HB 23-1244

House Bill 23-1244, known as the Regional Health Connector Program, moves a health program from the University of Colorado School of Medicine to the Department of Public Health and Environment. The bill requires the department to hire an outside entity to manage the program, which will then distribute funds to local organizations that employ regional health connectors to carry out various health-related activities. For the next two fiscal years, the bill allocates funding: $1.5 million for the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2023-24 and $71,903 for the Department of Public Health and Environment in the same period, followed by an annual allocation of $1.5 million directly to the department starting in 2024-25. The bill was signed into law on June 7, 2023, and will take effect on August 7, 2023.

Official Summary

The act moves the regional health connector program (program) from the university of Colorado school of medicine to the prevention services division (division) in the department of public health and environment (department). The act requires the division to administer the program and requires the department to contract with a third-party entity to coordinate and oversee the program. The contracted entity is required to distribute money to each locally based host organization, which hires and supports a regional health connector to engage in program activities. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $1.5 million to the department of higher education for use by the regents of the university of Colorado for allocation to the school of medicine and $71,903 to the department for use by the division for the program. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year, the act annually appropriates $1.5 million to the division for the program. APPROVED by Governor June 7, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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