A look at new laws coming to Colorado in 2020
DENVER, Colo. -- Here's a sampling of several new laws passed during the 2019 legislative session that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
Insulin prices capped
Signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, the bill ensures people with diabetes in the state don't have to pay more than $100 per month.
House Bill 19-1216 also requires the Department of Law to investigate the pricing of prescription insulin drugs and submit a report of its findings to the governor, the commissioner of insurance and the judiciary committees of the senate and house of representatives.
Minimum wage
The state's minimum wage will go up to $12.00 on Jan. 1. The current minimum wage is $11.20.
In November 2016, Colorado voters approved Amendment 70, a plan to raise the wage for any non-tipped worker in the state from $8.31 per hour to $12 an hour in steps by 2020.
Mental Health Care
Starting in January 2020, people should be able to go in for a mental health checkup in the same way they go in for a physical checkup, and the cost should be the same, too.
State legislators had to pass a new mental health care law to enforce another law that already exists. The idea behind this is to make sure mental health is treated the same way as physical health.
House Bill 1269, the Mental Health Parity Insurance Medicaid law, focused on making sure mental health care is treated in the same manner as physical health care.
Red Flag
On Jan. 1 2020, the controversial red flag gun legislation goes into effect.
Several counties have declared themselves 2nd amendment sanctuary counties, meaning that they don't plan to enforce the new law. There is still no word on what these sheriffs' refusals will mean.
Marijuana social use and delivery
State regulators cannot begin issuing "hospitality" licenses to marijuana retailers or other businesses seeking to allow marijuana use on their property until 2020. Delivery businesses cannot receive a state permit before 2020 for medical marijuana and 2021 for other marijuana products.
Polis also signed a measure allowing publicly traded companies to own marijuana businesses and limiting background-check requirements on investors.
