Legislative Status Report - 2005 Regular Session

Prohibit Use of Cash Funds for General Governmental Purposes
(Prohibits moneys derived from a charge imposed by the state and credited to a cash fund from being transferred to the general fund or appropriated for purposes unrelated to the collection of the cash fund.)

Creation of a Revenue Shortfall Relief Fund
(Creates a revenue shortfall relief fund, and requires interest and income earned on the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund to be credited to and remain in the fund, in fiscal year 2006-2007.)

Stable Means of Funding Budgetary Need
(Authorizes the state to retain and spend excess revenues from fiscal year 2005-2006 to fiscal year 2009-2010. Requires all retained revenue to be used to fund transportation, education, health care and pension plans for firefighters and police officers. Introduces a new formula determining state fiscal year spending to be equal to the highest total state revenues for a fiscal year from the period 2005-06 through 2009-10, adjusted each subsequent year for inflation and population growth.)

(Click here to read Bell testimony in support of this bill.)

(REFERENDUM "C")
(Related: HB-1317 and HJR-1057 and SB-237)

House- Passed
Senate- Passed

HB 1194 is a referred measure that will appear on the ballot in November of 2005.

Concerning Tobacco Litigation Settlement Moneys
(Requires the state to sell as much of the tobacco settlement revenues owed to the state in future years as is financially feasible in order to help fund short-term general fund needs and to continue the funding of specified programs currently funded with tobacco settlement revenues.)

Adjust Revenues to Stabilize Budget
(Refers to the voters of the state a measure that: Authorizes the state to retain all state revenues in excess of the limitation for each state fiscal year through 2009-10. Reduces the state income tax rate.)

KELLER,
GREEN

Postponed Indefinitely

Presumptive Eligibility Under Medicaid
(Allows women in need of prenatal care and meeting financial criteria to be presumed eligible for specified services under the state's Medicaid program.)

SIGNED into law by Governor Owens 4/22/2005

School Readiness Quality Improvement
(Provides funding to early care and education providers that serve economically disadvantaged children for the purpose of enhancing school readiness.)

House- Passed
Senate- Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/2/05

Reporting Immunization Information
(Establishes a immunization tracking fund and requires the board of health to adopt rules governing the requirement that immunization information be reported.)

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/3/05

Implementation of Tobacco Taxes
for Health-Related Purposes
Creates the Tobacco Tax Cash Fund, implements the use of revenue for health related purposes as created by the tobacco tax amendment adopted in November 2004 and creates the Tobacco Education Programs Fund to promote tobacco cessation

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/2/05

Childhood Immunizations
(Authorizes the Department of Public Health to contact a parent if a child's immunizations are due or overdue.)

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 4/29/05

Nutrition and Physical Health in Schools
(Encourages each school to adopt a policy insuring a child's access to healthy food, nutritional information, and daily physical activity on school premises.)

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 4/14/05

High School College Preparation
(Requires notice to parents of a student in need of additional college preparatory classes based on the results of the 11th grade ACT test.)

Creation of Dropout Prevention Grant Fund
(Creates grant program for the reduction of student dropout rate and adds a line to Colorado state individual income tax forms for individual taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to the dropout prevention activity grant fund.)

Notice of Postsecondary Education Opportunities
(Requires notice to parents of students concerning CCHE's pre-collegiate curriculum, the potential financial liabilities if a student later needs remedial education, and the availability of information regarding financial assistance.)

School Accreditation Standards
(Standardizes the calculation of graduation and dropout rates. Requires the reporting of mobility rates, continuing education rates, and disaggregated data based on specific criteria.)

Statewide Online Education
(Creates a state online education authority to approve statewide online education programs, creates a web site for online education programs, and develops supplemental online education service for purchase by local school districts.)

High School Dropout Parental Notice
(Requires written notification to a parent of a student who drops out of high school.)

Higher Education Tuition Income Tax Credit
(Creates an income tax credit for tuition paid by a resident to a public or private institution of higher education in Colorado.)

In-State Student Tuition
(Specifies criteria for a student to receive in-state tuition based on domicile, regardless of immigration status.)

Colorado Achievement Scholarship
(Creates the Colorado achievement scholarship program for the purpose of promoting a pre-collegiate curriculum and increasing access to postsecondary education.)

SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 4/7/05

College Opportunity Fund Act
(Specifies that an eligible student may receive a stipend for basic skills courses, and for graduate level courses that apply toward a student's undergraduate degree.)

Senate - Passed
House - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/2/05

Reinstate Medicaid for Legal Immigrants
(Reinstates medical assistance eligibility to specific groups of qualified legal immigrants and specifies that these legal immigrants qualify as an optional group to be served under the state's Medicaid program.)

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 2/2/05

Implementation of Tobacco Taxes
for Health-Related Purposes
Allocates revenues raised by the tobacco taxes imposed by Amendment 35.  These funds expand access to Medicaid for more families, provide for prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer and underwrite tobacco education, prevention and cessation programs.

BOYD,
HAGEDORN

Mental Health Care Services
(Authorizes the creation of a mental health district and allows the district to seek voter approval to levy a tax in order to generate revenues to provide mental health care services. Upon voter approval, allows any county in the state to impose additional sales tax for the purpose of providing mental health care.)

Long-Term Care Services Under Medicaid
(Establishes a committee to create a community long-term care delivery system and requires the state to develop and implement coordinated long-term care services.)

Unemployment Insurance Benefit Alternative Base Period
(Creates an alternative base period for the purpose of qualifying more workers for unemployment insurance benefits.)
Bell testimony

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
VETOED by Gov. Owens 5/25/05

Requirement for Economic Development Grants
(Requires any person or entity that receives a grant or loan from the state, to create new jobs that meet wage and benefit requirements, to file an annual report.)

SUTA Dumping Compliance-Unemployment Insurance Rate
(For purposes of compliance with the federal act, modifies the method of determining the unemployment insurance tax rate of an entity that acquires the trade or business of an employer.)
Bell testimony • Bell policy brief

Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Domestic Abuse
(Allows a person who has left employment due to domestic abuse to be considered for unemployment insurance benefits if the Division of Labor and Employment is provided with evidence documenting domestic abuse.)

Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Military Spouses
(Provides that good cause exists for leaving employment if an employee voluntarily leaves to accompany his/her military-connected spouse to new employment, or for medical reasons.)

House - Passed
Senate - Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/2/05

False Statements in Elections
(Expands the existing election offense governing false statements, which currently proscribes certain conduct performed "knowingly", to prohibit any person from recklessly making a false statement designed to affect the vote on any issue or candidate.)

Senate- Passed
House- Passed
SIGNED into law by Gov. Owens 6/6/05

Concerning Benefits Accepted by Public Officials
(Prohibits certain public officials from accepting monetary gifts and treats specified gifts to such officials as contributions for campaign finance law purposes.)