Twenty laws go into effect Friday, including three of the most significant bills to come out of the 2022 legislative session.

State budget

With the fiscal year starting anew, the state’s 2022-23 budget kicks in. The spending plan, which legislators passed via House Bill 1329, allocates $36.4 billion to cover the expenses of the state government for the next year. Notable among that spending is a 3% boost in pay for state employees; an increase in health care spending by $1.02 billion; a 33.4% hike from current levels; and, $26 million more for public safety, a 15.4% increase.

Fentanyl

Major portions of HB 1326, the comprehensive measure dealing with the state’s fentanyl crisis, go into effect. That includes requirements for law enforcement to report to district attorneys when they respond to an overdose on whether an arrest was made. District attorneys would be required to report when they do not prosecute someone, based on the information from law enforcement, for violations of the law. Those requirements are in place for the next three years. New felony penalties for possession of 1-4 grams of fentanyl or compounds containing fentanyl also go into effect.

Collective bargaining

County employees can begin collective bargaining in counties with 7,500 or more in population, which applies to all but the 22 smallest counties, home rule counties (Weld), and Denver and Broomfield, which are cities and counties. However, under Senate Bill 230, county commissioners can reject collective bargaining agreements.

PERA

The state will cut a check for $225 million to the Public Employees Retirement Association, the result of House Bill 1229, which covers an obligation to the state pension plan from 2020 when budget writers recommended holding off that annual payment in the midst of the pandemic-induced recession.

Campaign finance

Campaign contributions to school board candidates, which have been unlimited in the past, will be capped

at $2,500 from any individual and $25,000 from a small donor committee, under HB 1060.

Sexual assault

HB 1169, which deals with consent, is intended to help jurors make decisions in sexual assault cases and help victims understand whether what happened to them legally qualifies as sexual assault.

Public benefits theft

Under HB 1224, theft public benefits becomes

of a unique crime, applying to those who intentionally misrepresent or withhold a material fact for determining eligibility for food stamps, Medicaid, housing and other public benefits.

Behavioral Health Administration

The new agency, a subsection of the Department of Human Services, becomes official, the result of HB 1278.

Department of Early Childhood

The result of Proposition EE in 2020, which funds the agency, and HB 1295, which makes it law, the 20th state department also becomes official.