A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning promoting workforce development
Page 1, Line 102opportunities in Colorado's nuclear sector, and, in
Page 1, Line 103connection therewith, making an appropriation.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill creates the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education program (program) in the department of higher education (department) to help meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy sector. The bill establishes a related grant program to provide grants to institutions of higher education for the development or expansion of nuclear engineering degree or certificate programs or course offerings. The Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council shall advise and assist the department regarding the grant program's implementation and evaluation.
The department may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for program-related purposes. The state treasurer shall credit the gifts, grants, and donations to the Colorado workforce development and education cash fund (cash fund). The general assembly shall not appropriate general fund dollars to implement or maintain program operations or grant awards. The department shall begin awarding grants only after the balance of the cash fund reaches or exceeds $500,000.
The bill imposes requirements to report to the general assembly about the program's implementation and use of funds. The bill repeals the program, effective September 1, 2032, unless the program is extended pursuant to a sunset review.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 3(a) Nuclear energy is a critical component of Colorado's clean
Page 2, Line 4energy strategy and economic development, offering consistent, reliable
Page 2, Line 5and noncarbon power generation to support grid stability and emissions reduction goals;
Page 2, Line 6(b) A highly skilled workforce is essential for the deployment and
Page 2, Line 7operation of advanced nuclear technologies, small modular reactors, and
Page 2, Line 8commercial fusion systems. Workforce readiness in engineering, radiation
Page 2, Line 9safety, fusion energy operations, and reactor technology is necessary to support Colorado's energy transition.
Page 2, Line 10(c) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and education
Page 2, Line 11council will harness private investment, federal funding, and strategic
Page 2, Line 12partnerships to make the state a leader in nuclear energy workforce
Page 2, Line 13development. Through grants to eligible institutions of higher education
Page 2, Line 14and related technical assistance, the council will expand educational pathways to careers in the nuclear energy sector.
Page 3, Line 1(d) The Colorado school of mines' expertise in energy resource
Page 3, Line 2management, workforce development, and federal grant facilitation
Page 3, Line 3uniquely positions it to house the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council; and
Page 3, Line 4(e) By developing and expanding existing state higher education
Page 3, Line 5infrastructure, including degree and certificate programs and technical
Page 3, Line 6training, and by leveraging public and private sector collaboration, the
Page 3, Line 7council will help Colorado expand workforce readiness in the nuclear
Page 3, Line 8energy sector without new state appropriations, supporting long-term economic growth and clean energy innovation.
Page 3, Line 9SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add part 3 to article 41 of title 23 as follows:
Page 3, Line 10PART 3
COLORADO NUCLEAR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND
Page 3, Line 11EDUCATION COUNCIL
Page 3, Line 1223-41-301. Definitions.As used in this part 3, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 3, Line 13(1) "Cash fund" means the Colorado nuclear workforce
Page 3, Line 14development and education cash fund created in section 23-41-306.
Page 3, Line 15(2) "Coal transition community" means a coal transition community, as defined in section 8-83-502.
Page 3, Line 16(3) "Council" means the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council created in section 23-41-302.
Page 3, Line 17(4) "Eligible institution" means a state institution of
Page 3, Line 18higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a); a local
Page 4, Line 1district college, as defined in section 23-71-102; or an area technical college, as defined in section 23-60-103.
Page 4, Line 2(5) "Grant program" means the Colorado nuclear
Page 4, Line 3workforce development and education grant program created in section 23-41-304.
Page 4, Line 4(6) "Third-party entity" means an entity that has entered
Page 4, Line 5into a contract with the council to provide staffing or
Page 4, Line 6operational services to the council or to help implement this part 3, including the grant program.
Page 4, Line 723-41-302. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 4, Line 8education council - created. (1) The Colorado nuclear workforce
Page 4, Line 9development and education council is created in the Colorado
Page 4, Line 10school of mines. The purpose of the council is to meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy sector by:
Page 4, Line 11(a) Providing grants to eligible institutions for the
Page 4, Line 12development or expansion of degree programs, certificate
Page 4, Line 13programs, individual courses, or modular training focused on
Page 4, Line 14nuclear energy, including fusion and fission, through the
Page 4, Line 15Colorado nuclear workforce development and education grant program created in section 23-41-304; and
Page 4, Line 16(b) Providing eligible institutions related technical assistance.
Page 4, Line 17(2) The council is only required to implement sections
Page 4, Line 1823-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 if, pursuant to section
Page 4, Line 1923-41-307, sections 23-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 become effective.
Page 4, Line 20(3) The council activities, including providing technical
Page 5, Line 1assistance, any contracted work performed by a third-party
Page 5, Line 2entity, the grant program, and administrative costs, must be
Page 5, Line 3funded entirely by gifts, grants, and donations. Gifts, grants,
Page 5, Line 4and donations must fund the council's work throughout the
Page 5, Line 5course of the council's work, and general fund money shall not be appropriated for the implementation of this part 3.
Page 5, Line 6(4) The work of the council or any other entity pursuant
Page 5, Line 7to this part 3 is contingent on money being available to
Page 5, Line 8implement this part 3. If money is not available for the council
Page 5, Line 9or any other entity to carry out the duties required by this part
Page 5, Line 103, the council or entity is not required to carry out the duties.
Page 5, Line 11A contract with a third-party entity or eligible institution must
Page 5, Line 12provide that the contract is contingent on funds being
Page 5, Line 13available for the specified purpose and the funds being available for the duration of the contract.
Page 5, Line 14(5) (a) The council consists of eleven members appointed by the designated appointing officials as follows:
Page 5, Line 15(I) The governor shall appoint the following members of the council:
Page 5, Line 16(A) One member who is a representative of a private company in the nuclear or clean energy sector;
Page 5, Line 17(B) One member who is a representative of a coal transition community or rural area of the state; and
Page 5, Line 18(C) One member who is a nuclear physicist or engineer from a federal laboratory; and
Page 5, Line 19(II) The president of the senate, the minority leader of the
Page 5, Line 20senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the
Page 6, Line 1minority leader of the house of representatives shall each appoint:
Page 6, Line 2(A) One member who is a representative of a private company in the nuclear or clean energy sector; and
Page 6, Line 3(B) One member who is a representative of a labor
Page 6, Line 4organization, a representative of a small or mid-sized nuclear
Page 6, Line 5supply chain business, an environmental safety expert, or a workforce training professional.
Page 6, Line 6(b) A member of the council must not have a financial or
Page 6, Line 7other conflict of interest that would prevent the member from
Page 6, Line 8impartially reviewing grant applications for the grant program
Page 6, Line 9or that would otherwise give rise to an appearance of
Page 6, Line 10impropriety. A member must not have a professional affiliation with an eligible institution.
Page 6, Line 11(c) The appointing officials shall make the initial
Page 6, Line 12appointments to the council as soon as possible after the effective date of this section but no later than January 1, 2026.
Page 6, Line 13(d) The term of appointment is four years; except that the term of each member initially appointed is two years.
Page 6, Line 1423-41-303. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 6, Line 15education council - meetings - duties - authority to contract.
Page 6, Line 16(1) (a) The council shall elect a chair from among the council's
Page 6, Line 17members to serve for a term not to exceed two years, as determined by the council.
Page 6, Line 18(b) The chair of the council shall convene the first
Page 6, Line 19meeting of the council no later than forty-two days after the
Page 6, Line 20effective date of this section. Thereafter, the council shall
Page 7, Line 1meet at least quarterly. The chair may call additional meetings as are necessary for the council to complete its duties.
Page 7, Line 2(2) Members of the council serve without compensation
Page 7, Line 3but are entitled to receive reimbursement for actual and
Page 7, Line 4necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the members' duties on the council.
Page 7, Line 5(3) With staffing and operational assistance from a third-party entity, the council shall:
Page 7, Line 6(a) Convene, at a frequency to be determined by the
Page 7, Line 7council, advisory sessions with stakeholders from the nuclear,
Page 7, Line 8educational, and economic development sectors to assess and
Page 7, Line 9adopt strategies to respond to evolving workforce demands and opportunities in the nuclear energy sector; and
Page 7, Line 10(b) Implement the grant program, including:
Page 7, Line 11(I) Reviewing and approving grant program guidelines and
Page 7, Line 12procedures to ensure grants are awarded through an open, competitive process using national best practices;
Page 7, Line 13(II) Reviewing applications from eligible institutions;
Page 7, Line 14(III) Selecting grant recipients and determining grant award amounts;
Page 7, Line 15(IV) Providing eligible institutions technical assistance; and
Page 7, Line 16(V) Evaluating the grant program.
Page 7, Line 17(4) The council may promote nuclear energy education
Page 7, Line 18and research activities among eligible institutions to enhance
Page 7, Line 19the eligible institutions' ability to attract federal and private
Page 7, Line 20sector funding for nuclear energy education, training, and related research.
Page 8, Line 1(5) The council shall develop guidelines and procedures as necessary to implement this part 3.
Page 8, Line 2(6) The council shall contract with one or more
Page 8, Line 3third-party entities to provide staffing and operational
Page 8, Line 4assistance to the council or to help implement other provisions of this part 3.
Page 8, Line 5(7) The council must use a request for proposal process to
Page 8, Line 6designate and contract with a third-party entity for the
Page 8, Line 7purposes of this part 3. A designated third-party entity may
Page 8, Line 8provide in-kind staff support or technical assistance to assist
Page 8, Line 9the council in performing the council's duties and
Page 8, Line 10responsibilities. Third-party entity personnel are not employees of the council or the state.
Page 8, Line 11(8) The council may use up to ten percent of the money in the cash fund to pay direct and indirect administrative costs.
Page 8, Line 1223-41-304. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 8, Line 13education grant program - created - application - criteria - awards.
Page 8, Line 14(1) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 8, Line 15education grant program is created in the Colorado school of
Page 8, Line 16mines to meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy
Page 8, Line 17sector by providing grants to eligible institutions for the
Page 8, Line 18development or expansion of nuclear energy degree programs, certificate programs, individual courses, or modular training.
Page 8, Line 19(2) Pursuant to section 23-41-307, the council shall begin
Page 8, Line 20awarding grants only after the balance of the Colorado
Page 8, Line 21nuclear workforce development and education cash fund
Page 9, Line 1reaches or exceeds five hundred thousand dollars. The council
Page 9, Line 2shall explore opportunities to leverage federal funding, including federal workforce development matching grants.
Page 9, Line 3(3) Grant recipients may use the money received through
Page 9, Line 4the grant program for the design of courses or degree
Page 9, Line 5programs, certificate programs, or training programs focused
Page 9, Line 6on nuclear energy, including fusion and fission; for personnel;
Page 9, Line 7or for administrative or facility expenses necessary to develop
Page 9, Line 8or expand nuclear energy degree, certificate, training, or course offerings.
Page 9, Line 9(4) The council, with assistance from and in coordination
Page 9, Line 10with a third-party entity, subject to the availability of funds
Page 9, Line 11pursuant to section 23-41-307, shall administer the grant
Page 9, Line 12program and shall award grants as provided in this part 3. Grants must be paid out of the cash fund.
Page 9, Line 13(5) To receive a grant, an eligible institution must submit
Page 9, Line 14an application to the council in accordance with guidelines and procedures established pursuant to section 23-41-303 (5).
Page 9, Line 15(6) (a) The council shall review the applications received
Page 9, Line 16pursuant to this section. In selecting grant recipients, the
Page 9, Line 17council shall prioritize eligible institutions that can provide a
Page 9, Line 18trained workforce expeditiously. In addition to other relevant
Page 9, Line 19factors, the council shall consider the following criteria when awarding grants:
Page 9, Line 20(I) The distribution of nuclear energy degree programs,
Page 9, Line 21certificate programs, individual courses, and modular training
Page 9, Line 22opportunities offered across the state, including programs,
Page 10, Line 1courses, and training opportunities related to nuclear fusion and fission;
Page 10, Line 2(II) The need for a nuclear energy workforce in the surrounding community or region of the state; and
Page 10, Line 3(III) The projected student interest in the nuclear energy
Page 10, Line 4degree programs, certificate programs, individual courses, and modular training opportunities at competing institutions.
Page 10, Line 5(b) To award a grant, at least a majority of the members of the council shall approve the grant.
Page 10, Line 623-41-305. Reporting requirements. (1) On or before the
Page 10, Line 7first November 1 after the effective date of this section, and on
Page 10, Line 8or before November 1 each year thereafter until the repeal of
Page 10, Line 9this part 3, the council shall submit a report to the house of
Page 10, Line 10representatives energy and environment committee, the house
Page 10, Line 11of representatives education committee, the senate
Page 10, Line 12transportation and energy committee, and the senate education
Page 10, Line 13committee, or their successor committees. At a minimum, the report must include:
Page 10, Line 14(a) A summary of the grant program and its
Page 10, Line 15implementation and any related technical assistance provided to grant recipients; and
Page 10, Line 16(b) An accounting of the source and amount of money
Page 10, Line 17credited to the cash fund and how cash fund money was used
Page 10, Line 18pursuant to this part 3, including grant program awards to
Page 10, Line 19expand or support nuclear energy degree programs, certificate
Page 10, Line 20programs, individual courses, and modular training
Page 10, Line 21opportunities in order to meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy sector.
Page 11, Line 123-41-306. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 11, Line 2education cash fund - created. (1) The Colorado nuclear
Page 11, Line 3workforce development and education cash fund is created in
Page 11, Line 4the state treasury. The cash fund consists of gifts, grants, and
Page 11, Line 5donations credited to the cash fund pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.
Page 11, Line 6(2) The council may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants,
Page 11, Line 7or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of
Page 11, Line 8this part 3. The council shall transmit all money received
Page 11, Line 9through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the money to the cash fund.
Page 11, Line 10(3) The state treasurer shall credit all interest and
Page 11, Line 11income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the cash fund to the cash fund.
Page 11, Line 12(4) Subject to annual appropriation by the general
Page 11, Line 13assembly, the Colorado school of mines may expend money from
Page 11, Line 14the cash fund for the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council to carry out this part 3.
Page 11, Line 15(5) The council may accept donations of in-kind services
Page 11, Line 16for the purposes of this part 3, including for technical assistance.
Page 11, Line 17(6) The general assembly shall not appropriate general fund dollars for the purposes of this part 3.
Page 11, Line 1823-41-307. Effective date - repeal of part - review of functions.
Page 11, Line 19(1) Sections 23-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 take effect if the
Page 11, Line 20council receives at least five hundred thousand dollars of
Page 12, Line 1gifts, grants, or donations for the purposes of this part 3. The
Page 12, Line 2president of the Colorado school of mines shall notify the
Page 12, Line 3revisor of statutes in writing of the date on which the condition
Page 12, Line 4specified in this subsection (1) has occurred by emailing the
Page 12, Line 5notice to revisorofstatutes.ga@coleg.gov. Sections 23-41-303,
Page 12, Line 623-41-304, and 23-41-305 take effect upon the date identified in
Page 12, Line 7the notice that the council has received at least five hundred
Page 12, Line 8thousand dollars of gifts, grants, or donations for the purposes
Page 12, Line 9of this part 3 or, if the notice does not specify that date, upon the date of the notice to the revisor of statutes.
Page 12, Line 10(2) This part 3 is repealed, effective September 1, 2032.
Page 12, Line 11Before the repeal, this part 3 is scheduled for review in accordance with section 24-34-104.
Page 12, Line 12SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-34-104, add (33)(a)(X) as follows:
Page 12, Line 1324-34-104. General assembly review of regulatory agencies
Page 12, Line 14and functions for repeal, continuation, or reestablishment - legislative
Page 12, Line 15declaration - repeal. (33) (a) The following agencies, functions, or both, are scheduled for repeal on September 1, 2032:
Page 12, Line 16(X) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council created in part 3 of article 41 of title 23.
Page 12, Line 17SECTION 4. Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,
Page 12, Line 18$500,000 is appropriated to the department of higher education for use by
Page 12, Line 19the trustees of the Colorado school of mines. This appropriation is from
Page 12, Line 20the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education cash fund
Page 12, Line 21created in section 23-41-306, C.R.S. To implement this act, the trustees
Page 12, Line 22of the Colorado school of mines may use this appropriation to provide
Page 13, Line 1grants to eligible institutions for the development or expansion of degree
Page 13, Line 2programs, certificate programs, individual courses, or modular training
Page 13, Line 3focused on nuclear energy, including fusion and fission, through the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education grant program
Page 13, Line 4.SECTION 5. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 13, Line 5takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 13, Line 6ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly; except
Page 13, Line 7that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V
Page 13, Line 8of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this
Page 13, Line 9act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take
Page 13, Line 10effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 13, Line 11November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.