SIGNED! Zenzinger Bills to Address Teacher Shortage, Prevent Crime Become Law
DENVER, CO – Today, Governor Jared Polis signed three bills sponsored by Senator Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) into law that will address Colorado’s teacher workforce shortage to prepare students for success as well as offset the rise in retail crime and protect Coloradans from fraudulent online marketplace sellers.
“At the start of the legislative session, we listed priorities and focused on two in particular: We wanted to lay the groundwork for maximum success in our schools, and we wanted to reduce crime in Colorado,” said Sen. Zenzinger. “I’m proud to say these two bills today give us progress toward those goals; as one bill promises to expand our pool of teachers, and the other obstructs criminals’ ability to operate in the online marketplace.”
Colorado is facing a significant teacher shortage, and rural school districts are suffering from an extreme labor shortage that extends beyond the classroom. During the 2020-2021 school year nearly 13% of teacher positions were filled through a shortage mechanism and more than 200 positions went unfilled statewide.
Zenzinger’s bill, HB22-1057, waives limitations on the number of days retired teachers can substitute teach during a critical substitute teacher shortage. This bill aims to incentivize retired teachers to help with shortages by making it possible for them to substitute teach without the fear of losing their retirement benefits.
Polis also signed HB22-1101, which extends an existing successful program allowing retirees to return to rural school districts experiencing a critical shortage of staff without a reduction to their PERA benefits.
The bill makes permanent a program currently set to expire next year that allows retired rural teachers, school bus drivers, and food service workers to return to work without a reduction in their PERA benefits.
In an effort to prevent online crime, Polis also signed Zenzinger’s HB22-1099, which subjects high-volume third-party sellers to mandatory disclosure requirements in order to sell online goods, and allows buyers to report suspicious marketplace activity, making it harder to resell stolen goods online.
The bill requires online marketplaces to verify the bank account information, tax identification number, and contact information from high-volume third-party sellers. It also requires sellers to disclose personal contact information to buyers, such as their name and address to assist in the authentication process for purchasing goods online.