Colorado § 33-9-203 - Outdoor equity board - creation - terms - per diem and expense reimbursement.

§ 33-9-203. Outdoor equity board - creation - terms - per diem and expense reimbursement.

(1) There is hereby created the outdoor equity board in the division of parks and wildlife. The board is responsible for the governance of the outdoor equity grant program.

(2) The board consists of the following nine voting members as follows:

(a) One member personally impacted by and with experience in racial justice issues;

(b) One member personally impacted by and with experience in environmental justice issues;

(c) One member with experience working on conservation issues;

(d) One member with experience in providing outdoor education programs;

(e) One member personally impacted by and with experience in disability-accessible outdoor programming;

(f) One member personally impacted by and with experience in equity for individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer or questioning; and

(g) Three youth members from communities eligible to be served by the grant program at the time of their appointment.

(3) The board consists of the following three nonvoting members as follows:

(a) The director of the Colorado outdoor recreation industry office, created in section 24-48.5-129, or their appointee;

(b) The director of the division of parks and wildlife, or their appointee; and

(c) The executive director of the great outdoors Colorado program, or their appointee.

(4) (a) The director shall appoint the voting members of the board in consultation with the executive director.

(b) The director shall accept nominations for board members through an open and public process established by the division that engages nonprofit and public organizations that have a focus on racial equity, environmental justice, conservation and stewardship, youth activity and engagement, education, disability advocacy and accessibility, advocacy and accessibility for individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer or questioning, advocacy for Native American or indigenous people, and other relevant areas of focus, and that:

(I) Work to ensure that youth and their families have access, representation, meaningful participation, and quality experiences in the outdoors;

(II) Promote culturally responsive programs, policies, protocols, and staffing in the outdoors; and

(III) Raise awareness of and seek to address the root causes of the environmental disparities facing underserved communities.

(5) To the extent possible, the director shall attempt to appoint voting members of the board:

(a) Who have experience providing educational experiences to underserved youth; and

(b) Who reflect the diversity of the state with regard to race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, income, wealth, ability, and geography.

(6) The director shall make initial appointments to the board by October 15, 2021.

(7) (a) Except as provided in subsections (7)(b) and (7)(c) of this section, the term of office of the members of the board appointed by the director is four years.

(b) In order to ensure staggered terms of office, the initial term of office of the members of the board is:

(I) Two years for the members appointed pursuant to subsections (2)(a), (2)(b), and (2)(c) of this section; and

(II) Four years for the members appointed pursuant to subsections (2)(d), (2)(e), and (2)(f) of this section.

(c) The term of office for two of the youth members of the board is two years and the term of office for one of the youth members of the board is one year, as established by the director.

(d) Board members may serve no more than two terms.

(e) A member who is appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the member whose vacancy is being filled; the remainder counts as one term for that appointee.

(8) (a) Voting members of the board receive a per diem of two hundred dollars for attendance at regularly scheduled meetings of the board during the 2021-22 state fiscal year, and two hundred dollars as annually adjusted for inflation based on the percentage change in the United States department of labor's bureau of labor statistics consumer price index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood for all items paid by all urban consumers, or its applicable predecessor or successor index, during the 2022-23 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter. Voting members of the board are also reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred while performing official duties, together with mileage at the rate at which members of the general assembly are reimbursed pursuant to section 2-2-317.

(b) Nonvoting members may not receive per diem, but may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred while performing official duties, together with mileage at the rate at which members of the general assembly are reimbursed pursuant to section 2-2-317.

Source: L. 2021: Entire part added, (HB 21-1318), ch. 272, p. 1574, § 1, effective June 21.