Colorado § 26-11-101 - Commission on the aging - created - definition.

§ 26-11-101. Commission on the aging - created - definition.

(1) (a) There is created in the state department the Colorado commission on the aging for the purpose of coordinating and guiding the implementation of the strategic action plan on aging, developed pursuant to section 24-32-3406, as that section existed prior to June 30, 2022, and other strategies the commission may identify that support older Coloradans. The commission is a type 2 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105. The commission shall consist of nineteen members who must be appointed as follows:

(I) One member from the Colorado senate, appointed by the president of the senate;

(II) One member from the Colorado house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and

(III) Seventeen members appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, as follows:

(A) One member from each congressional district of the state;

(B) One member who is a representative of higher education or the Colorado community college system;

(C) One member who is a director of an area agency on aging, as described in section 26-11-204;

(D) One member with extensive knowledge of workforce issues impacting older Coloradans;

(E) One member who represents a long-term residential care setting;

(F) One member who represents Coloradans living with dementia;

(G) One member who represents an organization providing home- and community-based services;

(H) One member with extensive knowledge of or experience with transportation infrastructure and services;

(I) One member who represents the housing sector; and

(J) One member of the public policy or elder law community with extensive knowledge of and experience with aging policy or elder rights issues.

(b) In making appointments pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(III) of this section, the governor shall appoint no more than a minimum majority of commission members affiliated with the same political party. In making appointments, the governor shall select:

(I) Members who represent diverse racial, cultural, socioeconomic, gender, and ability groups, and individuals receiving community-based social or medical services that support independent living;

(II) For the congressional district members, at least one member who is sixty years of age or older, or who is a person living with a disability, or who has a family member living with a disability;

(III) At least one member who represents rural or frontier areas of the state;

(IV) At least one representative from a local government; and

(V) At least one representative of the business community in order to consider the potential for initiatives developed in the private, for-profit sector.

(c) Appointments to the commission must comply with the rules promulgated by the United States department of health and human services pursuant to the federal "Older Americans Comprehensive Services Amendments of 1973", Pub.L. 93-29, as amended.

(2) (a) A minimum majority of the commission members shall be appointed for an initial term of two years each, and the remaining commission members shall be appointed for an initial term of three years each. The governor shall indicate whether the appointed person is serving a two-year term or a three-year term. Appointments made after the expiration of the initial term are three-year terms. If a vacancy on the commission occurs, the governor shall appoint a new member from the appropriate representative group to serve the remainder of the member's term. No member may serve more than two full consecutive terms.

(b) The terms of present members appointed pursuant to this section expire on August 31, 2022. The governor shall appoint new members pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this section, and the appointments are effective September 1, 2022.

(3) As used in this section, "minimum majority" means the lowest number of members that is more than half of all commission members.

Source: L. 73: RC&RE, p. 1207, § 6. C.R.S. 1963: § 119-7-1. L. 76: (1) amended, p. 669, § 1, effective April 22. L. 77: Entire section amended, p. 1365, § 1, effective July 1. L. 82: (1) amended, p. 357, § 18, effective April 30. L. 2002: (1) amended, p. 946, § 8, effective August 7. L. 2009: (1) amended, (HB 09-1281), ch. 399, p. 2155, § 8, effective August 5. L. 2022: Entire section amended, (HB 22-1035), ch. 38, p. 196, § 2, effective March 24; IP(1)(a) amended, (HB 22-1209), ch. 95, p. 454, § 3, effective April 12; (1) amended, (SB 22-162), ch. 469, p. 3377, § 71, effective August 10. L. 2025: IP(1)(a) amended, (SB 25-275), ch. 377, p. 2081, § 228, effective August 6.

Editor's note: (1) The rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to Public Law 93-29, known as the "Older Americans Comprehensive Services Amendments of 1973", are now designated as section 1321 of Title 45 of the code of federal regulations.

(2) Amendments to subsection (1) by SB 22-162, HB 22-1035, and HB 22-1209 were harmonized, effective August 10, 2022.

Cross references: For the short title (the "Debbie Haskins 'Administrative Organization Act of 1968' Modernization Act") in SB 22-162, see section 1 of chapter 469, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.