HB 1274 CO Became Law
State Agency Payments to Grant Recipients
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Summary
CO HB 1274 allows state agencies to make advance payments to nonprofit grant recipients for state-funded grants, rather than requiring nonprofits to seek reimbursement for costs. The bill establishes requirements for advance payments, including that agencies must have an approved process, disclose availability of advance payments, conduct risk assessments of grantees, and only provide advances to low-risk organizations. Nonprofit grantees receiving advance payments must provide budgets, spending timelines, workplans, and progress reports, and must return any unused funds. The bill appropriates $34,146 to implement these requirements.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill (from the OpenStates abstract — no full text available yet) — neutral, and may be imperfect.
Official abstract
Pursuant to existing law, when an administering state agency awards a grant to a nonprofit organization (grantee), the grantee is generally required to access the grant award by applying for the reimbursement of costs incurred in completing the activity for which the administering state agency awarded the grant. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the act allows an administering state agency to advance a payment to a grantee only for a state-funded grant subject to certain requirements. The administering state agency shall:Have an existing process or develop a new process that is approved by the state controller to dispense an advance payment;Disclose the availability of advance payment in any notice of a grant funding opportunity, grant solicitation, request for applications, or other announcement issued to prospective grantees;Ensure that any advance payment to a grantee is the minimum amount needed to achieve the outcome of actual, immediate cash requirements of the grantee in carrying out the grant objective; and Use the office of the state controller's risk assessment tool to determine whether a grantee is high, medium, or low risk and allow advance payment only to a grantee that is determined to be low risk. An administering state agency may modify the considerations in the risk assessment tool depending on the specific situation. The grantee shall:Provide an itemized budget to the administering state agency for the eligible costs that the advance payment will cover, the indirect or other costs that the grantee needs to operate, a spending timeline, and a workplan developed as specified by the administering state agency;Submit documentation to support the need for advance payment; If required by the administering state agency and stipulated within the grant agreement, obtain insurance in an amount commensurate with the assessed risk determined by the administering state agency ;Establish procedures to minimize the amount of time that elapses between the transfer of money and the expenditure of the money by the grantee;Provide a progress report to the administering state agency following the expenditure of an advance payment; andDisclose certain internal controls to the administering state agency. The grantee shall propose the minimum amount needed to achieve the grant objective and the controller of the administering state agency shall review and determine whether to accept the amount or propose an alternative amount. The controller of the administering state agency shall forward advance payment requests to the state controller for approval. A grantee shall return to the administering state agency all unused money provided as an advance payment but not expended within the grant agreement timeline. A grantee that is paid a percentage of the total value of the payments under a grant agreement immediately upon executing the grant agreement must comply with all of the reporting requirements specified in the grant agreement. If an administering state agency or the office of the state controller denies a grantee's request for advance payment, the administering state agency shall provide the grantee with a written explanation of the deficiencies in the application for advance payment that determined the decision to deny the request. The administering state agency shall make the elements and results of the risk assessment available to the grantee. The act does not prevent an administering state agency, in providing advance payment to a grantee, from using a waiver process available through fiscal rules adopted by the state controller or rules adopted by a federal governmental entity to dispense a percentage of the total value of the payments under the grant agreement to the grantee immediately upon executing or renewing the grant agreement. Nothing in the act limits, prohibits, or supersedes any existing payment or grant-making authority or powers of a state agency. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $34,146 from the general fund to the department of personnel for use by the division of accounts and control to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Sponsors (4)
- M. Duran Democratic · sponsor
- M. Lindsay Democratic · sponsor
- K. Wallace Democratic · sponsor
- M. Weissman Democratic · sponsor
17 coauthors / cosponsors
- J. Bacon Democratic · cosponsor
- A. Boesenecker Democratic · cosponsor
- C. Clifford Democratic · cosponsor
- C. Espenoza Democratic · cosponsor
- J. McCluskie Democratic · cosponsor
- K. Nguyen Democratic · cosponsor
- M. Rutinel Democratic · cosponsor
- E. Sirota Democratic · cosponsor
- T. Story Democratic · cosponsor
- Y. Zokaie Democratic · cosponsor
- A. Benavidez Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Coleman Democratic · cosponsor
- L. Cutter Democratic · cosponsor
- J. Gonzales Democratic · cosponsor
- I. Jodeh Democratic · cosponsor
- C. Kipp Democratic · cosponsor
- M. Snyder Democratic · cosponsor
Action history (16)
- Jun 4, 2026 Governor Signed · executive
- Jun 3, 2026 Sent to the Governor · executive
- Jun 3, 2026 Signed by the President of the Senate · upper
- Jun 3, 2026 Signed by the Speaker of the House · lower
- May 13, 2026 Senate Considered House Adherence - Result was to Recede · upper
- May 13, 2026 House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Adhere · lower
- May 12, 2026 Senate Third Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor · upper
- May 11, 2026 Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments · upper
- May 11, 2026 Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole · upper
- May 11, 2026 Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Refer Unamended to Appropriations · upper
- May 11, 2026 Introduced In Senate - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs · upper
- May 9, 2026 House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments · lower
- May 8, 2026 House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Floor · lower
- May 8, 2026 House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole · lower
- Mar 19, 2026 House Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Appropriations · lower
- Feb 19, 2026 Introduced In House - Assigned to Finance · lower
Full text
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