HOUSE BILL 24-1097 BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Taggart and Weissman, Armagost, Bacon, Bird, Boesenecker, Bradley, Brown, deGruy Kennedy, Duran, Froelich, Hamrick, Herod, Jodeh, Joseph, Kipp, Lieder, Lindstedt, Lynch, Marshall, Martinez, Marvin, McCormick, Ortiz, Ricks, Rutinel, Sirota, Titone, Valdez, Weinberg, Willford, Wilson, Young, McCluskie; also SENATOR(S) Fields and Gardner, Baisley, Buckner, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Ginal, Hinrichsen, Kolker, Liston, Lundeen, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Rodriguez, Simpson, Smallwood, Sullivan, Van Winkle, Will, Winter F., Zenzinger. C ONCERNING OCCUPATIONAL CREDENTIALING FOR MILITARY FAMILIES . Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. Short title. The short title of this act is the "Military Family Employment Support Act". SECTION 2. Legislative declaration. (1) (a) The general assembly finds and declares that: (I) Not all active military members have orders for three years or less; this is especially true for younger enlisted members; NOTE: This bill has been prepared for the signatures of the appropriate legislative officers and the Governor. To determine whether the Governor has signed the bill or taken other action on it, please consult the legislative status sheet, the legislative history, or the Session Laws. ________ Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of the act. (II) Nearly 39% of military spouses require professional licensing for their jobs; (III) Colorado has nearly 17,000 military spouses of servicemembers across all branches of service; and (IV) Colorado not only recognizes the sacrifice that military spouses make while military members are in service, but also recognizes those who have lost their spouses in the line of duty. (b) Further, the benefits of the "Red Tape Reduction Act", which was enacted in House Bill 20-1326 in 2020, should be expanded to encompass the spouses of military servicemembers who are on orders for longer than three years, the spouses of servicemembers in the Ready Reserve and of servicemembers who transfer from active duty service to the National Guard or Armed Forces Reserve, Gold Star military spouses, military dependents, and the spouses and dependents of any other qualified servicemembers. (c) Therefore, the general assembly declares that: (I) Regulators should continue to reduce barriers to entry into the workforce; (II) Military family members should be granted a Colorado occupational credential for substantially equivalent experience in another state, unless the regulator can demonstrate a specific reason to withhold the credential; and (III) Credentials should continue to be provided in the least burdensome manner possible in order to get professionals to work as soon as possible. SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 12-20-202, amend (1)(b) and (3)(f) as follows: 12-20-202. Licenses, certifications, and registrations - renewal - reinstatement - fees - occupational credential portability program - exceptions for military personnel, spouses, gold star military spouses, PAGE 2-HOUSE BILL 24-1097 and dependents - rules - consideration of criminal convictions or driver's history - executive director authority - definitions. (1) Renewal. (b) Notwithstanding any provision of the law to the contrary, the director may change the renewal date of any license, certification, or registration issued by a regulator so that approximately the same number of licenses, certifications, or registrations are scheduled for renewal in each month of the year. Where any renewal date is so changed, the fee for the license, certification, or registration is proportionately increased or decreased, as the case may be. E XCEPT FOR A LICENSE, CERTIFICATION, OR REGISTRATION ISSUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBSECTION (3)(f) OF THIS SECTION , a license, certification, or registration is valid for a period of no less than one year and no longer than three years, as determined by the director in consultation with the applicable regulator. A licensee, certificate holder, or registrant shall submit an application for renewal to the applicable regulator on forms and in the manner prescribed by the director. (3) Occupational credential portability program. (f) Effective January 1, 2021: (f) (I) Except as specified in subsection (3)(f)(III) of this section, a military spouse, GOLD STAR MILITARY SPOUSE, MILITARY DEPENDENT, OR SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT OF ANY OTHER QUALIFIED SERVICEMEMBER duly licensed, certified, registered, or enrolled in good standing in another state or United States territory to practice a particular profession or occupation is, upon application to the division for licensure, certification, registration, or enrollment in that profession or occupation in this state, entitled to the issuance of a temporary license, certification, registration, or enrollment upon submission of satisfactory proof to the regulator, under penalty of perjury, of the applicant's active license, certification, registration, or enrollment in another state or United States territory in good standing. and that the applicant has not committed an act that would be grounds for disciplinary action under the law governing the applicable profession or occupation. (II) For the purposes of AS USED IN this subsection (3)(f): (A) "G OLD STAR MILITARY SPOUSE" OR "GOLD STAR SPOUSE" MEANS THE SPOUSE OF A SERVICEMEMBER , WHICH SERVICEMEMBER DIED WHILE ON MILITARY ORDERS , WHO WAS RELOCATED TO COLORADO. PAGE 3-HOUSE BILL 24-1097 (A) (B) "In good standing" means that a license, certification, registration, or enrollment has not been revoked, expired, or suspended and against which there are no outstanding disciplinary or adverse actions. (C) "M ILITARY DEPENDENT" MEANS THE DEPENDENT OF A SERVICEMEMBER SERVING IN THE UNITED STATES UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO WAS RELOCATED TO COLORADO. (B) (D) "Military spouse" OR "SPOUSE" means the spouse of a person who is actively SERVICEMEMBER serving in the United States armed forces and UNIFORMED SERVICES who is stationed in WAS RELOCATED TO Colorado. in accordance with military orders. (E) "RELOCATED" MEANS THAT A SERVICEMEMBER IN THE UNITED STATES UNIFORMED SERVICES AND THE SERVICEMEMBER 'S SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT HAVE , OR THE SERVICEMEMBER 'S GOLD STAR SPOUSE HAS , MOVED TO COLORADO, AS A RESULT OF: AN ASSIGNMENT TO A DUTY STATION IN COLORADO; A REASSIGNMENT, EITHER AS A RESULT OF A PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION OR PERMANENT CHANGE OF ASSIGNMENT TO COLORADO, BETWEEN TWO DUTY STATIONS ; OR A TRANSFER FROM A REGULAR COMPONENT OF A UNIFORMED SERVICE INTO A SELECTED RESERVE OF THE READY RESERVE OF A UNIFORMED SERVICE , IF THE MEMBER IS AUTHORIZED TO MAKE A FINAL MOVE FROM THE MEMBER 'S LAST DUTY STATION TO COLORADO. (F) "S ERVICEMEMBER" MEANS A MEMBER OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES , AS DEFINED IN 10 U.S.C. SEC. 101 (a)(5). (III) An applicant is not entitled to temporary licensure, certification, registration, or enrollment pursuant to this subsection (3)(f) if approving the temporary licensure, certification, registration, or enrollment would violate an existing compact or reciprocity agreement or if the regulator demonstrates by a preponderance of evidence, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that (A) The applicant has committed an act that would be grounds for disciplinary action under the law governing the applicable profession or occupation; or (B) the applicant's license, certification, registration, or enrollment PAGE 4-HOUSE BILL 24-1097 issued by another state or United States territory is not in good standing. (IV) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary: (A) A temporary license, certification, registration, or enrollment issued to a military spouse, A GOLD STAR MILITARY SPOUSE , A MILITARY DEPENDENT , OR THE SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT OF ANY OTHER QUALIFIED SERVICEMEMBER pursuant to this subsection (3)(f) is valid for three SIX years after the date of issuance and may not be renewed. (B) Each regulator shall waive the application fee for temporary SINGLE STATE licenses, certifications, registrations, or enrollments issued pursuant to this subsection (3)(f). SECTION 4. Effective date. This act takes effect September 1, 2024. SECTION 5. Safety clause. The general assembly finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for PAGE 5-HOUSE BILL 24-1097 the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state institutions. ____________________________ ____________________________ Julie McCluskie Steve Fenberg SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PRESIDENT OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE ____________________________ ____________________________ Robin Jones Cindi L. Markwell CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE SECRETARY OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE APPROVED________________________________________ (Date and Time) _________________________________________ Jared S. Polis GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO PAGE 6-HOUSE BILL 24-1097