Search Publications

This memorandum provides an overview of jury duty for criminal trials in Colorado, including how jurors are summoned, excused, selected, paid, and impaneled.  Jury deliberations, instructions, and verdicts are also covered.

The Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission was created pursuant to Section 26-6.5-203, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this commission is to study issues related to early childhood and school readiness in order to improve the state’s early childhood policies.

During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to a variety of elections topics, including campaign finance, local elections, redistricting, and voter registration and voting.

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, in order to create a budget.  This report is intended to serve as a primer on Colorado’s budget and some of the factors that help shape it.

In October 2016, while Coloradans were sleeping, a self-driving semi‑trailer drove 51,744 cans of Budweiser beer from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs down Interstate 25.   With the rise of investment in and the use of autonomous vehicles, governments face new challenges to address this growing field.  This issue brief describes autonomous vehicles, discusses current federal and state policy regarding those vehicles, and notes future policy considerations.

This issue brief addresses Colorado’s emergency mental health hold procedure, which allows for an individual to be involuntarily held for a 72‑hour period of treatment and evaluation if he or she appears to have a mental illness and, due to the mental illness, appears to be an imminent danger to self or others, or appears to be gravely disabled.  The brief also discusses treatment options following a mental health hold and the newly created Community Transition Specialist Program.   

This memorandum discusses tailpipe vehicle emission standards in the United States and the current regulations for light-duty vehicles. 

In May 2018, the U.S.  Supreme Court found in Murphy v.  National Collegiate Athletic Association that the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (1992) violated the Tenth Amendment to the U.S.

A statute of limitations is a law that specifies the maximum length of time allowed for a victim or prosecutor to initiate legal proceedings.  Such a statute may apply in either criminal or civil cases. This issue brief provides an overview of criminal statutes of limitations, including exceptions, recent changes to sex crime prosecution time frames, and laws specific to Colorado. 

This memorandum provides an overview of how post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing (PCSOT) is used for adult sex offenders in Colorado, as well as in other states.  It also includes a summary of current research on its effectiveness. 

TO: Committee on Legal Services
FROM: Brita Darling, Office of Legislative Legal Services
DATE: November 7, 2018
SUBJECT: Rules of the State Board of Human Services, Department of Human Services, concerning Adult Protective Services, 12 CCR 2518-1 (LLS Docket No. 180108 and No. 180218; SOS Tracking No. 2017-00532 and No. 2017-00647).

180108_180218JBD.pdf

TO: Committee on Legal Services
FROM: Richard Sweetman, Office of Legislative Legal Services
DATE: November 7, 2018
SUBJECT: Rules of the Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue, concerning obtaining records for abandoned motor vehicles, 1 CCR 204-10 (LLS Docket No. 180371; SOS Tracking No. 2018-00220). 

180371rts.pdf

TO: Committee on Legal Services
FROM: Jennifer Berman, Office of Legislative Legal Services
DATE: November 7, 2018
SUBJECT: Rules of the Parks and Wildlife Commission, Department of Natural Resources, concerning general provisions – aquatic nuisance species, 2 CCR 406-0 (LLS Docket No. 180140; SOS Tracking No. 2018-00036).
 

180140JAB.pdf

In June 2014, Colorado became the first state to enact a law regulating on-demand transportation network companies (TNCs).  Since then, 49 other states and the District of Columbia have established regulatory frameworks for TNCs.  Unlike the taxicab industry, TNCs — such as Uber and Lyft — use a digital network service to connect riders to drivers.  Drivers use their personal cars and connect with passengers via mobile smartphone application (app).  This issue brief provides an overview of TNC options and regulations in Colorado.   

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Pension Review Commission.  This commission was created pursuant to Article 51.1 of Title 24, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of the commission is to study and review the two major pension plans in the state — the Fire and Police Pension Association for police officers and firefighters employed by local governments and the Public Employees' Retirement Association pension for state and local government employees — and to develop proposed legislation.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee.

This memorandum summarizes the Public Utilities Commission's (PUC’s) authority to regulate passenger carrier services, taxis, and transportation network companies (TNCs).  Specifically, this memorandum discusses PUC regulations concerning common carriers, contract carriers, limited regulation carriers, and TNCs.  It also provides an overview of the legislative changes to large-market taxicab regulation that passed during the 2018 legislative session and take effect for taxicabs operating in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, and Wel

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Sales and Use Tax Simplification Task Force.  

The financing of K-12 public education in Colorado over the past three decades has been affected by three constitutional amendments: the Gallagher Amendment, the TABOR Amendment, and Amendment 23.  Combined with the results of key court cases, these amendments have created a complex educational funding system for the General Assembly to negotiate.  Diminished tax revenue during recessionary periods has also contributed to the struggle for state and local governments to maintain consistent K-12 public education funding levels

This issue brief outlines the types of projects and expenses defined as capital construction, the role of the Capital Development Committee (CDC) in overseeing the approval and implementation of capital projects, and funding for capital projects.

Summary Report for the Alternatives to the Gallagher Amendment Interim Study Committee to the Legislative Council.  The committee was created pursuant to Interim Committee Request Letter 2018-02. The committee is charged with studying the following:

Summary Report for the Water Resources Review Committee to the Legislative Council.  The Water Resources Review Committee (WRRC) was created to contribute to and monitor the conservation, use, development, and financing of Colorado's water resources for the general welfare of the state (Section 37-98-102, C.R.S.). It is also required to review statewide planning for water resources.

This memorandum provides information on five types of programs that provide property tax and/or rental cost relief to seniors.