Fentanyl Prevention Bill Introduced

Legislators in the House introduced long-awaited legislation addressing fentanyl use in the state. Tossed into the mix of newly introduced bills is a bill that addresses restrictive employment agreements, one that increases the worker’s comp benefits payable for funeral and burial expenses among other amendments and one that would allow licensed marijuana businesses to change designations.

Description: Restrictive Employment Agreements


Sponsors: K. Tipper 

Summary: The bill would make void a restrictive employment agreement or non-compete agreement, with certain exceptions. If the employer provides proper notice of the restrictive employment agreement or non-compete to the employee or prospective employee, some types of covenants are still allowed.

Description: Dependency Proceedings Unaccompanied Child

Sponsors: S. Gonzales-Gutierrez and I. Jodeh 

Summary: The bill would provide juvenile court jurisdiction over an unaccompanied child in the custody of the federal office of refugee resettlement in a facility in Colorado who has been subjected to parental abuse or neglect. A child may file a petition asking the court to determine that the child is dependent on the court.

Description: Fentanyl Accountability And Prevention

Sponsors: A. Garnett, M. Lynch, B. Pettersen and J. Cooke

Summary: The bill would make the unlawful possession of any material, compound, mixture or preparation that weighs more than four grams and contains any amount of fentanyl, carfentanil or an analog thereof a level 4 drug felony, with exemptions.

Title: Native American Boarding Schools

Sponsors: L. Herod, B. McLachlan, D. Moreno and D. Coram

Summary: The bill would establish the Native American boarding school research program in the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs to research the events, physical and emotional abuse and deaths that occurred at Native American boarding schools in Colorado, including the victimization of families of youth forced to attend the boarding schools and the intergenerational impacts of the abuse. The bill requires the commission to enter into an agreement with an organization to research events, abuse, and deaths that occurred at the Native American boarding school at Fort Lewis, which was known as the Fort Lewis Indian school. After receiving the results the commission needs to make public its recommendations to address the findings from the research program.

Description: Licensee’s Ability To Change Marijuana Designation

Sponsors: J. Gonzales, A. Valdez and K. Van Winkle

Summary: The bill would allow a medical marijuana cultivation facility licensee to transfer medical marijuana to a retail marijuana cultivation facility licensee and the retail marijuana cultivation facility licensee to receive the marijuana and change the designation of the marijuana from medical to retail. The bill would also clarify that the retail marijuana cultivation facility licensee is required to pay any retail marijuana excise tax.

Description: Workers' Compensation Updates

Sponsors: L. Daugherty and R. Rodriguez

Summary: The bill would amend the Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado. Specifically, the bill would create a process for a claimant to receive advance payment for mileage expenses for travel that is reasonably necessary and related to obtaining compensable treatment, supplies or services and increase the benefits payable for funeral and burial expenses among other amendments. 

Title: Crime Victims Services

Sponsors: F. Winter, B. Gardner, M. Duran and M. Weissman

Summary: Under existing law, the state department of human services reimburses local governments and nongovernmental agencies that operate domestic abuse programs for providing services to victims of domestic violence. The bill would change "domestic abuse programs" to "domestic violence programs" and requires the department to reimburse a nongovernmental agency or a federally recognized Indian tribe that operates a domestic violence, sexual assault or culturally specific program that provides services to victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault. The bill repeals the requirement that programs must request information from each client concerning the relationship of the client to the alleged perpetrator of the abuse.

Description: Behavioral Health Support For Criminal Justice Advocates

Sponsors: R. Fields, D. Coram, D. Roberts and B. Titone

Summary: The bill would create the public defender and prosecutor behavioral health support grant program in the department of local affairs. A grant recipient may use grant money for counseling services, including reimbursements for the costs of counseling services, training and education programs that teach the symptoms of job-related trauma, how to prevent and treat trauma and peer support programs. The department is annually required to report to the general assembly about the grant program.

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