Summary of General Assembly Legislation (2014)
This document provides a summary of legislation pertaining to the operations of the General Assembly considered by the legislature during the 2014 session.
Second Regular Session | 74th General Assembly
Colorado General AssemblyThis document provides a summary of legislation pertaining to the operations of the General Assembly considered by the legislature during the 2014 session.
In 1992, voters approved a Colorado Constitutional Amendment -- Article X, Section 20, known as the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). TABOR limits annual growth in state spending.
During the summer and fall of 2014, seven interim committees and commissions met to discuss policy issues and draft legislation for consideration by the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session. As required by legislative rules, the Legislative Council Committee met to review the...
The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill. Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget. This issue brief outlines the types of projects...
Information technology (IT) is used by every state agency to make operations more efficient and services more widely available to the citizens of Colorado. Along with other day-to-day expenses of state government, expenses related to IT are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual...
This document provides a summary of major public health legislation considered by the General Assembly during the 2014 legislative session.
Prior to being discharged from the state criminal justice system, adult offenders are released from prison for a period of parole. This issue brief summarizes recent state adult parole initiatives. These include the offender reentry programs authorized in House Bill 14-1355, and the “...
Presidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A Biographical Portrait from 1876
The Presidents and Speakers in this book are listed in chronological order by the years they held the office of President and/or Speaker. The President's term is four years and the Speaker's term...
Concern over the detrimental effects of secondhand tobacco smoke on nonsmokers has grown in recent years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classified secondhand tobacco smoke as a known cause of cancer in humans in a December 1992 report. In an effort to reduce the risk of tobacco smoke-...
According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2015 Colorado ranked 21st in the nation for the number of identity theft victims, with 123.2 victims per 100,000 population. Identity theft is generally defined as the unlawful use of personal identifying or financial information of another person to...
State legislatures have emphasized the importance of collecting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to solve crimes. This issue brief describes legislative efforts, both in Colorado and across the country, to mandate that individuals convicted of or arrested for a crime submit a DNA sample for entry...
This memorandum provides information regarding state laws penalizing those who misrepresent pets or other animals as service animals. Nine states have laws prohibiting the misrepresentation of pets, and nine states have laws prohibiting people from misrepresenting themselves as disabled in order...
The purpose of this publication is to compile information on Colorado law related to sex offenses and sex offenders. Included in this report is the following:
• a listing of sex offenses in Colorado law;
• information...
Like other states, Colorado offers retirement benefits to its employees through a variety of pension plans. The state's pension plans are established in law and include both employee and employer contributions, which are made in lieu of contributions to the federal Social Security program. The...
The Colorado General Assembly has considered and made changes to the state budget process during the past three years. Specifically, House Bill 10-1119 established a performance-based budgeting program through the State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government...
Juvenile justice systems were created in the late 19th century under the philosophy that juveniles are different than adults and may have different rehabilitation needs. Colorado has two separate systems for the detention or commitment of juveniles convicted of crimes. One system exists within...
Federal and state laws allow Medicaid applicants and clients who have their benefits denied, terminated, or reduced to appeal the decision. This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicaid appeals process in Colorado.
This memorandum discusses Colorado law on the subject of the expungement of juvenile delinquency records, including the offenses that may not be expunged, and provides information about sealing adult arrest records, criminal records other than convictions, and conviction records. Further...
The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill. Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget. This issue brief outlines the types of...
Information technology (IT) is used by every state agency to make operations more efficient and services more widely available to the citizens of Colorado. Along with other day-to-day expenses of state government, expenses related to IT are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual...
Colorado was tied for the fifth highest suicide rate in the nation in 2014, the most recent year of nationally available data. In 2015, there were 1,093 suicides among Colorado residents, which is the highest number of suicides in the state’s history. This issue brief outlines legislative...
Understanding the State Budget: The Big Picture
Each year, the General Assembly is tasked with balancing constitutional, statutory, and federal requirements with a host of other considerations, such as competing policy priorities, caseload pressures, and the health of the state’s economy...
The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) 1 creates a presumption in favor of public access to government documents. This issue brief addresses CORA’s two threshold questions: 1) what is and is not considered a public record; and 2) which public records are exempt from disclosure. It also briefly...
This document has been created to provide persons and organizations with information regarding the procedures and criteria established by the State Capitol Building Advisory Committee for the placement of donated or loaned art in the State Capitol Building and its grounds. It includes the...
To Members of the Seventieth General Assembly:
Submitted herewith is the final report of the State Capitol Building Advisory Committee (advisory committee). The advisory committee was created pursuant to Section 24-82-108, C.R.S., and serves in an advisory capacity to the Capital...