Section 24-33.5-230 - Catalytic converter identification and theft prevention grant program - cash fund - creation - repeal(1) There is created in the Colorado state patrol, within the authority that addresses automobile theft prevention, the catalytic converter identification and theft prevention grant program to award grants to recipients for public awareness campaigns regarding catalytic converter theft, catalytic converter theft prevention parts, assistance to victims of catalytic converter theft, and catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts. The state patrol shall administer the program.(2) The state patrol shall adopt rules for the program. At a minimum, the rules must specify the following: (a) The application process, including application requirements and deadlines;(b) Criteria for selecting grant recipients and determining the amount of the grant;(c) Deadlines for awarding grants; and(d) Reporting requirements and deadlines for grant recipients.(3) In order to receive a grant, an applicant must submit a grant application to the department. An applicant may include but is not limited to auto repair businesses, automobile dealers, associations focused on theft prevention, emergency repair services, law enforcement agencies, and local governments. At a minimum, the application must describe what will be funded with a grant award; how the funding will help reduce catalytic converter theft, if applicable; and include any other information required by department rules.(4)(a) The department shall review the grant applications and award grants in accordance with department rules and the requirements of this section. The department may award grants on a one-time basis or may award multi-year grants.(b) The department may require a grant recipient to include project-specific information in its report made pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this section.(c) To ensure full benefits and access, the department shall make grants on a criteria-based apportionment basis to targeted initiatives, including twenty percent to victims, twenty percent to prevention, twenty-five percent to business impacts, twenty-five percent to enforcement and the remaining ten percent for administrative costs. These apportionments may be subject to modification based on the limited number of applicants or qualified or approved applications in specific initiatives.(5)(a) A grant recipient shall submit a report to the department in accordance with the deadlines set by the department. The report must include: (I) A description of how the grant funding was used;(II) Any outcomes achieved by the grant funding; and(III) Other metrics required by department rule.(b) On or before June 30, 2023, and on or before June 30 of each year thereafter, the department shall submit a report on the program to the judiciary committees of the senate and house of representatives, or their successor committees. The report must include a summary of the information reported by grant recipients pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this section and information regarding whether the program is meeting the goals described in this section.(5.5)(a) The catalytic converter identification and theft prevention grant program cash fund, referred to in this subsection (5.5) as the "fund", is created in the state treasury. Money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the Colorado state patrol, which shall administer the fund to implement the catalytic converter identification and theft prevention grant program created in subsection (1) of this section.(b) The fund consists of money credited to the fund pursuant to section 25-7-122(1)(j)(III) and any other money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the fund to the fund.(c) The state treasurer shall transfer any unexpended or unencumbered money received from the civil penalties collected under section 25-7-122(1)(j) and remaining in the fund on June 30, 2025, to the AIR account in the highway users tax fund, which account is created in section 42-3-304(18)(a).(6) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2025.Amended by 2022 Ch. 485,§2, eff. 8/10/2022.Added by 2022 Ch. 417,§2, eff. 6/7/2022. 2022 Ch. 485, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).