This issue brief provides a brief overview of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), related federal and state regulations, and current uses and restrictions in Colorado.
This issue brief provides an overview of the financial assistance available to families needing child care and describes the state's licensing and regulation of child care.
This issue brief provides information on mechanisms used to refund revenue in excess of the state's constitutional spending limit. The legislature determines how the excess revenue is refunded. Over the course of TABOR's history, there have been 21 different refund mechanisms.
This issue brief provides an overview of current state law and regulations pertaining to medical and retail marijuana, and discusses the role of local governments regulating marijuana.
This issue brief provides information on state enterprises, a special category of government entities created in the Colorado Constitution. An enterprise is a self-supporting, or largely self-supporting, government-owned business that receives its revenue in return for the provision of a good or service.
This issue brief discusses state and federal accreditation policies for higher education, the accreditation process, accrediting organizations, and the standards to be met to receive accreditation.
Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires voter approval of any new taxes. Prior to voter approval, it also requires that voters receive estimates of state spending without new taxes and the new tax revenue. This issue brief provides background information on one of the consequences of actual collections differing from what was provided to voters.
In lieu of issuing bonds, or using another form of long-term debt, the state often uses a form of lease-purchase agreement called certificates of participation (COPs) to finance the construction of its new facilities. A certificate refers to an investor's proportionate interest in the state's lease payments. COPs give the state the flexibility to build capital facilities even when funds are not available to pay for projects on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Three state taxes apply to marijuana, but medical and retail marijuana are taxed differently. Both medical and retail marijuana are subject to the 2.9 percent state sales tax, which is applied to most purchases in the state. Tax revenue collected from the sale of marijuana is deposited in two different funds: the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Fund and the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (MCTF)
Vaccinations offer protection from common infectious diseases. Colorado law requires every child who is attending school in the state to present an up-to-date certificate of immunization. State law also allows for a student to be exempt from the immunization requirements for medical reasons, religious beliefs, or personal beliefs.
