Second Regular Session
Seventy-fourth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED
LLS NO. 24-0423.01 Jennifer Berman x3286
HOUSE BILL 24-1006
House Committees Senate Committees
Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources
A BILL FOR AN ACT
C
ONCERNING ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES TO APPLY FOR101
WILDFIRE-RELATED GRANT MONEY .102
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/
.)
Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill directs the rural
opportunity office (office) in the Colorado office of economic
development to assist rural communities with identifying and applying for
state or federal grants for wildfire mitigation, prevention, response, or risk
management efforts (wildfire-related grants).
On or before July 1, 2025, and on or before July 1 of every odd
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Velasco and Snyder,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Cutter and Will, Jaquez Lewis, Ginal
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. year thereafter, the office is required to prepare a report summarizing its
work to assist rural communities with identifying and applying for
wildfire-related grants. The report must include information about the
rural communities that the office assists and the grants awarded to rural
communities that the office assists. The office is required to submit the
report to the wildfire matters review committee or, if the committee no
longer exists, to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over natural
resources matters.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-48.5-133, amend2
(3)(c) and (3)(d); and add (3)(e) and (4) as follows:3
24-48.5-133. Rural opportunity office - creation - duties -4
wildfire-related grants - technical assistance - legislative declaration5
- definition. (3) The rural opportunity office shall:6
(c) Make recommendations that inform the governor's policy on7
rural economic development matters, including policy on economic8
development issues unique to rural communities; and
9
(d) Measure the success of program outreach and conduct research10
to determine whether Colorado's rural communities receive more11
statewide funding as a result of the efforts of the rural opportunity office;12
AND13
(e) I
N ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (4) OF THIS SECTION,14
PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO RURAL COMMUNITIES TO IDENTIFY15
AND APPLY FOR GRANT MONEY MADE AVAILABLE TO RURAL COMMUNITIES16
FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION , PREVENTION, RESPONSE, OR RISK17
MANAGEMENT EFFORTS .18
(4) (a) T
HE RURAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE SHALL :19
(I) I
DENTIFY, MAINTAIN, PERIODICALLY UPDATE, AND PUBLISH ON20
ITS PUBLIC WEBSITE A LIST OF STATE AND FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS21
HB24-1006-2- AWARDING GRANT MONEY TO RURAL COMMUNITIES FOR1
WILDFIRE-RELATED GRANTS; AND2
(II) P
ROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO RURAL COMMUNITIES TO :3
(A) I
DENTIFY APPROPRIATE WILDFIRE -RELATED GRANTS FOR4
WHICH TO APPLY; AND5
(B) A
PPLY FOR WILDFIRE-RELATED GRANTS.6
(b) (I) O
N OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2025, AND ON OR BEFORE JULY 1 OF7
EACH ODD YEAR THEREAFTER , THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE SHALL8
PREPARE A REPORT SUMMARIZING ITS WORK TO ASSIST RURAL9
COMMUNITIES WITH IDENTIFYING AND APPLYING FOR WILDFIRE -RELATED10
GRANTS. THE REPORT MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION :11
(A) T
HE RURAL COMMUNITIES THAT THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY12
OFFICE ASSISTED;13
(B) T
HE RURAL COMMUNITIES THAT THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY14
OFFICE ASSISTED THAT WERE AWARDED GRANTS ; AND15
(C) O
F THE RURAL COMMUNITIES IDENTIFIED IN SUBSECTION16
(4)(b)(I)(B)
OF THIS SECTION, HOW MUCH GRANT MONEY WAS AWARDED17
TO EACH RURAL COMMUNITY THAT THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE18
ASSISTED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (4).19
(II) (A) T
HE RURAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE SHALL SUBMIT THE MOST20
RECENT REPORT TO THE WILDFIRE MATTERS REVIEW COMMITTEE CREATED21
IN SECTION 2-3-1602 (1)(a) OR, IF THE COMMITTEE NO LONGER EXISTS, TO22
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AGRICULTURE , WATER, AND NATURAL23
RESOURCES COMMITTEE AND THE SENATE AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL24
RESOURCES COMMITTEE, OR THEIR SUCCESSOR COMMITTEES. THE RURAL25
OPPORTUNITY OFFICE SHALL POST EA CH REPORT ON ITS PUBLIC WEBSITE .26
(B) N
OTWITHSTANDING SECTION 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), THE27
HB24-1006
-3- REPORTING REQUIREMENT SET FORTH IN SUBSECTION (4)(b)(II)(A) OF THIS1
SECTION CONTINUES INDEFINITELY.2
(c) A
S USED IN THIS SECTION, "WILDFIRE-RELATED GRANT" MEANS3
A FEDERAL OR STATE GRANT MADE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST COMMUNITIES ,4
INCLUDING RURAL COMMUNITIES , WITH DESIGNING, DEVELOPING, OR5
OPERATING A WILDFIRE MITIGATION , PREVENTION, RESPONSE, OR RISK6
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY , INCLUDING ANY EDUCATION AND7
OUTREACH EFFORTS.8
SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act9
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the10
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except11
that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V12
of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this13
act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take14
effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in15
November 2024 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the16
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.17
HB24-1006
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