Legislative Status Report - 2009 Legislative Session
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Bill search page hosted by the 66th General Assembly
Legislative Status Report
2009 Regular Session
Final update: June 5, 2009
The Bell Policy Center and Bell Action Network do not explicitly support or oppose the following bills unless indicated. The Bell provides these summaries as a service to the public.
How This Page Works:
Bill No. & Sponsors Column: Provides a link to the General Assembly website, where you can search for the specific bill. Also shows the House ("H") and Senate ("S") sponsors. "HB" indicates that it is a bill that originated in the House, and "SB" indicates that it is a bill that originated in the Senate.
Bill title, summary & state fiscal impact column: The short title and a summary of the bill are provided. The summary is of the bill as introduced unless otherwise indicated. The "SFI," or State Fiscal Impact, link takes you to the bill's fiscal impact report on the General Assembly website.
Bill Status Column: The action shown is the last major action taken on the bill. For a full history of the bill, click on the "introduced" link.
Bill status marked in red letters indicates the bill has failed (for example: withdrawn, postponed indefinitely, killed in committee, vetoed by the governor).
Bill status marked in green letters indicates a bill that has passed both houses and been signed by the governor.
Pink writing shows that a bill has recently been added to our list.
The regular session of the 67th General Assembly started on Jan. 7, 2009, and must close no later than May 6, 2009.
TABOR, Ref C and state finance
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Repeal TABOR refund mechanisms: Eliminates existing mechanisms to refund excess state revenues as required by Section 20 of Article X of the state constitution, except the sales tax refund mechanism.
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Jan. 13 – Introduced |
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Senate: Morse House: Marostica and Court |
Flexibility to Use State Revenues (6% bill): Eliminates the limit on the growth of total General Fund appropriations. Eliminates the automatic transfer to the controlled maintenance trust fund that is a percentage of excess General Gund revenue. Eliminates the automatic transfer of General Fund surplus to the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF) and the Capital Construction Fund. Permits the General Assembly to transfer money to such funds. Permits the General Assembly to transfer money to the fund, which shall be used in the same manner as the money that is automatically diverted thereto under current law. Eliminates the limit on the amount that the General Assembly may appropriate from the HUTF for specified state agencies. |
Feb. 19 – Introduced |
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Senate: Keller House: Pommer |
Long appropriations bill
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April 6 – Introduced
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House: Ferrandino Senate: None |
Create new rainy day account: Effective July 1, 2009, changes the name of the controlled maintenance trust fund to the controlled maintenance and rainy day fund, and creates the controlled maintenance and rainy day accounts within the fund. Allows the controlled maintenance account to be used in the same manner in which the controlled maintenance trust fund has been used in the past. Allows the General Assembly to order the state treasurer to transfer moneys from the rainy day account to the General Fund to the extent necessary to make General Fund appropriations up to the statutory General Fund appropriations limit. |
Feb. 3 – Introduced
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House: Ferrandino Senate: Veiga |
Unemployment compensation enterprise: Designates the unemployment compensation section of the Division of Employment and Training in the Department of Labor and Employment as an enterprise for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution (TABOR), as long as the section retains the authority to issue revenue bonds and receives less than 10% of its total annual revenues in grants from state and local governments. |
April 22 – Introduced
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Immigration
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
Gateway 1. A Healthy Birth
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Behavioral health commission creation: Creates the behavioral health commission within the Department of Human Services for the purpose of guiding the development and implementation of an integrated behavioral health system in Colorado.
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Jan. 7 – Introduced |
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House: Massey Senate: Boyd and Schwartz |
Health resources for underserved areas: Creates the primary care office in the prevention services division in the Department of Public Health and Environment to identify areas of the state that lack sufficient health resources and to coordinate available federal and state programs to maximize medical reimbursements, grants and the placement of health care professionals within those areas. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced |
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See Gateaway 7
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Gateway 2. A Safe and Stimulating Early Childhood
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
Gateway 3. Building a Solid Base for Literacy
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Senate: Sandoval House: None
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Early childhood education services free lunch: Adds children enrolled in state-subsidized early childhood education programs operated by public schools to the list of qualifying students eligible to receive a free lunch under the Child Nutrition School Lunch Protection Program. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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Senate: Hudak House: Benefield and Merrifield |
Parent involvement in education: Creates State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education and directs the council to advise public education entities concerning best practices and strategies for increasing parent involvement in public education and promoting family and school partnerships. |
Jan. 14 – Introduced
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Senate: Hudak and King House: Middleton and Massey |
Education accountability system: Streamlines the state’s school accountability and accreditation system. Incorporates into the new system the “Colorado Growth Model,” which measures student academic progress and development over time (i.e., longitudinal growth). |
Feb. 3 – Introduced |
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Senate: Keller House: Pommer |
Appropriations for financing public schools: For the 2008-09 budget year, specifies that the statewide base per pupil funding is $5,250.41 to account for inflation plus an additional one percentage point; reduces the appropriation for charter school capital construction from $10 million to $5.14 million; delays for one year the requirement that the Education Department conduct a study to evaluate how declining pupil enrollment in school districts statewide impacts the students that remain in the declining enrollment districts. |
Feb. 16– Introduced
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Senate: Romer and Bacon House: Pommer and Scanlan |
Financing of public schools: Amends the Public School Finance Act of 1994. (The main public school funding bill.)
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March 30– Introduced
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Parental leave academic activities: Allows an employee of an employer with at least 10 employees to take unpaid leave for the purpose of attending parent-teacher conferences or other academic activities related to the educational advancement of the employee's child. Limits the unpaid leave to six hours per month and 40 hours in any academic year. Requires employee to attempt to schedule conferences outside of work hours, provide three days' notice and to take leave in no greater than three-hour increments. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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Educator identifier pilot program: Extends the Quality Teacher Commission to July 1, 2012, and creates an educator identifier system and pilot program in the state. The identifier will be used to gather data useful in strengthening quality teaching and education in Colorado, but may not be used to negatively sanction individual teachers. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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Gateway 4. Establishing a Healthy Lifestyle in Childhood and Adolescence
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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See Gateway 1 | |
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Senate: Sandoval House: None |
Healthy snacks in schools: Requires school districts and charter schools to allow sales of only snack foods that satisfy minimum nutritional requirements; creates exception for snack food sales that occur off school campuses or at certain school-sponsored events. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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See Gateaway 7
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| See Gateaway 7 | ||
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House: Roberts and Kerr, A. Senate: None |
Colorado Youth Advisory Council: Clarifies that the Colorado youth advisory council is created in the legislative branch. |
Jan. 12 – Introduced
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| See Gateway 7 | ||
| See Gateway 7 | ||
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House: Frangas Senate: Hudak |
Children's Dental Assistance Program Moneys: Repeals the intent of the General Assembly that general fund moneys not be used to implement the Children's Dental Assistance Program. Allows the children's dental plan cash fund to include general fund appropriations. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced
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House: Vigil Senate: Schwartz |
Rural substance abuse grant program: Establishes the Rural Alcohol and Substance Abuse Grant Program in the division of alcohol and drug abuse in the Department of Human Services to provide grants to entities that provide alcohol and substance abuse treatment and services in rural areas or that provide activities for youths in rural areas designed to reduce the use of alcohol and drugs. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced
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See Gateaway 7
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Gateway 5. Leaving High School with a Diploma and the Skills to Succeed
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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See Gateway 3 | |
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See Gateway 6 |
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House: Summers and Solano Senate: Heath |
Increase high school graduation rates: Includes career and technical educaion in concurrent enrollment system. |
April 15 – Introduced
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See Gateaway 3
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House: Middleton and Massey Senate: Bacon |
Increase high school graduation rates: Creates the Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement in the Colorado Department of Education. The office will work with local education providers to reduce dropout rates and increase graduation and completion rates. |
Jan. 30 – Introduced
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House: Merrifield and Massey Senate: Williams |
Concurrent enrollment, public school students: Allows school districts to partner with institutions of higher education to offer college courses to qualified high school students. Requires school districts to notify middle school, junior high school, and high school students and their parents or legal guardians of the opportunity for qualified students' concurrent enrollment in courses offered by institutions of higher education. |
March 18 – Introduced
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House: Pommer Senate: None |
College Opportunity Fund stipends-State Education Fund: Allows State Education Fund money to be constitutionally appropriated to the College Opportunity Fund if used only for stipends for students concurrently enrolled in high school and higher education institutions or enrolled in basic skills courses, teacher preparation programs, or early childhood education and development courses. |
April 21– Introduced
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Gateway 6. Access to Education and Training for Adults
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Higher education guaranteed credit transfer: Requires establishment of guidelines for baccalaureate degree programs so that a student would be assured, after completing an approved 60-credit curriculum, that those credits would be accepted by any institution so that a further 60 additional credits would be sufficient to complete a particular 120-hour baccalaureate degree.
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Senate: Romer House: None |
Non-discrimination in higher education funding: Requires that a person, regardless of immigration status, who attends a Colorado high school for at least three years and enrolls in a Colorado institution of higher education within five years after either graduating from a Colorado high school or earning a general education diploma in Colorado shall be charged the same tuition rate and shall be eligible for tuition assistance under the same criteria as a person who establishes domicile in Colorado. |
Feb. 3 – Introduced |
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Senate: Boyd House: |
Higher educaton institution accessibility: This bill gives higher-ed governing boards the authority to set tuition rates; switches administration of financial aid to the institutions rather than through the Department of Higher Education; and requires the institutions to show how they are ensuring access and affordability under the new structure. |
April 22– Introduced |
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House: McNulty Senate: Kopp |
In-state tuition military veterans: Grants honorably discharged members of the armed forces, and their dependents, in-state tuition status. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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House: Summers Senate: None |
In-state tuition parent moves for job: Provides in-state student status for tuition purposes to a child whose parent or legal guardian moves to Colorado for a job if the child is a legal resident of the United States; the child's parent or legal guardian and the child move to Colorado during the child's senior year of high school; and the child graduates from a Colorado public high school. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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House: Massey and Pommer Senate: Tapia
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Limited gaming-Amendment 50-community colleges: Implements Amendment 50, the initiated measure approved by Colorado voters in November. Directs the new gaming revenue to community colleges (78%) and gaming towns and counties (22%) in accordance with the formula specified in Amendment 50. |
Feb. 4 – Introduced
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House: Pommer Senate: None |
See Gateway 5 | |
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House: Senate: Boyd |
Local government financial assistance-higher education: This bill would allow the formation of local taxing districts to provide local support to community colleges. The taxes would be used by the institutions for the following purposes: (1) assist residents of the district in defraying tuition costs, (2) provide supplemental funding for operating costs, (3) constructing or renovating facilities, (4) capital funding for technology enhancement, (5) other jointly approved uses. The bill would allow counties to raise similar taxes for similar uses at state colleges (Adams, Western, Mesa, Metro, Fort Lewis) located within their boundaries. |
April 21– Introduced
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Gateway 7. A Healthy Adult Life
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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See Gateway 1 | |
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Senate: Carroll, M. House: Primavera |
Licensed doctor review insurance claims denial: For purposes of workers' compensation, property-casualty and health insurance, requires any internal review of claims, independent medical examination, or utilization review to be conducted by a Colorado-licensed health care professional who is in good standing and has appropriate expertise in the same or similar specialties as would typically manage the case being reviewed. |
Jan. 12 – Introduced
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House: Rice and Stephens Senate: Mitchell and Newell |
Incentives wellness and prevention programs: Authorizes carriers providing individual and group health coverage plans to offer incentives for covered persons and groups to participate in wellness and prevention programs. Permits those incentives to include premium discounts or rebates; modifications to co-payment, deductible, or co-insurance amounts; or a combination of those incentives.
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Jan. 7 – Introduced
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House: Acree Senate: Spence |
Expedite medical program re-enrollment: Directs the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to establish a process for re-enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Basic Health Plan both over the telephone and through the internet. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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Health care transparency: Requires health insurance carriers to disclose to the Division of Insurance business relationships with intermediary entities. Requires health insurance carriers to disclose standards of care and practice guidelines determined by the entity, the basis or criteria for placing limits on patient visits, the determination for deductibles and co-payments, and payments made to the intermediary entity.
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Jan. 7 – Introduced |
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House: Kefalas Senate: None |
Economic opportunity poverty task force: Creates Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force to assess current policies and practices in Colorado that promote economic opportunity and poverty reduction and develop and implement a strategic, integrated and comprehensive plan to reduce the number of Coloradans living in poverty, especially families and children. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced |
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House: Acree Senate: Scheffel |
Study health insurance portability: Requires that the Health Care Task Force study the portability of health insurance after a policyholder has separated from employment. |
Jan. 12 – Introduced
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House: Riesberg Senate: Newell |
Presumptive eligibility long-term care: Authorizes the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to seek federal approval so that a person in need of long-term care who declares all of the information necessary to determine eligibility under the medical assistance program shall be presumptively eligible for benefits. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced
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See Gateway 1
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See Gateway 4 | |
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House: Miklosi Senate: None |
Economic Development and Incentive Act of 2009: Creates a credit to be applied against state income tax liability for a qualified investment that creates jobs in a small business. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced
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House: Swalm Senate: Schwartz |
HMOs offer limited benefit plans: Allows health maintenance organizations to offer enrollees basic health care services through a limited benefit plan. |
Jan. 14 – Introduced
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House: Roberts Senate: Isgar |
Expand health access pilot program to San Luis Valley: Expands the Local Access to Health Care Pilot Program Act to allow the creation of a pilot program in the San Luis valley. Authorizes the San Luis Valley county commissioners association to create a program to provide access to health care services to individuals employed by San Luis Valley employers and to contract with a nonprofit corporation for purposes of operating the pilot program. |
Jan. 30 – Introduced |
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House: Riesberg and Ferrandino Senate: Keller |
Medicaid Hospital Provider Fee: Authorizes the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to charge and collect from licensed or certified hospitals a hospital provider fee. Specifies that the fee shall: Supplement and not supplant existing General Fund appropriations to hospital providers unless payments to other Medicaid providers are reduced; be used for increasing reimbursements to hospitals under Medicaid and the Colorado Indigent Care Program, expanding eligibility for Medicaid and the Children's Basic Health Plan (CHP+). |
March 2 – Introduced |
Gateway 8. Earning a Decent Living and Building Wealth
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Senate: Heath House: Marostica |
Colorado credit reserve program: Authorizes the Colorado Economic Development Commission to contract with the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority for the operation of a Colorado credit reserve program for the purpose of increasing the availability of credit to small businesses in Colorado. Appropriates $2,500,000 from the General Fund for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, for the implementation of the act. |
March 16 – Introduced
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Senate: Scheffel House: Lambert |
Phase out business personal property tax: Exempts a percentage of business personal property, excluding state-assessed property, from property taxation. Increases the amount of the exemption every two years until all business personal property is exempt. |
Jan. 13 – Introduced
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Senate: Morse House: Levy |
Continuation of the regulation of civil rights issues: In sunset review, continues the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and their respective functions through July 1, 2018.
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Jan. 26 – Introduced
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Senate: Schwartz House: Todd |
New energy jobs program: Permits moneys available from the Colorado customized training program to be used to train potential employees, establish programs related to training, and help companies train employees for participation in Colorado's new energy economy.
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Feb. 4 – Introduced
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Senate: Schwartz House: Liston |
Broadband inventory; Amends statutes adopted in 2008 for the creation of an inventory of broadband service areas within the state and authorizes acceptance of publicly funded gifts, donations to help finance the creation of the inventory. |
Feb. 2 – Introduced
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Senate: Heath House: Liston |
Unemployment insurance attached to regular jobs: During the period of the economic recession beginning in 2008, specifies that the director of the Division of Employment and Training shall waive for a certain number of weeks the requirements for employees attached to regular jobs to register for work and report to an employment office as a condition of being eligible to receive unemployment insurance.
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Feb. 10 – Introduced
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Senate: Mitchell House: Rice |
Enterprise zone recommendations to General Assembly: Directs the Economic Development Commission, with assistance from the Colorado Office of Economic Development, to develop recommended criteria for the potential creation of a statewide enterprise zone, for the expansion of the boundaries of one or more existing enterprise zones, or for the modification of existing enterprise zone credits. Specifies the aspects of enterprise zones that the commission shall consider. Requires the commission to submit a report to the General Assembly with its recommendations regarding enterprise zones, including recommendations regarding the creation of a statewide enterprise zone.
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Feb. 23 – Introduced
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Senate: Tochtrop House: Pace |
Expansion of benefits for unemployed workers in Colorado using federal stimulus money: Expands the availability of unemployment benefits to certain unemployed individuals. |
March 16 – Introduced
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Income tax credit for Colorado job growth: Establishes the Colorado job growth incentive tax credit, which would allow a taxpayer to claim a credit for a specified number of consecutive months. Allows the Colorado Economic Development Commission to allocate the credits by issuing credit certificates to taxpayers who meet established criteria for a project in the state. Establishes the methods for issuing credit certificates as well as the application process. Grants rule-making authority to the Department of Revenue. |
Jan. 7 – Introduced
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House: Ferrandino Senate: Carroll, M. |
Delay foreclosure of residential properties: Requires the Division of Housing in the Department of Local Affairs to set qualifications for, train and retain foreclosure counselors to assist eligible borrowers in the deferment of a foreclosure sale. Allows an eligible borrower the opportunity to defer a foreclosure sale on a residential property for 90 days. If the holder of the loan receives notice that the borrower is eligible for a loan deferment, requires the holder to defer the foreclosure for 90 days. |
Feb. 9– Introduced
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See TABOR, Ref C and state finance
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Gateway 9. A Financially Secure and Healthy Retirement
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Senate: Sandoval and Spence House: Kerr, A. |
Denver Public Schools-PERA retirement merger: Allows the merger of Denver Public Schools' retirement system with the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association.
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April 3 – Introduced |
The Health of Democracy
Bill No. & sponsors |
Bill title, summary
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Bill status |
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Define ID for voting: Would have required that a voter present government-issued photo identification at the polls in order to vote; would have eliminated other forms of identification.
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Jan. 13– Introduced
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House: Miklosi Senate: Bacon |
Secure electronic voting information: Would allow Colorado citizens who meet certain conditions to register to vote online through the Colorado Secretary of State’s web site. |
Jan. 14 – Introduced
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House: Kerr, A. Senate: Romer |
National popular vote agreement: Would allow Colorado to enter into an agreement with other states to elect the president of the United States by national popular vote. |
March 4 – Introduced
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House: Todd, Murray. Senate: Williams |
Requirements for voting equipment: Modifies requirements for electronic voting equipment. | April 7 – Introduced May 15 – Signed by the Governor |
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House: Todd, Murray Senate: Williams, Carroll, M. |
Recommendations of election reform commission: Implements election-related recommendations made by the state election commission. |
April 7 – Introduced
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House: Todd, Murray Senate: Williams, Carroll, M. |
Changes to ballot processing deadlines: Requires a county to notify an elector by mail of a signature or identification deficiency within three days of the problem being confirmed and not later than two days after an election. It also allows mail-in ballots to be counted 15 days prior to an election. | April 7 – Introduced May 15 – Signed by the Governor |
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House: Todd, Murray Senate: Williams, Carroll, M. |
Filing campaign finance reports with seretary of state: Changes the requirement that campaign finance reports be filed with the county clerk and recorder and instead requires campaign finance reports to be filed with the Secretary of State. |
April 20 – Introduced |