(1) For the purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
"County-based affiliate programs" means a local affiliate of the Colorado imagination library program that operates within a county or city and county.
"Eligible child" means a child from birth to the child's fifth birthday.
"National nonprofit foundation" means a national nonprofit foundation that exists forthe sole purpose of working with local entities to identify eligible children and mail ageappropriate, high-quality books each month to those children at no cost to families.
"Program" means the Colorado imagination library program created pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.
(2) Subject to available appropriations, the state librarian in the department of education shall contract with a Colorado nonprofit organization for the creation and operation of the Colorado imagination library program. The contractor shall:
Exist for the sole purpose of creating and operating the program;
Manage the daily operations of the program, including but not limited to establishingcounty-based affiliate programs in all Colorado counties and cities and counties and advancing and strengthening the affiliate programs to ensure enrollment growth;
Develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate program and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; and
Contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide age-appropriate, highquality books each month to eligible children at no cost to families.
Notwithstanding section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), on or before July 1 of the year after thestate librarian enters into a contract pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, and each July 1 thereafter, the contractor shall submit a report to the department of education which shall then submit the report to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives, or any successor committees, concerning the total number of eligible children residing in each county or city and county in Colorado and how many eligible children are enrolled in the program in each county or city and county.
(a) The contractor, in operating the program pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, shall pay to the national nonprofit foundation fifty percent of the statewide cost to provide books to eligible children enrolled in the program, as determined by the national nonprofit foundation.
(b) Each county-based affiliate program shall pay to the contractor the remainder of the cost, as determined by the national nonprofit foundation, to provide books to the eligible children enrolled in the county or city and county.
(5) The department of education may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the implementation of this section.
Source: L. 2020: Entire section added, (SB 20-185), ch. 261, p. 1258, § 2, effective September 14.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 20-185, see section 1 of chapter 261, Session Laws of Colorado 2020.