A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning promoting workforce development
Page 1, Line 102opportunities in Colorado's nuclear sector.
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 council (council) in the Colorado school of mines to help meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy sector. The bill establishes a related grant program (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 council shall convene advisory sessions with stakeholders from the nuclear, educational, and workforce development sectors; implement the grant program; and contract with one or more third-party entities for staffing and operational assistance.
The council may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations for council-related purposes. The state treasurer shall credit the gifts, grants, and donations to the Colorado nuclear workforce development and education cash fund (cash fund), which is created in the bill. The general assembly shall not appropriate general fund money to implement or maintain council operations or grant awards. The council shall convene and 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 council's funding sources, grant program implementation, and other uses of the grant program money. The bill repeals the council, effective September 1, 2033, unless the council is extended following 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
Page 2, Line 3finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 4(a) Nuclear energy is a critical component of Colorado's clean
Page 2, Line 5energy strategy and economic development, offering consistent, reliable,
Page 2, Line 6and noncarbon power generation to support grid stability and emissions
Page 2, Line 7reduction goals;
Page 2, Line 8(b) A highly skilled workforce is essential for the deployment and
Page 2, Line 9operation of nuclear technologies. Workforce readiness in engineering,
Page 2, Line 10radiation safety, and reactor technology is necessary to support Colorado's
Page 2, Line 11energy transition.
Page 2, Line 12(c) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and education
Page 2, Line 13council will harness private investment, federal funding, and strategic
Page 2, Line 14partnerships to make the state a leader in nuclear energy workforce
Page 2, Line 15development. Through grants to eligible institutions of higher education
Page 2, Line 16and related technical assistance, the council will expand educational
Page 3, Line 1pathways to careers in the nuclear energy sector.
Page 3, Line 2(d) The Colorado school of mines' expertise in energy resource
Page 3, Line 3management, workforce development, and federal grant facilitation
Page 3, Line 4uniquely positions it to house the Colorado nuclear workforce
Page 3, Line 5development and education council; and
Page 3, Line 6(e) By developing and expanding existing state higher education
Page 3, Line 7infrastructure, including degree and certificate programs and technical
Page 3, Line 8training, and by leveraging public and private sector collaboration, the
Page 3, Line 9Colorado nuclear workforce development and education council will help
Page 3, Line 10Colorado expand workforce readiness in the nuclear energy sector
Page 3, Line 11without new state appropriations, supporting long-term economic growth
Page 3, Line 12and clean energy innovation.
Page 3, Line 13SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add part 3 to article
Page 3, Line 1441 of title 23 as follows:
Page 3, Line 15PART 3
Page 3, Line 16COLORADO NUCLEAR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND
Page 3, Line 17EDUCATION COUNCIL
Page 3, Line 1823-41-301. Definitions.
Page 3, Line 19As used in this part 3, unless the context otherwise
Page 3, Line 20requires:
Page 3, Line 21(1) "Cash fund" means the Colorado nuclear workforce
Page 3, Line 22development and education cash fund created in section
Page 3, Line 2323-41-306.
Page 3, Line 24(2) "Coal transition community" means a coal transition
Page 3, Line 25community, as defined in section 8-83-502.
Page 3, Line 26(3) "Council" means the Colorado nuclear workforce
Page 3, Line 27development and education council created in section 23-41-302.
Page 4, Line 1(4) "Eligible institution" means a state institution of
Page 4, Line 2higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a); a local
Page 4, Line 3district college, as defined in section 23-71-102; or an area
Page 4, Line 4technical college, as defined in section 23-60-103.
Page 4, Line 5(5) "Grant program" means the Colorado nuclear
Page 4, Line 6workforce development and education grant program created
Page 4, Line 7in section 23-41-304.
Page 4, Line 8(6) "Third-party entity" means an entity that has entered
Page 4, Line 9into a contract with the council to provide staffing or
Page 4, Line 10operational services to the council or to help implement this
Page 4, Line 11part 3, including the grant program.
Page 4, Line 1223-41-302. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 4, Line 13education council - created.
Page 4, Line 14(1) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 4, Line 15education council is created in the Colorado school of mines.
Page 4, Line 16The purpose of the council is to meet growing workforce demand
Page 4, Line 17in the nuclear energy sector by:
Page 4, Line 18(a) Providing grants through the grant program to
Page 4, Line 19eligible institutions for the development or expansion of degree
Page 4, Line 20programs, certificate programs, individual courses, or modular
Page 4, Line 21training focused on nuclear energy; and
Page 4, Line 22(b) Providing eligible institutions with related technical
Page 4, Line 23assistance.
Page 4, Line 24(2) The council is only required to implement sections
Page 4, Line 2523-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 if, pursuant to section
Page 4, Line 2623-41-307, sections 23-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 become
Page 4, Line 27effective.
Page 5, Line 1(3) The council activities, including providing technical
Page 5, Line 2assistance, any contracted work performed by a third-party
Page 5, Line 3entity, the grant program, and administrative costs must be
Page 5, Line 4funded entirely by gifts, grants, and donations. Gifts, grants,
Page 5, Line 5and donations must fund the council's work throughout the
Page 5, Line 6course of the council's work, and general fund money shall not
Page 5, Line 7be appropriated for the implementation of this part 3.
Page 5, Line 8(4) The work of the council or any other entity pursuant
Page 5, Line 9to this part 3 is contingent on money being available to
Page 5, Line 10implement this part 3. If money is not available for the council
Page 5, Line 11or any other entity to carry out the duties required by this part
Page 5, Line 123, the council or entity is not required to carry out the duties.
Page 5, Line 13A contract with a third-party entity or eligible institution must
Page 5, Line 14provide that the contract is contingent on money being
Page 5, Line 15available for the specified purpose and the money being
Page 5, Line 16available for the duration of the contract.
Page 5, Line 17(5) (a) The council consists of members appointed by the
Page 5, Line 18designated appointing authorities as follows:
Page 5, Line 19(I) The governor shall appoint the following members of
Page 5, Line 20the council:
Page 5, Line 21(A) One member who is a representative of a private
Page 5, Line 22company in the nuclear or clean energy sector;
Page 5, Line 23(B) One member who is a representative of a coal
Page 5, Line 24transition community or rural area of the state; and
Page 5, Line 25(C) One member who is a physicist or engineer from a
Page 5, Line 26federal laboratory and who has at least five years of
Page 5, Line 27experience in the nuclear sector; and
Page 6, Line 1(II) The president of the senate, the minority leader of the
Page 6, Line 2senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the
Page 6, Line 3minority leader of the house of representatives shall each
Page 6, Line 4appoint:
Page 6, Line 5(A) One member who is a representative of a private
Page 6, Line 6company in the nuclear or clean energy sector; and
Page 6, Line 7(B) One member who is a representative of a labor
Page 6, Line 8organization, a representative of a small or mid-sized nuclear
Page 6, Line 9supply chain business, an environmental safety expert, or a
Page 6, Line 10workforce training professional.
Page 6, Line 11(b) A member of the council must be a Colorado resident
Page 6, Line 12unless the member is appointed pursuant to subsection (5)(a)(I)(C)
Page 6, Line 13of this section or is a representative of a small or mid-sized
Page 6, Line 14nuclear supply chain business or an environmental safety
Page 6, Line 15expert appointed pursuant to subsection (5)(a)(II)(B) of this
Page 6, Line 16section.
Page 6, Line 17(c) The appointing authorities shall make the initial
Page 6, Line 18appointments to the council as soon as possible after the
Page 6, Line 19effective date of this section but no later than January 1, 2027.
Page 6, Line 20(d) The term of appointment is four years; except that the
Page 6, Line 21term of each member initially appointed is two years.
Page 6, Line 2223-41-303. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 6, Line 23education council - meetings - duties - authority to contract.
Page 6, Line 24(1) (a) The council shall elect a chair from among the
Page 6, Line 25council's members to serve for a term not to exceed two years,
Page 6, Line 26as determined by the council.
Page 6, Line 27(b) The president of the Colorado school of mines shall
Page 7, Line 1convene the first meeting of the council no later than
Page 7, Line 2forty-two days after the effective date of this section.
Page 7, Line 3Thereafter, the council shall meet at least quarterly. The
Page 7, Line 4chair may call additional meetings as are necessary for the
Page 7, Line 5council to complete its duties.
Page 7, Line 6(2) Members of the council serve without compensation
Page 7, Line 7but are entitled to receive reimbursement for actual and
Page 7, Line 8necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the members'
Page 7, Line 9duties on the council.
Page 7, Line 10(3) With staffing and operational assistance from a
Page 7, Line 11third-party entity, the council shall:
Page 7, Line 12(a) Convene, at a frequency to be determined by the
Page 7, Line 13council, advisory sessions with stakeholders from the nuclear,
Page 7, Line 14educational, and economic development sectors to assess and
Page 7, Line 15adopt strategies to respond to evolving workforce demands and
Page 7, Line 16opportunities in the nuclear energy sector; and
Page 7, Line 17(b) Implement the grant program, including:
Page 7, Line 18(I) Reviewing and approving grant program guidelines and
Page 7, Line 19procedures to ensure grants are awarded through an open,
Page 7, Line 20competitive process using national best practices;
Page 7, Line 21(II) Reviewing applications from eligible institutions;
Page 7, Line 22(III) Selecting grant recipients and determining grant
Page 7, Line 23award amounts;
Page 7, Line 24(IV) Providing eligible institutions with technical
Page 7, Line 25assistance; and
Page 7, Line 26(V) Evaluating the grant program.
Page 7, Line 27(4) The council may promote nuclear energy education
Page 8, Line 1and research activities among eligible institutions to enhance
Page 8, Line 2the eligible institutions' ability to attract federal and private
Page 8, Line 3sector funding for nuclear energy education, training, and
Page 8, Line 4related research.
Page 8, Line 5(5) The council shall develop guidelines and procedures
Page 8, Line 6as necessary to implement this part 3.
Page 8, Line 7(6) The council shall contract with one or more
Page 8, Line 8third-party entities to provide staffing and operational
Page 8, Line 9assistance to the council or to help implement other provisions
Page 8, Line 10of this part 3.
Page 8, Line 11(7) The council must use a request for proposal process to
Page 8, Line 12designate and contract with a third-party entity for the
Page 8, Line 13purposes of this part 3. A third-party entity may provide in-kind
Page 8, Line 14staff support or technical assistance to assist the council in
Page 8, Line 15performing the council's duties and responsibilities. Third-party
Page 8, Line 16entity personnel are not employees of the council or the state.
Page 8, Line 17(8) The council may use up to ten percent of the money in
Page 8, Line 18the cash fund to pay direct and indirect administrative costs.
Page 8, Line 1923-41-304. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 8, Line 20education grant program - created - application - criteria - awards.
Page 8, Line 21(1) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 8, Line 22education grant program is created in the Colorado school of
Page 8, Line 23mines to meet growing workforce demand in the nuclear energy
Page 8, Line 24sector by providing grants to eligible institutions for the
Page 8, Line 25development or expansion of nuclear energy degree programs,
Page 8, Line 26certificate programs, individual courses, or modular training.
Page 8, Line 27(2) The council shall begin awarding grants only after
Page 9, Line 1the balance of the cash fund reaches or exceeds five hundred
Page 9, Line 2thousand dollars. The council shall explore opportunities to
Page 9, Line 3leverage federal funding, including federal workforce
Page 9, Line 4development matching grants.
Page 9, Line 5(3) Grant recipients may use the money received through
Page 9, Line 6the grant program for the design of courses or degree
Page 9, Line 7programs, certificate programs, or training programs focused
Page 9, Line 8on nuclear energy; for personnel; or for administrative or
Page 9, Line 9facility expenses necessary to develop or expand nuclear
Page 9, Line 10energy degree, certificate, training, or course offerings.
Page 9, Line 11(4) The council, with assistance from and in coordination
Page 9, Line 12with a third-party entity, subject to the availability of money
Page 9, Line 13pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, shall administer the
Page 9, Line 14grant program and shall award grants as provided in this part
Page 9, Line 153. Grants must be paid out of the cash fund.
Page 9, Line 16(5) To receive a grant, an eligible institution must submit
Page 9, Line 17an application to the council in accordance with guidelines and
Page 9, Line 18procedures established pursuant to section 23-41-303 (5).
Page 9, Line 19(6) (a) The council shall review the applications received
Page 9, Line 20pursuant to this section. In selecting grant recipients, the
Page 9, Line 21council shall prioritize eligible institutions that can provide a
Page 9, Line 22trained workforce expeditiously. In addition to other relevant
Page 9, Line 23factors, the council shall consider the following criteria when
Page 9, Line 24awarding grants:
Page 9, Line 25(I) The distribution of nuclear energy degree programs,
Page 9, Line 26certificate programs, individual courses, and modular training
Page 9, Line 27opportunities offered across the state;
Page 10, Line 1(II) The need for a nuclear energy workforce in the
Page 10, Line 2applicant's 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
Page 10, Line 5modular training opportunities at competing institutions.
Page 10, Line 6(b) To award a grant, at least a majority of the members
Page 10, Line 7of the council must approve the grant.
Page 10, Line 823-41-305. Reporting requirements.
Page 10, Line 9(1) On or before the first November 1 after the effective
Page 10, Line 10date of this section, and on or before November 1 each year
Page 10, Line 11thereafter until the repeal of this part 3, the council shall
Page 10, Line 12submit a report to the house of representatives energy and
Page 10, Line 13environment committee, the house of representatives education
Page 10, Line 14committee, the senate transportation and energy committee,
Page 10, Line 15and the senate education committee, or their successor
Page 10, Line 16committees. At a minimum, the report must include:
Page 10, Line 17(a) A summary of the grant program and its
Page 10, Line 18implementation and any related technical assistance provided
Page 10, Line 19to grant recipients; and
Page 10, Line 20(b) An accounting of the source and amount of money
Page 10, Line 21credited to the cash fund and how cash fund money was used
Page 10, Line 22pursuant to this part 3, including grant program awards to
Page 10, Line 23expand or support nuclear energy degree programs, certificate
Page 10, Line 24programs, individual courses, and modular training
Page 10, Line 25opportunities in order to meet growing workforce demand in the
Page 10, Line 26nuclear energy sector.
Page 10, Line 2723-41-306. Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 11, Line 1education cash fund - created.
Page 11, Line 2(1) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 11, Line 3education cash fund is created in the state treasury. The cash
Page 11, Line 4fund consists of gifts, grants, and donations credited to the
Page 11, Line 5cash 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
Page 11, Line 10shall credit the money to the cash fund.
Page 11, Line 11(3) The state treasurer shall credit all interest and
Page 11, Line 12income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the
Page 11, Line 13cash fund to the cash fund.
Page 11, Line 14(4) Money in the cash fund is continuously appropriated
Page 11, Line 15to the board of trustees of the Colorado school of mines for the
Page 11, Line 16purposes specified in this part 3.
Page 11, Line 17(5) The council may accept donations of in-kind services
Page 11, Line 18for the purposes of this part 3, including for technical
Page 11, Line 19assistance.
Page 11, Line 20(6) The general assembly shall not appropriate general
Page 11, Line 21fund money for the purposes of this part 3.
Page 11, Line 2223-41-307. Effective date - repeal of part - review of functions.
Page 11, Line 23(1) Sections 23-41-303, 23-41-304, and 23-41-305 take effect
Page 11, Line 24if the council receives at least five hundred thousand dollars
Page 11, Line 25of gifts, grants, or donations for the purposes of this part 3. The
Page 11, Line 26president of the Colorado school of mines shall notify the
Page 11, Line 27revisor of statutes in writing of the date on which the condition
Page 12, Line 1specified in this subsection (1) has occurred by emailing the
Page 12, Line 2notice to revisorofstatutes.ga@coleg.gov. Sections 23-41-303,
Page 12, Line 323-41-304, and 23-41-305 take effect upon the date identified in
Page 12, Line 4the notice that the council has received at least five hundred
Page 12, Line 5thousand dollars of gifts, grants, or donations for the purposes
Page 12, Line 6of this part 3 or, if the notice does not specify that date, upon
Page 12, Line 7the date of the notice to the revisor of statutes.
Page 12, Line 8(2) This part 3 is repealed, effective September 1, 2033.
Page 12, Line 9Before the repeal, this part 3 is scheduled for review in
Page 12, Line 10accordance with section 24-34-104.
Page 12, Line 11SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-34-104, add
Page 12, Line 12(34)(a)(XIV) 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.
Page 12, Line 16(34) (a) The following agencies, functions, or both, are scheduled
Page 12, Line 17for repeal on September 1, 2033:
Page 12, Line 18(XIV) The Colorado nuclear workforce development and
Page 12, Line 19education council created in part 3 of article 41 of title 23.
Page 12, Line 20SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 12, Line 21takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
Page 12, Line 22ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August
Page 12, Line 2312, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a
Page 12, Line 24referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the
Page 12, Line 25state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act
Page 12, Line 26within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect
Page 12, Line 27unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
Page 13, Line 1November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the
Page 13, Line 2official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.