In the second week of the session, lawmakers introduced a trickle of new bills including one that would require the new Office Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives to report on violent or exploitative crimes against an Indigenous person and to publish it annually, among other requirements.
Other bills introduced this past week address nondisclosure agreements for government employees, nongendered bathrooms in public buildings, closing and settlement procedures for real estate transactions and family time for incarcerated parents.
Bill Number: SB23-054
Title: Missing And Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office
Introduced: Jan. 17
Sponsors: J. Danielson
Summary: The bill would require the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives in the Department of Public Safety to conduct case reviews of violent or exploitative crimes against an Indigenous person and publish a report about the case reviews annually; communicate with relevant department divisions regarding investigations in cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous relatives; review sentencing ranges for crimes relating to missing or murdered Indigenous relatives; develop, publicize and offer training for victim advocates who work on missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases; and designate one employee of the office to serve as a point of contact for families in need of support regarding ongoing or completed missing or murdered Indigenous relatives cases.
Bill Number: SB23-053
Title: Restrict Governmental Nondisclosure Agreements
Introduced: Jan. 17
Sponsors: B. Kirkmeyer
Summary: The bill would prohibit the state, counties, cities, municipalities, schools districts and any of their departments, institutions or agencies from making it a condition of employment that an employee or a prospective employee executes a contract or other form of agreement that prohibits, prevents or otherwise restricts the employee or prospective employee from disclosing factual circumstances concerning the individual’s employment with the government unless the nondisclosure agreement is necessary under specific circumstances outlined in the bill.
Bill Number: SB23-056
Title: Compensatory Direct Distribution To PERA
Introduced: Jan. 17
Sponsors: C. Kolker, S. Bird
Summary: The bill would recompense the public employees’ retirement association, or PERA, for the cancellation of a previously scheduled July 1, 2020, direct distribution of $225 million. House Bill 22-1029 required an additional direct distribution to PERA. However, the additional direct distribution didn’t fully recompense PERA for the cancellation of the previously scheduled direct distribution. To fully recompense PERA, the bill requires the state treasurer to issue a warrant to PERA in an amount equal to $35,050,000. The bill requires the warrant to consist of the balance of the PERA payment cash fund, and any remaining amount must be paid from the general fund.
Bill Number: HB23-1057
Title: Amenities For All Genders In Public Buildings
Introduced: Jan. 13
Sponsors: K. McCormick, S. Jaquez Lewis
Summary: Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the bill would require each newly constructed public building and each public building in which restroom renovations are estimated to cost $10,000 or more that is wholly or partly owned by the state, a county or a local municipality to provide a nongendered restroom facility or a multi-stall nongendered facility on each floor where restrooms are available; ensure all single-stall restrooms are not designated for exclusive use by any specific gender; allow for the use of multi-stall restrooms by any gender if certain facility features are met under the 2021 International Plumbing Code; and provide at least one safe, sanitary and convenient baby diaper changing station that is accessible to the public on each floor where there’s a public restroom in each gender-specific restroom, nongendered multi-stall restroom and nongendered single-stall restroom.
Bill Number: HB23-1055
Title: Prohibit Wireless Networking Voting Systems
Introduced: Jan 13
Sponsors: R. Bockenfeld
Summary: For any election within the state taking place on or after Jan. 1, 2024, the bill would prohibit the use of voting systems that are capable of establishing wireless connections.
Bill Number: SB23-047
Title: Confirmed Funds For Closing And Settlement Process
Introduced: Jan 12
Sponsors: K. Van Winkle
Summary: The bill modifies the closing and settlement procedure for real estate transactions to ensure the funds intended to be used at closing have been received and deposited into a trust account at least one business day before the scheduled closing and confirmed as deposited and available for immediate disbursement upon the settlement and closing of the real estate transaction. The bill would take effect Sept. 1, 2024.
Bill Number: SB23-046
Title: Average Weekly Wage Paid Leave Benefits
Introduced: Jan. 12
Sponsors: F. Winter, M. Duran
Summary: Current law specifies a covered individual’s weekly paid family and medical leave benefit is determined based on the individual’s average weekly wage earned during the covered individual’s base period or alternative base period from the job or jobs from which the covered individual is taking paid family and medical leave, which excludes from the calculation recent wages from previous jobs. The bill would eliminate the limit on calculating the benefit based on the average weekly wage earned only from the job or jobs from which the individual is taking paid family and medical leave.
Bill Number: SB23-041
Title: Prescription Drugs For Off-label Use
Introduced: Jan. 12
Sponsors: J. Ginal, J. Amabile
Summary: The bill would authorize a physician, a physician assistant and an advanced practice registered nurse to prescribe and administer a drug approved by the FDA for off-label use if the off-label use of the drug for the indication has longstanding and common use, there is medical evidence to support the off-label use and no known evidence contraindicating such off-label use and the prescriber has provided the patient or a minor patient’s parent or guardian with an informed consent form, and the patient or parent or guardian has signed the form.
Bill Number: SB23-039
Title: Reduce Child And Incarcerated Parent Separation
Introduced: Jan. 12
Sponsors: J. Buckner, J. Amabile
Summary: The bill would require the Department of Human Services to create rules that allow communication and family time between children and their parents who are incarcerated. The bill requires the court and the prison or jail where the parent is incarcerated to facilitate the parent’s attendance and participation in proceedings for the parent’s dependency and neglect case.
Law Week’s legislative tracking is done through State Bill, a product of our publisher, Circuit Media.