Colorado § 8-83-502 - Definitions.

§ 8-83-502. Definitions.

As used in this part 5, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Coal transition community" means a Colorado municipality, county, or region where a coal transition facility or a center for the manufacturing or transportation supply chain of a coal transition facility was or is located.

(1.5) "Coal transition facility" means a Colorado coal-fueled electrical power generating plant that was in operation at any time in 2017, or a Colorado coal mine that was actively producing at any time in 2017.

(2) "Coal transition worker" means a Colorado resident who works or worked in a coal transition facility or in the manufacturing or transportation supply chain of a coal transition facility.

(2.5) "Coal transition workforce assistance program account" or "account" means the coal transition workforce assistance program account created in section 8-83-504.5.

(3) "Director" means the director of the office.

(4) "Disproportionately impacted community" has the meaning set forth in section 24-4-109 (2)(b)(II).

(5) "Eligible entity" means the following entities that serve a coal transition community and that may apply for a grant:

(a) An economic development district;

(b) A county, municipality, city and county, or other political subdivision of the state;

(c) An Indian tribe;

(d) An apprenticeship program that is registered with the United States department of labor or a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the United States department of labor;

(e) An institution of higher education; and

(f) A public or private nonprofit organization or association.

(5.5) "Executive director" means the executive director of the department of labor and employment.

(6) "Fund" means the just transition cash fund created in section 8-83-504.

(7) "Just transition plan" means the plan, in draft or final form, prepared by the just transition advisory committee as outlined in section 8-83-503 (6) and submitted by the director as outlined in section 8-83-503 (4), or any subsequent version of the plan developed through a similar process.

(8) "Office" means the just transition office created in section 8-83-503 (1).

(9) "Tier one coal transition worker" means a coal transition worker who was laid off on or after January 1, 2017, or who the director determines is reasonably likely to be laid off in the future, from employment in a coal transition facility or the manufacturing or transportation supply chain of a coal transition facility if the proximate cause of the actual or anticipated loss of employment is either the closure or conversion of a coal-fueled electrical power generating plant in Colorado or a contiguous state or what the director determines to be a sustained and likely permanent decline in broader coal markets due to similar closures or conversions nationally and globally.

(10) "Tier one transition community" means a coal transition community that the director, with the concurrence of the executive directors of the department and the department of local affairs, determines has already experienced or is at risk of experiencing significant economic disruption, the proximate cause of which is either the closure or conversion of a coal-fueled electrical power generating plant in Colorado or a contiguous state or a sustained and likely permanent decline in broader coal markets due to similar closures or conversions nationally and globally.

(11) "Tier two coal transition worker" means a coal transition worker who is not a tier one coal transition worker.

(12) "Tier two transition community" means a coal transition community that the director, with the concurrence of the executive directors of the department and the department of local affairs, determines has not yet met the criteria required to be a tier one transition community.

(13) "Wage differential benefit" means supplemental income covering all or part of the difference between an individual's previous employment in a coal mine, coal-fueled electrical power generating plant, or the manufacturing and transportation supply chains of either and new employment or supplemental income during job retraining.

Source: L. 2019: Entire part added, (HB 19-1314), ch. 323, p. 2988, § 1, effective May 28. L. 2021: (1), (2), and (9) amended and (1.5), (10), (11), (12), and (13) added, (HB 21-1290), ch. 400, p. 2651, § 1, effective June 30. L. 2022: (2.5) added, (HB 22-1193), ch. 11, p. 116, § 1, effective March 7; (9) amended, (SB 22-212), ch. 421, p. 2966, § 18, effective August 10. L. 2023: (5)(d) amended, (SB 23-051), ch. 37, p. 143, § 13, effective March 23; (4) amended, (HB 23-1233), ch. 245, p. 1331, § 15, effective May 23. L. 2024: (5.5) added and (7) amended, (HB 24-1410), ch. 319, p. 2135, § 1, effective May 31.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 23-1233, see section 1 of chapter 245, Session Laws of Colorado 2023.