Senate Bill 012
Student Possession of Prescription Drugs. Sponsored by Representative T. Massey and Senator G. Brophy. SB 012 has been amended to create an option for school districts to follow current law regarding self-carry of asthma or life-threatening allergy medications or create a different plan with less restrictions than those required under current law and state board rule. It allows for the less restrictive policy to include all prescription drugs with the exception of medical marijuana. It requires the less restrictive policy to take into consideration the student's medical needs in relation to the risk of harm in which other students are exposed. Under the less restrictive plan, it is amended to allow certain dosages and quantities and requires parental notification if a student is self-carrying. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 029 State Land Board Annual Reports. Sponsored by Representative K. Summers and Senator E. Hudak. SB 029 requires the board to provide copies of the land transaction report; the investment and development fund report, and the income and inventory report to members of specified legislative committees, the members of the State Board of Education, and the State Treasurer. Additionally, it requires the board to make all of the reports available to the public on its website. The intent is to provide information about land investments and to identify potential gains in maximizing the value of all land transactions. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 034 Required Reporting of Abuse and Neglect. Sponsored by Representative K. Summers and Senator J. Nicholson. SB 034 adds educators who provide services through a federal special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC) to the list of persons required to report child abuse or neglect. State Fiscal Impact: Local Fiscal Impact: State Revenue - Fines Collection Cash Fund FY11-12 <$5,000. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 040 Coach Youth Sports Concussions Education. Sponsored by Representative K. Summers and Senator L. Newell. Coaches with primary supervisory responsibility for a youth athletic activity are required to complete annual concussion recognition education including: (1) information on how to recognize the signs and symptoms; (2) the means of obtaining proper medical attention for a person; and (3) information on the nature and risk of concussions. SB 040 requires the coach to immediately remove the youth athlete from the game, competition, or practice if a concussion is suspected. SB 040 specifies conditions under which the youth is allowed to return to the sport. It provides a limited immunity to volunteer coaches and to members of the board of directors or governing boards of a school district, private club, or recreational facility. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 057 Metropolitan District Mail Elections. Sponsored by Representative F. McNulty and Senator T. Harvey. SB 057 allows for mail-in ballots only in a metropolitan district where eligible electors have returned a ballot in the most recent district election, have appeared on the permanent mail-in ballot list after the most recent election, and have notified the district of the elector's desire to receive a mail-in ballot for the district election. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 061 Special Education Appeal Process. Sponsored by Representative M. Ferrandino and Senator N. Spence. SB 061 changes the appeal process to a single due process hearing at the state level that complies with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the regulations implementing the act. The parent, the administrative unit, or the state program may file a request for a due process hearing with the Commissioner of Education, and the Department of Education shall provide the hearing in compliance with the federal law. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 076 PERA Contribution Rates. Sponsored by Representative J. Becker and Senator P. Steadman. SB 076 extends the employer rates for the state and judicial divisions of PERA to allow for a 2.5% adjustment between employer and employee. It also allows school districts, local government, and DPS divisions to shift contributions up to 2.5% from employer to employee. State Fiscal Impact: State Revenue: General Fund FY11-12 ($1,750,123) / State Expenditures FY11-12 ($58,337,421). Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 078 Rule Review Bill. Sponsored by Representative B. Gardner and Senator J. Morse. SB 078 changes the following CDE rules: 1) Accreditation of School Districts - SB 078 repeals the rule that the SBE shall not allow a district or the institute to remain in the accreditation category of accredited with priority improvement plan and/or accredited with turnaround plan for longer than a total of five consecutive school years; 2) School Awards Program - SB 078 repeals the rule stating that if a school building contains more than one complete school level, they shall receive only one monetary award regardless of the number of report cards received. It also repeals the rule stating these awards shall be granted to the public schools in the state demonstrating the highest rates of sustained student longitudinal growth across multiple years; 3) Administration of Accountability for Alternative Education Campuses - SB 078 repeals SBE's ability to designate alternative campuses and repeals SBE's approval requirement. It repeals performance reviews by the SBE; 4) Administration, Certification, and Oversight of Colorado Online Programs - SB 078 repeals the alignment of online curriculum with model content standards. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 106 Sunset Science and Technology Education Advisory Board. Sponsored by Representative M. Ferrandino and Senator N. Spence. SB 106 repeals the Science and Technology Education Center Grants Advisory Board. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 109 Public Education Fund Tax Checkoff. Sponsored by Representative J. Solano and Senator B. Shaffer. SB 109 creates a voluntary contribution designation line for the Public Education Fund to appear as the first voluntary contribution designation line on State Individual Income Tax Return Forms for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2011 but before January 1, 2021. Funds shall be split evenly between the Department of Education and the Department of Higher Education. State Fiscal Impact: State Revenue: Cash Funds - Public Education Fund FY11-12 greater than $5,000, FY12-13 greater than $5,000 / State Expenditures: Cash Funds - Public Education Fund FY11-12 $60,656, FY12-13 $3,656. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 111 Educational Success Task Force. Sponsored by Representative T. Massey and Senator K. King. SB 111 creates the Educational Success Task Force. The task force will include legislative members appointed by leadership in the Senate and the House and members from the education sector appointed jointly by the SBE and CCHE. The task force will also consist of experts in education, especially in intervention strategies and remedial education, parents, teachers, and other representatives of school districts, public schools, and institutions of higher education. The task force will review the junctures within a student's academic career at which intervention education services are critical to the student's success; the use of the ICAPS; and potential changes to rules, guidelines, and statutes to improve the use of intervention education services to ensure students graduate from high school, demonstrating post-secondary and workforce readiness, and to improve remedial education at the post-secondary level. In fulfilling its duties, the task force will work with the Education Leadership Council created by the Governor. State Fiscal Impact: State Expenditures: General Fund FY11-12 $27,020 / FTE FY11-12 (0.4).
Senate Bill 119 Appeal Valuation Commercial Real Property. Sponsored by Representative D. Pabon and Senator L. Guzman. The bill requires any petitioner appealing a valuation of income-producing commercial real property to provide to the Board of Assessment Appeals or the district court and the assessor information regarding actual income from the property, rent roll data, and any appraisal performed on the property for the property tax year or years at issue in the appeal. It also makes changes to the timeframe for calendaring appeals and when information has to be provided by the petitioner. It also clarifies that information provided by a petitioner is not subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 120 Protections for Youth in Foster Care. Sponsored by Representative J. Kefalas and Senator L. Newell. SB 120 creates a Bill of Rights for children in foster care, including not to be locked in a room in a facility unless for mental health needs; to attend school and have access to transportation and participation in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities; at 16 years of age, to have access to existing information regarding educational options available including coursework for vocational and post-secondary education; to have stability in school that presumes that the student will remain in the school where placed unless it is not in the student's best interests and to have placement in the least restrictive setting appropriate to the student's needs. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 133 Discipline in Public Schools. Sponsored by Representative B. Nikkel and Senator E. Hudak. SB 133 is amended to create a legislative volunteer task force to work with the juvenile justice system to study school discipline. Non-identifying data collected by CDE, school districts, or law enforcement may be reviewed, as well as national research. By December 15, 2011, the task force must provide recommendations for statutory changes to the General Assembly. State Fiscal Impact: State Expenditures: General Fund FY11-12 $27,020 / FTE FY11-12 (0.4). Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 137 Supplemental Appropriation to the Department of Education. Sponsored by Representative C. Gerou and Senator M. Hodge. SB 137 makes supplemental appropriations to the Colorado Department of Education. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 156 FY 10-11 General Fund Reserve Reduction. Sponsored by Representative J. Becker and Senator K. Lambert. SB 156 is necessary to balance the 2010-2011 budget. For FY10-11, it reduces the statutorily required General Fund Reserve from 4% to 2.3% of the amount appropriated for expenditure from the General Fund. State Fiscal Impact: State Transfers or Diversions: Diversion from the General Fund Reserve to the General Fund FY10-11 ($118 million) / State Expenditures: General Fund FY10-11 $118 million. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 157 Modifications to School Finance Act. Sponsored by Representative M. Ferrandino and Senator P. Steadman. SB 157 adjusts appropriations to CDE and CDHE for FY10-11. It provides cash funds to CDE for school finance to offset a shortfall in local revenues. It shifts ARRA from higher ed to K-12 and shifts General Fund from K-12 to higher ed. It specifies that the supplemental kindergarten enrollment factor will be maintained at 0.58 FTE for FY10-11 and for future fiscal years. The funding adjustments reduce state funding appropriated for districts' total program funding, but districts are essentially held harmless due to the availability of federal funds. SB 157 clarifies that in FY11-12, mid-year adjustments to the State Budget Stabilization Factor shall maintain total program funding at the level initially established in the 2011 legislative session. It establishes total program funding for FY10-11 based on those figures. Establishes the General Assembly's intent that varous distributions and allocations shall be calculated prior to the reduction in state funding. State Fiscal Impact: State Expenditures: General Fund FY10-11 ($156,331,551); Cash Funds - State Public School Fund FY10-11 $22,929,650; State Education Fund FY10-11 ($4,460) / Federal Funds FY10-11 $156,331,551. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 164 Cash Fund Transfers for FY 2010-2011. Sponsored by Representative C. Gerou and Senator M. Hodge. SB 164 is necessary to balance the 2010-2011 budget. It requires the State Treasurer to make new or additional transfers to the General Fund. State Fiscal Impact: State Transfers or Diversions: Transfer from Multiple Case Fund Sources to the General Fund FY10-11 ($103,026,108) / State Expenditures: General Fund FY10-11 $103,026,108. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 173 Interoperable Communications in Schools. Sponsored by Representative R. Fields and Senator S. King. During annual fire safety inspections, the bill proposes to have inspectors ask additional questions about all hazard drills and test communication equipment. Once clarification of current requirements was made, the rest of the bill contains voluntary outreach to community partners, including local 911 operators and regional homeland security offices. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 184 Tax Reporting. Sponsored by Representative M. Ferrandino and Senator P. Steadman. SB 184 establishes a Tax Amnesty Program that is similar to the one conducted in June 2003. The Tax Amnesty Program will be conducted during August-September 2011 and applied to taxes for which a return was required to be filed before December 31, 2010. Eligible taxpayers who owe specified taxes are able to report the taxes owed and pay such amount plus 1/2 of the interest owed thereon, or they may enter into an agreement with the Department of Revenue to pay the taxes and all interest owed. A taxpayer who pays the full amount owed would not be subject to any fines or civil or cirminal penalties. Monies received prior to January 1, 2012, pursuant to the Tax Amnesty Program related to the Income Tax and the Sales and Use Tax that would otherwise be deposited in the General Fund, shall instead be depostied in the Tax Amnesty Cash Fund. Any money beyond the cost of administering the Amnesty Program will be directed to the State Education Fund. State Fiscal Impact: State Revenue: Tax Amnesty Cash Fund FY11-12 $10.9 million, General Fund and various other Cash Funds FY11-12 $1.7 million / Transfers or Diversions: Transfer from the Tax Amnesty Cash Fund 1) to the General Fund FY11-12 ($1.2 million) 2) to the State Education Fund FY11-12 ($9.7 million) / State Expenditures: General Fund FY10-11 $12,096. Cash Funds Tax Amnesty Fund FY11-12 $483,895 FY12-13 $69,654 / FTE: FY11-12 0.8, FY12-13 1.0. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 188 Charter School Moral Obligation Oversight. Sponsored by Representative E. Casso and Senator B. Bacon. SB 188 makes changes to the Charter School Capital Construction Moral Obligation Program, such as authorizing the State Treasurer to withhold aid monies from charters to the extent necessary to restore the balance of the State Charter School Interest Savings Account to the account balace prior to the State Treasurer's expenditure of monies from the account. In the event that a charter school is a qualified charter school and has had bonds issued on its behalf through the moral obligation program may have its charter revoked or not renewed. The Commissioner of Education may suspend the revocation or non-renewal for up to 120 days. State Fiscal Impact: Conditional impact unknown. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 209 Long Appropriations Bill. Sponsored by Representative C. Gerou and Senator M. Hodge. SB 209 outlines the Colorado State Budget for FY11-12. Partially vetoed by the Governor, House and Senate vote to override. Passed 5/11/2011.
Senate Bill 229 Expenses School Counselor Grant Program. Sponsored by Representative M. Ferrandino and Senator P. Steadman. SB 229 allows CDE to spend up to an additional $25,000 of the appropriation for the School Counselor Corps Grant Program for administrative purposes in FY11-12. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 230 Financing of Public Schools. Sponsored by Representative T. Massey and Senator B. Bacon. SB 230 amends the "Public School Finance Act of 1994" for funding K-12 public schools in FY11-12. It also increases the statewide base per pupil funding. It renames the budget stabilization factor as the negative factor, extends its applicability indefinitely, and reduces the amount of total program funding for FY11-12. SB 230 extends the diversion of (1) interest or income earned on the investment of monies held in the Permanent School Fund; (2) proceeds received from timber sales, rental payments for suface use on, and mineral lease payments for the extraction of minerals from underneath state trust lands; and (3) royalties and other payments for the depletion or extraction of a natural resource on these lands for FY11-12 and FY12-13. The bill changes the assessed value certification upon which a district's debt limit is determined from the August certification to the previous December's certification. State Fiscal Impact: State Transfers or Diversions: Diversion from the Public School Fund to the State Public School Fund FY11-12 $36,000,000, FY12-13 $36,000,000; Transfer from the Severance Tax Trust Fund to the Public School Energy Efficiency Fund FY11-12 $102,000, FY12-13 $102,000; Transfer from the Local Government Severance Tax Fund to the Public School Energy Efficiency Fund FY11-12 $102,000, FY12-13 $102,000. State Expenditures General Fund $460.7 million, Cash Funds FY11-12 $233.5 million, FY12-13 $36.2 million. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 245 Higher Ed Educator Preparation Programs. Sponsored by Representative C. Murray and Senator B. Bacon. SB 245 clarifies language and requirements concerning educator preparation programs, including the initial process for authorization, re-authorization, reporting, and data collection. CCHE is required to review the current system and policies surrounding programs and make recommendations, on or before December 30, 2013, for a new system to review, evaluate, and assist programs in meeting statutory requirements. State Fiscal Impact: None. Signed by the Governor.
Senate Bill 266 Background Check fo School Contractors. Sponsored by Representative A. Kerr and Senator B. Bacon. SB 266 requires entities that contract with a school district for services performed for a public school to perform background checks on those employees who will be working on-site at the public school at any time during the provision of the contracted services. State Fiscal Impact: State Revenue: Cash Funds Colorado Bureau of Investigation Unit Fund FY11-12 $711,000, FY12-13 $711,000 / State Expenditures: Cash Funds Colorado Bureau of Investigation Identification Unit Fund FY11-12 $735,838, FY12-13 $711,414 / FTE FY11-12 (3.4), FY12-13 (3.4). Signed by the Governor.