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Issue Briefs

Regional Accountable Entities

Colorado’s Medicaid program, Health First Colorado, is administered by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). HCPF contracts with Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs), to coordinate health care for Medicaid members. This issue brief provides an overview of RAEs.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Health Care & Health Insurance
  • Local Government
Staff Publications

Wildfire Matters Review Committee Summary Report

Pursuant to Section 2-3-1602, C.R.S., the committee is charged with reviewing and proposing legislation or other policy changes related to wildfire prevention, mitigation, and related matters, including public safety and forest health issues.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Natural Resources & Environment
Issue Briefs

Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act

This issue brief provides an overview of state laws related to pet animal facilities. These facilities are licensed and regulated under the Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA).

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Agriculture
Issue Briefs

Colorado Turf Replacement Program Update

In response to the ongoing drought in Colorado, the General Assembly passed House Bill 22-1151 to promote the efficient and maximum utilization of Colorado’s water resources by decreasing the amount of irrigated turf within the state. The bill required the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) in the Department of Natural Resources to create a turf replacement program that incentivizes the voluntary replacement of nonessential irrigated turf across the state.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Natural Resources & Environment
  • Water
Staff Publications

Process for Sealing or Expunging Criminal Records

This memorandum provides an overview of the process in Colorado for removing criminal records from publicly available sources, known as the “sealing” or “expungement” of criminal records.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Courts & Judicial
  • Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement
Issue Briefs

The Impact of Tax Increment Financing on School Finance

Public K-12 education in Colorado is financed through state and local sources. The school finance formula in state law establishes a statewide total funding level. The difference between this amount and the local share determines the state’s school finance obligation. The local share is paid primarily from property taxes. Exemptions, policy adjustments, or other factors that reduce or slow the growth of property taxes requires the state to increase its share of K-12 education funding.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12)
  • Fiscal Policy & Taxes
Issue Briefs

Single-Use Plastics Legislation

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plastic containers and packaging, including single-use plastics, constitute the majority of plastic waste in the United States. One of the EPA’s National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution objectives is reducing the production and consumption of single-use plastics. In recent years, Colorado legislators have addressed reducing the use of single-use plastics in the state. This issue brief describes single-use plastics and outlines key elements of Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Act.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Business & Economic Development
  • Natural Resources & Environment
Staff Publications

Overview of the Colorado Judicial Branch

This memorandum provides an overview of the Colorado Judicial Branch, also referred to as the Judicial Department when described as part of the state budget. Established in Section 1 of Article VI of the Colorado Constitution, and further governed by Title 13 of the Colorado Revised Statutes and the Colorado Court Rules, the branch is responsible for administering a court system to resolve disputes and enforce civil and criminal laws.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Courts & Judicial
Issue Briefs

State Land Board & the Permanent Fund

When Colorado became a state, the federal government granted the state lands to be held in an intergenerational public trust to support public education. This trust is made up of about 2.8 million acres of surface land and 4.0 million subsurface acres, and is managed by the State Land Board (SLB) in the Deparment of Natural Resources. This issue brief discusses how revenue earned on those lands is used, invested, and spent for public education.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Education & School Finance (Pre & K-12)
Staff Publications

Agreements Governing Colorado’s Rivers

This memorandum provides information about the interstate compacts, Supreme Court decrees, and international treaties that govern Colorado’s use of interstate streams. Specifically, it gives a brief history of each compact and outlines the specific components and requirements of each compact currently in state law. In addition, the memorandum discusses the two memoranda, two Supreme Court decrees, and two international treaties that govern rivers in Colorado. Appendix A outlines the technical components of the laws affecting Colorado’s rivers.

Release date:
Publishing Agency:
Legislative Council Staff
Subjects:
  • Agriculture
  • Water