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To find out contact information for a bill's sponsor, use one of the
following links:
List of Colorado House Members by name with contact info
List of Colorado Senate Members by name with contact info
Search Bills in the Colorado General Assembly
|
| Bill # |
Name |
Sponsor(s) |
Description |
CAEYC Stand |
|
S.B. 34 |
“Concerning
Requiring an Educator who Provides Services through the Women, Infants, and
Children Program to Report Child Abuse or Neglect” |
Sen.
Nicholson, Rep. Summers |
The bill adds
educators who provide services through the federal WIC program to the list
of persons who must report child abuse or neglect. |
Support Signed by the Governor April 22, 2011 |
|
S.B. 109
|
“Concerning
the Creation of a Voluntary Contribution Designation Benefiting the Public
Education Fund to Appear on the State Individual Income Tax Return Forms,
and Making an Appropriation Therefor.” |
Sen. Shaffer,
Rep. Solano |
As it passed,
it adds a checkoff to the Colorado State Income Tax form, which already
includes the maximum number of checkoffs (15). Therefore, this one and
others added during the 2011 session will “get in a queue” and wait until
some of the existing checkoffs fail to meet their required goal of $75,000
in donations by their 3rd year on the form, or are otherwise
discontinued. Once this checkoff makes the form, it will be on for 5 years,
unless continued by future legislation. Donations to this checkoff will be
appropriated to the Department of Education for use in the Colorado
Preschool Program |
Support Signed by the Governor June 2, 2011
|
|
S.B. 227
|
“Concerning
a Repeal of the Exception to the Child Restraint System Law for Children
Weighing More than Forty Pounds who are Being Transported in a Motor Vehicle
with a Rear Seat that was not Equipped with Combination Belts at the Time of
Manufacture.” |
Sen. Hudak,
Rep. Vaad |
This is a
technical correction to last year’s bill, coming from the State Department
of Transportation. The exemption is last year’s bill (SB 10-110) leaves a
large gap allowing children under age 8 weighing more than 40 pounds to ride
unrestrained by a safety belt, child restraint or booster seat.
Federal law allows an exemption in the event that a combination lap and
shoulder harness is not available, provided its reach is limited to booster
seats only. There are booster seats designed for use in cars
without shoulder harnesses built in. This bill will ensure that Colorado
will again qualify for approximately $600,000 in federal funds, which we do
not qualify for if this gap remains in our law. These are safety related
funds, such as awareness education and Child Passenger Safety fit stations.
|
Monitor Signed by the Governor June 7, 2011 |
|
S.B. 247
|
“Concerning
the Repeal of the Colorado Early Childhood Council Advisory Team.”
|
Sen. Hudak,
Rep. J. Kerr |
The bill
repeals the Colorado Early Childhood Council Advisory Team in the office of
the Lieutenant Governor and makes conforming amendments. It returns
unneeded funds to the Department of Human Services from the Lieutenant
Governor’s Office ($27,538 in FY 2011; $77,538 in FY 2012). |
Support Signed by the Governor May 27, 2011
|
|
H.B.
1014 |
“Concerning
the Repeal of a Limiting Trigger Associated with the Child Care Contribution
Income Tax Credit.” |
Rep. DelGrosso,
Sen. Roberts and Sen. Hudak |
This is the
income tax credit for 50% of the individual’s contribution to a child care
center, preschool, after school program or other program benefiting child
care. It ended 12/31/10 due to a trigger built into the law (state revenue
not adequate to grow general fund appropriations by 6% over the previous
fiscal year). If this bill passes, the credit will return for this year and
tax years prior to January 1, 2020. There will be a fiscal note, so we will
have to wait and see how they plan to pay for it. |
Support Signed by the Governor June 2, 2011 |
|
H.B.
1027 |
“Concerning
the Creation of the Department of Defense Quality Child Care Standards Pilot
Program.” |
Rep. Looper,
Sen. Newelle |
The bill
creates the Department of Defense quality child care standards pilot program
in the state Department of Human Services. The objective of the program is
to allow military personnel to access and be reimbursed for off-base child
care that meets the quality standards established by the federal DoD.
Minimum program requirements are outlined, including probably one additional
inspection per year for child care facilities that voluntarily join the
pilot. A pilot child care center would be provided staff training at the
expense of the DoD. The state department is authorized to promulgate rules
for the remaining components of the program, including charging a fee for
additional inspections or services. Amended language says that, by
12/30/2013, the Department of Human Services shall develop a quality rating
and improvement system “that is inclusive, accessible, available to all
child care providers, embedded in licensing, and reflective of
evidence-based practices for successful outcomes for all children and
families to be used in the program to evaluate the implementation of the
Department of Defense standards.” Families will pay for their child
care, and payment shall include any child care stipend (“military fee
assistance program”) received by the child care facility from the DoD. The
pilot is repealed June 30, 2015. The Dept. of Human Services has worked
with the sponsor, and has a “monitor” position on the bill. In both
committees there was strong support from the military. |
Support Signed by the Governor March 17, 2011 |
|
H.B.
1102 |
“Concerning
Portability of Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Records Checks for
Employees of Separately Licensed Child Care Facilities Owned by a Single
Parent Entity.” |
Rep. Summers,
Sen. Newell |
The bill
allows background checks performed for one child care center to be also used
by another center owned and operated by the same company. If an individual
who is required to obtain a background check transfers employment to another
licensed facility owned and operated by the same parent entity, a new
background check shall not be required if the parent entity maintains a
central records management system for employees, takes action as required
when informed of the results of a background check that requires action, and
informs the Department of Human Services whenever an additional licensed
facility comes under or is no longer under its ownership or control. Amended
to include school districts, changing the terminology from “parent entity”
to “common ownership group or school district”. |
Support Signed by the Governor March 18, 2011 |
|
H.B.
1145
|
“Concerning
Requirements Surrounding Background Checks for Child Care Facilities.”
|
Rep. McCann,
Sen. Tochtrop |
The
requirements for background checks for any licensed facility, agency, or
licensee are changed to include Colorado Bureau of Investigation
and FBI checks for all potential employees, regardless of the
length of time a potential employee has resided in Colorado. (This would
apply to future applicants; it is NOT retroactive.) The bill also requires
the Dept. of Human Services to study the feasibility of a policy to provide
to a parent or prospective parent of a child attending or applying to attend
a facility, upon request and for a fee, the results of the fingerprint-based
criminal history background check performed on an employee of a facility. A
facility is required to provide to a parent, upon request, access to the
clearance letter provided by the Department to the facility concerning a
facility employee’s background check. Amended to REMOVE the language
allowing a parent access to the clearance letter, and the requirement for
the Department to study the feasibility of providing parents the results of
the fingerprint-based criminal history records check. The committee
amendment creates a child care professionals registry, called the
“Investigations Registry”. It also requires an advisory committee to
recommend to the Department of Human Services the structure for the registry
by 10/1/2011. No general fund money may be used to implement the registry,
so it likely will depend on funding from one or more foundations. FBI
requirement will be delayed until the registry is in place. |
Support Signed by the Governor
May 9, 2011 |