HB 24-1287

HB 24-1287, known as "Access to State Grant Opportunities," aims to help Coloradans find and apply for state-funded grants more easily. It requires the creation of an online database by December 31, 2025, which will list all available grant opportunities funded or managed by the state. Additionally, it establishes a program specifically for rural communities to assist them in accessing these grants. This program will be run by someone who lives and works in a rural area. Since the bill has been signed into law, this means that the process of creating the database and implementing the assistance program is now underway or planned according to the specified timeline.

Official Summary

Section 1 of the bill creates an online database managed by the department of personnel that includes information on all grant opportunities that are funded by state money or administered by the state. The database must be created by December 31, 2025, and reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Section 2 creates the grant assistance to rural communities program. This program, administered by the department of local affairs, provides assistance in accessing state grants to entities in rural communities, which are defined as counties with populations of fewer than 25,000 residents and municipalities with populations of fewer than 10,000 residents that do not border another municipality with a population of 10,000 residents or more. The bill directs the department to designate at least one full-time equivalent employee, who resides in a rural community or whose principal place of employment is in a rural community, to implement the program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)