(1) The Colorado commission on higher education shall conduct a study to determine the impact of providing health and dental benefits to persons who are employed by one or more state colleges, universities, or community colleges and who teach an aggregate of fifteen or more credit hours at one or more state colleges, universities, or community colleges in a consecutive twelve-month period. In the course of conducting the study, the commission shall determine but shall not be limited to determining the following:
The number of persons who are employed by one or more state colleges, universities,or community colleges who teach an aggregate of fifteen or more credit hours in a consecutive twelve-month period and who are not eligible to enroll in a health insurance benefit plan and a dental insurance benefit plan provided through a state college, university, or community college;
The number of persons specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) who areteaching at each state college, university, or community college;
The estimated annual cost of providing health insurance benefits and dental insurancebenefits to the persons specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), including but not limited to the cost of paying the employer's share of the premium for such benefits and any administrative costs; and
Any other information deemed necessary by the Colorado commission on highereducation in order to determine the impact of providing health insurance benefits and dental insurance benefits to the persons specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1).
The Colorado commission on higher education shall work with each state college,university, and community college that employs one or more persons who teach an aggregate of fifteen or more credit hours at one or more state colleges, universities, or community colleges in order to collect the information required pursuant to this section.
In connection with the study required pursuant to this section, each state college,university, and community college shall, when it next negotiates its health insurance and dental insurance benefit plans, evaluate the options for and costs of including persons who teach less than full time at the state college, university, or community college in such benefit plans. Each state college, university, and community college shall transmit its findings to the Colorado commission on higher education, and the commission shall include the finding in the report required pursuant to subsection (4) of this section.
The Colorado commission on higher education shall submit a report to the membersof the house and senate education committees, or any successor committees, detailing the results of the study conducted pursuant to this section and including the findings of each state college, university, and community college pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, no later than January 15, 2007.
Source: L. 2006: Entire section added, p. 846, § 1, effective May 4.