Second Regular Session
Seventy-fourth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
ENGROSSED
This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
on Second Reading in the House of Introduction
LLS NO. 24-0933.01 Alana Rosen x2606
HOUSE BILL 24-1205
House Committees Senate Committees
Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT
C
ONCERNING MODIFI CATIONS TO THE COLORADO IMAGINATION101
LIBRARY PROGRAM TO ENHANCE EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY .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/
.)
Joint Budget Committee. Current law requires the state librarian
in the department of education to oversee the Colorado imagination
library program (program) and to contract with a Colorado nonprofit
organization (contractor) to operate the program. The bill relocates the
program to the department of early childhood (department).
Effective June 30, 2024, the rights, powers, duties, functions, and
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
February 7, 2024
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Sirota and Taggart, Bird
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Zenzinger and Kirkmeyer, Bridges
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. obligations concerning the program are transferred to the department. The
bill transfers the contractual obligations with the contractor to the
department.
Before the rights, powers, duties, functions, and obligations
concerning the program are transferred to the department on June 30,
2024, the department may enter into an interagency agreement with the
department of education for the administration of the program.
The bill authorizes the contractor to enter into contracts with book
vendors or publishers to provide additional age-appropriate, high-quality
books to children enrolled in the program at no cost to families.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add with amended2
and relocated provisions 26.5-1-115 as follows:3
26.5-1-115. Colorado imagination library program - creation4
- contract - report - legislative declaration - appropriations -5
definitions. (1) [Formerly 24-90-120 (1)] For the purposes of this6
section, unless the context otherwise requires:7
(a) "County-based affiliate programs" means a local
NONPROFIT8
ORGANIZATION OR NONPROFIT PARTNER affiliate of the Colorado9
imagination library program that operates within a county or city and10
county
OR ACROSS CITIES AND COUNTIES.11
(b) "Eligible child" means a child from birth to the child's fifth12
birthday.13
(c) "National nonprofit foundation" means a national nonprofit14
foundation that exists for the sole purpose of working with local entities15
to identify eligible children and mail
PROVIDE age-appropriate,16
high-quality books each month to those children at no cost to families.17
(d) "Program" means the Colorado imagination library program18
created pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.19
(2) [Formerly 24-90-120 (2)] (a) (I) No later than December 31,20
1205-2- 2021 the state librarian in the department of education JULY 1, 2024, THE1
DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD shall contract with a Colorado2
nonprofit organization for the creation and operation of the Colorado3
imagination library program.4
(II) E
FFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2024, THE RIGHTS, POWERS, DUTIES,5
FUNCTIONS, AND OBLIGATIONS CONCERNING THE PROGRAM ARE6
TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD . BEFORE THE7
TRANSFER OF THE RIGHTS, POWERS, DUTIES, FUNCTIONS, AND OBLIGATIONS8
OF THE PROGRAM TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD ON JUNE 30,9
2024,
THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD MAY ENTER INTO AN10
INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR11
THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM .12
(III) E
FFECTIVE JUNE 30, 2024, IF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION13
IS REFERRED TO OR DESIGNATED BY THE CONTRACT DESCRIBED IN14
SUBSECTION (2)(a)(I) OF THIS SECTION OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENT IN15
CONNECTION WITH THE POWERS , DUTIES, AND FUNCTIONS TRANSFERRED16
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION17
(2)(a)(II)
OF THIS SECTION, THE REFERENCE OR DESIGNATION APPLIES TO18
THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD . ALL CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO19
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BEFORE JUNE 30, 2024, IN20
CONNECTION WITH THE POWERS , DUTIES, AND FUNCTIONS TRANSFERRED21
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION22
(2)(a)(II)
OF THIS SECTION ARE VALIDATED, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF23
EARLY CHILDHOOD SUCCEEDING ALL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS UNDER24
THE CONTRACT.25
(b) The contractor
DESCRIBED IN SUBSECTION (2)(a)(I) OF THIS26
SECTION shall:27
1205
-3- (a) (I) Exist for the sole purpose of creating and operating1
O
PERATE the program BY PROVIDING AGE-APPROPRIATE, HIGH-QUALITY2
BOOKS TO CHILDREN TO PROMOTE EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY ;3
(b)
(II) Manage the daily operations of the program, including, but4
not limited to, establishing county-based affiliate programs in all5
Colorado counties and cities and counties and advancing and6
strengthening the affiliate programs to ensure enrollment growth;7
(c) Develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness8
campaign in coordination with the department of education to ensure9
alignment with the "Colorado READ Act", part 12 of article 7 of title 22,10
including any public awareness campaign for the "Colorado READ Act",11
and to make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible12
children to receive free books through the program;13
(d) (III) Contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide14
age-appropriate, high-quality books each month to eligible children at no15
cost to families;16
(e) (IV) Provide for a high-quality independent evaluation of the17
impact of the program on child and family outcomes, including child18
literacy and parent and family engagement; and19
(f) (V) Establish a distressed affiliate fund using gifts, grants, or20
donations to help county-based affiliate programs that have financial21
difficulty meeting the county-based affiliate programs' funding22
requirements.23
(3) T
HE CONTRACTOR MAY ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH BOOK24
VENDORS OR BOOK PUBLISHERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION TO25
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL AGE -APPROPRIATE, HIGH-QUALITY BOOKS TO26
ELIGIBLE CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM AT NO COST TO FAMILIES .27
1205
-4- (4) [Formerly 24-90-120 (3)] Notwithstanding section 24-1-1361
(11)(a)(I), on or before July 1 of the year after the state librarian enters2
into a contract pursuant to subsection (2) of this section JULY 1, 2024, and3
ON OR BEFORE each July 1 thereafter, the contractor shall submit a report4
to the department, of education which shall then submit the report to the5
education committees of the senate and house of representatives, or any6
THEIR successor committees, concerning the total number of eligible7
children residing in each county or city and county in Colorado and how8
many eligible children are enrolled in the program in each county or city9
and county.10
(5) [Formerly 24-90-120 (4)] (a) The contractor, in operating the11
program pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, shall pay to the12
national nonprofit foundation the statewide cost to provide free books to13
eligible children enrolled in the program, as determined by the national14
nonprofit foundation. T
HE CONTRACTOR SHALL PAY A BOOK VENDOR OR15
BOOK PUBLISHER THAT ENTERS INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE CONTRACTOR16
PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION (3) OF THIS SECTION THE STATEWIDE COST TO17
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FREE BOOKS TO ELIGIBLE CHILDREN ENROLLED IN18
THE PROGRAM. The general assembly shall annually appropriate money19
from the general fund to the department of education for the state
20
librarian to distribute to the contractor for the state's fifty percent share of21
the cost to provide the books.22
(b) Each county-based affiliate program shall MUST pay to the23
contractor the remainder of the cost, as determined by the national24
nonprofit foundation
OR A BOOK VENDOR OR BOOK PUBLISHER THAT25
ENTERS INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE CONTRACTOR PURSUANT TO THIS26
SECTION, to provide books to the eligible children enrolled in the county27
1205
-5- or city and county.1
(6) [Formerly 24-90-120 (5)] The department of education may2
seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public3
sources for the implementation of this section.4
(7) [Formerly 24-90-120 (6)] (a) It is the intent of the general5
assembly to provide full funding by 2026 for any eligible child who wants6
to participate in the program.7
(b) (I) For the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the general assembly shall8
appropriate nine hundred seven thousand one hundred forty dollars for the9
Colorado imagination library
PROGRAM and shall increase the10
appropriation in subsequent fiscal years as necessary to meet the intention11
of the general assembly set forth in subsection (6)(a)
SUBSECTION (7)(a)12
of this section.13
(II) A
NY APPROPRIATION MADE IN THE ANNUAL GENERAL14
APPROPRIATION ACT FOR THE 2023-24 STATE FISCAL YEAR TO THE15
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR THE COLORADO IMAGINATION LIBRARY16
PROGRAM IS HEREBY TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY17
CHILDHOOD FOR THE COLORADO IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROGRAM ON18
J
UNE 30, 2024. ANY UNEXPENDED AND UNENCUMBERED MONEY19
APPROPRIATED FROM THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE COLORADO20
IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROGRAM FOR THE 2023-24 STATE FISCAL YEAR21
THAT IS TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD22
PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (7)(b)(II) REMAINS AVAILABLE FOR23
EXPENDITURE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD THROUGH THE24
2024-25
STATE FISCAL YEAR WITHOUT FURTHER APPROPRIATION .25
(c) F
OR THE 2024-25 STATE FISCAL YEAR, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY26
SHALL APPROPRIATE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD THE27
1205
-6- FUNDS NECESSARY TO MEET THE IN TENTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY1
SET FORTH IN SUBSECTION (7)(a) OF THIS SECTION.2
(c) (d) Twenty percent of money appropriated for the 2021-223
state fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, may be used for the4
contractor operating the program for duties set forth in subsections (2)(a)5
to (2)(d) and (2)(f) SUBSECTIONS (2)(b)(I) TO (2)(b)(III) AND (2)(b)(V) of6
this section.7
SECTION 2. Repeal of relocated provisions in this act. In8
Colorado Revised Statutes, repeal 24-90-120.9
SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,10
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate11
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for12
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state13
institutions.14
1205
-7-