2019 Legislative Session
HB19-1095
Physician Assistants Supervision and Liability
Representatives Cutter & Landgraf
Senator Fields
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This bill is a step towards making health care more available and affordable by addressing the supervision and relationship between doctors and physician assistants. It will modernize supervision and licensing rules for PAs to make it easier for them to work independently.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1110
Media Literacy
Representative Cutter
Senator Petterson
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This bill establishes the wildfire mitigation incentives for local government grant program to provide state funding assistance in the form of grant awards to local governments. These grants can help support projects that promote, but are not limited to, fuel breaks, forest thinning, a reduction in the amount or extent of fuels contributing to wildfires, outreach and education efforts.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1237
Licensing Behavioral Health Entities
Representatives Cutter & Will
Senators Woodward & Ginal
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This bill reduces the regulatory burden to obtaining licensing and ensures more efficient government by aligning mental health and substance use disorder treatment facility licensing and regulations. This alignment will make it easier to house multiple behavioral health services under one roof, which will be particularly beneficial in rural areas. Ultimately, it will expand access to care, making it easier for those seeking treatment to find a provider.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1248
Lobbyist Transparency Act
Representatives Cutter & Weissman
Senator Foote
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Transparency is essential in a healthy democracy. This bill will require lobbyists to inform the Colorado Secretary of State when they take on a new client or change their position on an issue, and will require heightened disclosure while the general assembly is in session.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1269
Mental Health Parity
Insurance Medicaid
Representatives Cutter & Sullivan
Senators Gardner & Gina
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Mental health parity describes the equal treatment of mental health conditions in insurance plans. This bill creates more accountability for insurers to comply with existing federal parity regulations for mental health and substance abuse disorders. Parity will ensure that mental and physical health are treated the same. For example, there should be similar co-pays, the same number of accessible, in-network providers and the opportunity for yearly mental health checks. When mental health (including substance abuse) is treated the same as physical health, we hope the stigma will be diminished.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1277
Computer Science Grant Program
Representatives Cutter & Esgar
Senators Todd & Winter
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This bill will create in the Department of Education the Computer Science Courses and Clubs Grant Program to provide money to public schools or school districts in order to increase enrollment or participation of traditionally underrepresented students in computer science courses or clubs. This small step will help increase the diversity of the future STEM workforce, nurturing the passion of girls and students of color for computer science and ultimately increasing their access to these high-paying jobs.
More information on this bill can be found here.
HB19-1324
Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation
Representatives Cutter & Bird
Senator Foote
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Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are civil actions brought against a defendant to impede the exercise of their constitutional right of free speech or right of petition. SLAPPs are often used by corporations and wealthy individuals to silence and harass critics by forcing them to spend money to defend these baseless suits. They are effective because even a meritless lawsuit can take years and many thousands of dollars to defend. This bill establishes an expedited process for courts to follow in cases where a SLAPP has been initiated against a person resulting from that person’s exercise of their right of petition or free speech.
More information on this bill can be found here.
SB19-068
Expand Disclosure Electioneering Communications
Representatives Cutter & Weissman
Senators Zenzinger & Tate
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This bill provides for additional transparency in electioneering communications, defined by the state constitution as communication that unambiguously refers to a candidate and is disseminated to the public within 30 days before a primary election or within 60 days before a general election. Without this bill, there is a gap in electioneering laws during this window, allowing a flood of communications that wouldn’t be permissible at other times. This bill will increase transparency in electioneering communications by requiring any person spending $1,000 or more per year to disclose the name of the person making the communication.
More information on this bill can be found here.
SB19-157
Sunset Fire Suppression Registration and Inspection
Representative Cutter
Senator Winter
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Fire suppression systems (fire sprinklers) have been regulated by the Fire Suppression Registration and Inspection Programs since 1991. These programs register fire suppression contractors and certify inspectors. This bill will continue these programs until September 1, 2026. Without this bill, the programs would be repealed on September 1, 2019.
More information on this bill can be found here.
SB19-189
Sunset Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board
Representatives Cutter & Wilson
Senators Todd & Lundeen
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In May 2009, the Colorado State Legislature passed House Bill 09-1319 and Senate Bill 09-285, the Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act. The act created the concurrent enrollment program, defined as the simultaneous enrollment of a qualified student in a local education provider and in one or more post secondary courses, including academic or career and technical education courses at an institution of higher education. The Concurrent Enrollment Advisory Board provides coordination assistance between local education providers and post-secondary institutions to improve the quality and accessibility of concurrent enrollment programs.This bill will continue the board indefinitely. Without this bill, the advisory board would be repealed in July of 2019.
More information on this bill can be found here.
SB19-192
Front Wage Waste Diversion Enterprise Grant Program
Representatives Cutter & Jackson
Senators Winter & Priola
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This bill creates the Front Range Waste Diversion Enterprise in the Department of Public Health and Environment to promote waste diversion, channeling waste towards recycling rather than a landfill. The purpose of this enterprise is to achieve newly created municipal waste diversion goals within the front range, culminating in 51% diversion by 2036. Waste management and reduction is not only essential towards protecting Colorado’s resources and natural beauty, but also to achieving our climate change goals. More information on this bill can be found here.
