. 5 as “Jury Appreciation Day,” an observed state holiday. Signed on Wednesday.

House Bill 1077: Informed consent to intimate patient examinations

Requires health professionals, students, and trainees to obtain informed consent from sedated or unconscious patients before performing intimate examinations. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1178: Court personnel and domestic violence awareness

Places additional requirements and restrictions on the courts in certain family law cases involving domestic violence and child abuse. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1108: Victim and survivor training for judicial personnel

Creates a task force to study victim and survivor training for judicial personnel. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1032: Remedies persons with disabilities

Specifies the legal remedies that a person with a disability may pursue in cases alleging discrimination. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1136: Prosthetic devices for recreational activity

Requires state-regulated insurance plans to cover an alternative prosthetic limb if the patient’s physician determines that it is necessary to engage in physical and recreational activity. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor. Read more about the bill here.

House Bill 1184: Low-income housing property tax exemptions

Expands an existing property tax exemption for vacant land held by a nonprofit organization to build and sell affordable housing units, and deems certain land leased by nonprofit community land trusts and home developers as charitable and exempt under the state constitution. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

Senate Bill 167: Board of Nursing regulate certified midwives

Requires the Board of Nursing in the Department of Regulatory Agencies to regulate certified midwives. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1199: Forensic medical evidence process improvements

Requires the Department of Public Safety to establish tracking systems for sexual assault forensic medical evidence examinations and reimbursements under the SAVE program. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1107: Crime victim services funding

Provides funding to the State Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Fund and continues the Crime Victim Service Fund. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1222: Cases of domestic violence in municipal court

Creates new requirements for domestic violence cases heard in municipal courts. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1296: Create task force study rights persons disabilities

Creates a task force and four subcommittees to study issues concerning persons with disabilities. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

Senate Bill 289: Community First Choice Medicaid benefit

Creates the Community First Choice option. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1168: Legal representation and students with disabilities

Requires the Colorado Department of Education to contract with a nonprofit organization to develop a list of attorneys qualified to represent parents in special education disputes with public schools. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

House Bill 1263: Translating individualized education programs

Requires Individualized Education Plans to be translated into the dominant language spoken at the home of the student. Signed on Thursday by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera while serving as acting governor.

Polis also vetoed three bills this week:

House Bill 1146: Employees may accept cash tips

Prohibits employers from taking adverse action against an employee who accepts a cash gratuity offered by a patron of the business. Vetoed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 259: Extension of credit for limited gaming

Allows operators of casinos and others with a gaming license to extend credit to another person for gambling. Vetoed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

Senate Bill 273: Agricultural land in urban renewal areas

Specifies that agricultural land that was added to an urban renewal area prior to June 1, 2010, can only be part of the same URA that originally included it prior to that date. Vetoed on Tuesday. Read more about the bill here.

Gov. Jared Polis pulls veto pen out again, rejecting measures on gambling, tipping, agri land

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Colorado

Body of Colorado Springs man reported missing found on Mills Glacier

Published

6 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Body of Colorado Springs man reported missing found on Mills Glacier

Officials with the Rocky Mountain National Park say the body of a man who was reported missing from Colorado Springs was found.

The body of Lucas Macaj, 23, was found on Mills Glacier, near the base of Lamb’s Slide, according to authorities. Officials believe Macaj took a significant fall as rangers completed an on-scene investigation and recovery efforts. His body was flown to a landing zone in RMNP and was transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.

Macaj was reported missing late Sunday night after attempting to summit Longs Peak earlier in the day. He started from the Longs Peak Trailhead early Sunday, to summit Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route. Macaj was last heard from at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday, according to authorities.

He sent the text early Sunday afternoon and then stormy weather moved in. People became concerned for his safety Sunday night and the search began on Monday.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will release the cause of death.

Kasey Richardson

Kasey Richardson is a digital media producer in the CBS Colorado newsroom. He writes and edits articles on a variety of topics, but they are usually breaking news, weather, sports and developing stories.

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Colorado

A Colorado rafting company loses court battle over minimum wage increase

Published

13 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

A Colorado rafting company loses court battle over minimum wage increase

GRANITE, Colo. (KKTV) -A recent federal court ruling could increase the cost of rafting on the Arkansas River. Colorado river outfitters, including Arkansas Valley Adventures, have lost their legal fight to avoid paying state-mandated minimum wages to their raft guides.

The decision, handed down on April 30 by the federal court, upheld a $15 per hour minimum wage, following an appeal to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year.

The outfitters argued that the wage increase would escalate their operating costs, potentially leading to higher prices for customers and fewer available trips. The government contends that higher wages will boost worker productivity and improve service quality.

“You know, we’re going to pay you twice as much but guess what, we don’t have any work. It wouldn’t help us. We didn’t want that. We wanted an exemption. We wanted to understand our situation, and that just didn’t happen,” said Arkansas Valley Adventures owner Duke Bradford.

For those planning to go water rafting, expect some changes. Increased labor costs may lead outfitters to raise their rates, and some may reduce the number of trips offered, affecting the availability of rafting adventures.

“We work very hard to pay our staff as best we can. And I think you know, when you work closely with people you want that right. This isn’t about that, but we also don’t want to lose the ability to do overnights because the federal government, the Department of Labor, steps in and mandates a rule that would do away with that,” said Bradford.

The state’s rafting outfitters association Executive Director David Costlow says the need for Congress to legislate rather than leaving it to government agencies and affirmed their intention to continue the legal battle.

Click here to read the court’s decision.

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Colorado

Colorado city’s police department offers free safety devices for at-risk neighbors

Published

20 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Colorado city’s police department offers free safety devices for at-risk neighbors

Families caring for loved ones with memory loss know they can often wander. The Aurora Police Department says at-risk missing person cases come through almost daily. A grant received by APD has allowed them to give out free safety devices to residents caring for someone who needs special attention.

The device is called AngelSense. The GPS tracking system helps families and law enforcement find adults and children living with Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, autism and other related disorders.

It’s a small, fob-style device worn by at-risk individuals that notifies loved ones of their location through GPS. When they get lost, the trackers use receivers to locate the signal and find them. It provides a detailed timeline of their day and sends proactive alerts to the caretaker’s phone.

Det. Virgil Majors with Aurora Police SVU has been delivering them to families and showing them how to use it.

“The caregiver also has the ability to send the police department their live location when they can’t retrieve their loved one themselves. It’ll cut down on resources that we use, and it’ll cut down on the time they’re away from the caregiver as well,” said Majors. “Without this device, they’re hard to track down.”

He says missing at-risk individuals are often non-verbal, or can’t remember their address, phone number or name. Personal information is registered to the device that allows police to identify them if found.

“When we get that alert, we know exactly who they are, we know what they’re diagnosed with, how to approach them, and how to best help them,” explained Majors.

Majors brought one to Elizabeth Johnson last week. Her 2-year-old son has autism.

“He’s ran away from me in the grocery store, and I couldn’t find him. That was really scary,” said Johnson. “It gives me so much more confidence in being able to locate him and knowing that he’s okay. I’m actually able to find him without screaming his name.”

While CBS Colorado was speaking with Majors about the device, APD received an alert about a missing man with Alzheimer’s disease. Richard was eventually found several miles from his home, about a four hour walk away. His daughter, Allison, was relieved he made it back safely.

“Sometimes you don’t have happy endings in cases like this,” said Allison. “It’s very scary. If he can’t communicate where he lives or what his phone number is, he can’t get in contact with us.”

APD delivered an AngelSense device to their home and showed his family how to use it.

“I’m just grateful to all the police officers and everybody that was involved and helped find my father today. I’m eternally grateful for this device,” said Allison. “He will not go that far again.”

APD still has several AngelSense devices available to give out. The grant also covers a 3 month subscription for the cellular service it requires, and they’re working to get more funding to extend that free coverage.

Caretakers interested in a device must live in Aurora and fill out an application to make sure their loved one is eligible.

For more information contact Aurora SVU at 303-739-6229.

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