Education Universities And Colleges - Digest of Bills

Digest of Bills - 2007

EDUCATION UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

S.B. 07-19 Teacher preparation programs - review schedule. Clarifies that the Colorado commission on higher education shall establish a schedule for review of teacher preparation programs that ensures each teacher preparation program is reviewed not more frequently than once every 5 years.

APPROVED by Governor March 16, 2007
EFFECTIVE August 3, 2007
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. For further explanation concerning the effective date, see page vi of this digest.

S.B. 07-48 Multi-year research contracts. Allows systems of higher education and each campus of each state institution of higher education to have an unlimited number of long-term contracts with government-supported officials or employees if the contracts are for research in university settings. Requires long-term contracts to include a provision that the contract shall become unenforceable if, during the term of the contract, the system of higher education or campus of a state institution that is a party to the contract ceases to be an enterprise and lacks present cash reserves sufficient to pledge irrevocably to satisfy the terms of the contract.

APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2007
EFFECTIVE March 15, 2007

S.B. 07-52 Colorado state board of governors - appointees by congressional district and at-large. Beginning with appointments made to the Colorado state board of governors ("board") in 2007, instructs the governor to appoint members from the congressional districts and 2 members to serve at-large. Requires that at least one member of the board, who is not appointed from the 3rd congressional district, either reside in southern Colorado or be a graduate of Colorado state university - Pueblo and that at least one member of the board, who is not appointed from the 4th congressional district, either reside in Larimer county or be a graduate of Colorado state university. Requires at least 2 members of the board to have substantial experience in production agriculture.

APPROVED by Governor April 11, 2007
EFFECTIVE August 3, 2007
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. For further explanation concerning the effective date, see page vi of this digest.

S.B. 07-54 Research building revolving funds - removal of bonding limit. Removes the bonding limits on the university of Colorado and the Colorado state university research building revolving funds.

APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2007
EFFECTIVE August 3, 2007
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. For further explanation concerning the effective date, see page vi of this digest.

S.B. 07-134 Local government mineral impact fund - grants. Authorizes state-supported institutions of higher education that provide job training or facilities related to energy development for counties or communities with energy impacts to expend moneys received in grants from the local government mineral impact fund without separate legislative authority.

APPROVED by Governor April 11, 2007
EFFECTIVE April 11, 2007

S.B. 07-182 Federally sponsored research - creation of innovative higher education research fund as dedicated source of state matching moneys - higher education competitive research authority - creation - powers and duties. Creates the higher education competitive research authority (authority). Specifies the powers and duties of the authority, vests the power of the authority in a board of directors (board), and specifies the composition of the board.

Creates the innovative higher education research fund (fund). Requires moneys to be transferred to the fund from the waste tire recycling development cash fund and the advanced technology fund. Authorizes the authority to receive gifts, grants, and donations for the fund. Requires income and interest earned on the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund to be credited to the fund. Directs the board to provide matching grants from the fund to Colorado public institutions of higher education for federally sponsored research projects. Requires the authority to provide an annual report on the research projects funded from the fund to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees, and requires the report to include specified information regarding each project funded.

Transfers control of the advanced technology fund from the Colorado commission on higher education to the pollution prevention advisory board in the department of public health and environment. Requires the advisory board, in consultation with the pollution prevention advisory board assistance committee created by House Bill 07-1288, to develop criteria for making research grants from the advance technology fund for specified purposes and to actually make the research grants therefrom.

APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2007
EFFECTIVE May 31, 2007

S.B. 07-209 Southern Colorado council for excellence in health careers education - repeal. Creates the southern Colorado council for excellence in health careers education ("council") to facilitate collaboration between public and private health education providers and health care providers for improving health careers education and, ultimately, to improve health care in southern Colorado. Specifies the membership of the council and the council's purposes. Authorizes the council to establish task forces to assist it in accomplishing its purposes. Requires the council to report annually to the education committees of the general assembly and to the Colorado commission on higher education. Authorizes Adams state college and Trinidad state junior college to accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations on behalf of the council, and requires an annual accounting of the moneys received. Repeals the council, effective July 1, 2012.

Specifies that the act can be implemented without general fund appropriations.

APPROVED by Governor May 14, 2007
EFFECTIVE May 14, 2007

S.B. 07-232 Student loan repayment program - health care providers - appropriation. Creates the state health care provider loan repayment program ("program") to provide education loan repayments to health professionals who agree to work for at least 2 years in medically underserved communities. Caps the annual amount that a health professional may receive through the program. Directs collegeinvest to administer the program in collaboration with the health care community board ("community board").

Creates the community board to review applications to participate in the program and recommend the participants to collegeinvest. Specifies the members and terms of the community board. Repeals the community board following sunset review.

Creates the health care provider loan repayment fund to consist of appropriations by the general assembly, an annual transfer of moneys from the short-term innovative health program grant fund for the next 5 years, federal grant moneys, and any moneys received as contributions, gifts, grants, or donations. Specifies that collegeinvest may allocate assets to the program. For the 2007-08 fiscal year, reduces the appropriation to the department of public health and environment from the short-term innovative health program grant fund by the amount of the transfer to the health care provider loan repayment fund.

APPROVED by Governor June 4, 2007
EFFECTIVE June 4, 2007

S.B. 07-257 Employment contracts - multi-year research contracts. Limits to 5 years the length of employment contracts or contract extensions that an institution of higher education may have with government-supported officials or employees for research in university settings.

APPROVED by Governor May 30, 2007
EFFECTIVE May 30, 2007

H.B. 07-1014 Western state college of Colorado - graduate programs. Expands the role and mission of Western state college of Colorado to allow the college to offer a limited number of graduate programs.

APPROVED by Governor March 9, 2007
EFFECTIVE March 9, 2007

H.B. 07-1026 Undergraduate students - health insurance. Prohibits a governing board of a state institution of higher education from requiring health insurance for undergraduate students.

APPROVED by Governor March 15, 2007
EFFECTIVE March 15, 2007

H.B. 07-1060 Bioscience research - bioscience discovery evaluation grant program - appropriation. Establishes within the bioscience discovery evaluation grant program ("program") separate maximum grant amounts for research projects based on whether a research project is funded by grants received pursuant to a federal agency small business innovation research ("SBIR") program or a federal agency small business technology transfer ("STTR") program. Specifies that 80% of moneys appropriated to the bioscience discovery evaluation cash fund ("fund") shall be used to provide grants to SBIR and STTR research projects and that 20% of moneys appropriated to the fund shall be used to provide grants to biofuel research projects that are not SBIR or STTR research projects. For the portion of moneys appropriated to the fund that shall be used to provide grants to SBIR and STTR research projects, specifies that 25% shall be used to provide grants to biofuel research projects and 75% shall be used to provide grants to life sciences research projects. Establishes eligibility criteria for an office of technology transfer that seeks a grant from the program for the purposes of an SBIR or STTR research project.

Requires the director of the office of economic development ("director") to report annually to the finance committees of the general assembly, summarizing the bioscience research projects that received funding under the program in the preceding calendar year.

Increases the amount that the office of economic development may expend in administering the program to 5% of the moneys transferred into the fund. Transfers $2,500,000 of the general fund portion of limited gaming fund moneys to the fund.

For the 2007-08 fiscal year, appropriates from the fund to the office of the governor, for allocation to the office of economic development, $2,500,000 and 0.6 FTE.

APPROVED by Governor May 23, 2007
EFFECTIVE May 23, 2007

H.B. 07-1099 Colorado institute of technology - repeal. Repeals the Colorado institute of technology. Repeals the tax credit for contributions to the Colorado institute of technology.

APPROVED by Governor March 14, 2007
EFFECTIVE August 3, 2007
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. For further explanation concerning the effective date, see page vi of this digest.

H.B. 07-1163 Armed forces and Colorado National Guard members and dependents - in-state tuition - lawful presence - appropriation. Makes a member of the armed forces, or a dependent of the member, eligible for in-state tuition status if the member is transferred to Colorado on a temporary assignment of duty. Gives all members of the Colorado National Guard, and their dependents, in-state tuition status. Provides that persons eligible for in-state tuition solely because of a person's status as a member of the armed forces or Colorado National Guard are not eligible for a stipend under the college opportunity program.

Repeals obsolete language referring to counting members of the armed forces as resident students.

Authorizes institutions of higher education to accept a tuition classification certification form as proof of lawful presence in the United States.

Makes an adjustment to the 2007 general appropriation act for the implementation of this act.

APPROVED by Governor May 31, 2007
EFFECTIVE July 1, 2007

H.B. 07-1242 Loan repayment assistance programs - students pursuing public service careers. Authorizes a governing board of an institution of higher education to create a loan repayment assistance program to encourage students and graduates to enter public service careers.

APPROVED by Governor April 9, 2007
EFFECTIVE April 9, 2007

H.B. 07-1254 Colorado state university system - recodification of statutes. Revises and relocates several statutory sections pertaining to the Colorado state university system ("CSU system"). Requires the board of governors of the CSU system ("board of governors") to report to the Colorado commission on higher education the sale, lease, or exchange of any real property. Adds provisions concerning the selection and duties of the chancellor of the CSU system. Eliminates the requirement that the president of Colorado state university or the president of Colorado state university - Pueblo submit for the approval of the board of governors any actions taken to remove subordinate officers and employees. Eliminates provisions regarding the expenditure, by the board of governors, of funds received pursuant to an 1862 congressional grant for the endowment of colleges. Eliminates a requirement that the treasurer of each county of the state, upon the request of the board of governors, prepare a report concerning the value of bonds offered to the board of governors for investment.

APPROVED by Governor April 16, 2007
EFFECTIVE August 3, 2007
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. For further explanation concerning the effective date, see page vi of this digest.

H.B. 07-1256 In-state tuition - business relocations - children of faculty - appropriation. Permits an institution of higher education to provide in-state tuition status to a student who moves to Colorado as a result of the student's employer or the student's parent's employer moving to Colorado pursuant to an incentive from the office of economic development or an incentive from a local government. Permits an institution to provide in-state tuition status to a student who moves to Colorado as a result of the student's parent taking a faculty position at a Colorado institution of higher education. Requires the institution to develop a verification process to provide students in-state tuition under these provisions. Prohibits a student receiving in-state tuition pursuant to this provision from receiving state financial aid.

Appropriates $20,826 to the department of higher education for allocation to the college opportunity fund for implementation of the act. Appropriates $38,879 to the department of higher education for allocation to the state board of community colleges and occupational education state system community colleges for implementation of the act.

APPROVED by Governor June 1, 2007
EFFECTIVE June 1, 2007