The mad rush to finish signing more than 500 invoices before Thursday’s deadline continued on Wednesday as Governor Jared Polis put pen to paper on seven invoices that deal with data privacy and education .

Senate Bill 190 lays a solid foundation for consumer data privacy in Colorado, according to co-sponsor Rep. Terri Carver, R-Colorado Springs. It allows the consumer to choose whether or not they want their personal data to be sold, whether it can be used for targeted advertising purposes or used for “substantial profiles”, which refers to a tracking mechanism that indicates which websites a consumer visits, or a website where a consumer purchases goods or services and which requires a profile of consumer data which is then sold or shared.

Websites, whether for online retailers or for physical retailers with an online presence in Colorado, must inform consumers of the information available to the business, that a consumer can obtain a copy of that data, as well as the right to correct and delete such personal information. .

It also imposes responsibilities on businesses and other entities covered by the bill, such as transparency. If the company does not comply, there is an appeal process with the Attorney General or a local district attorney who will deal with the enforcement.

The bill provides for an “opt-in” for sensitive data, such as biometric data. This is the data that includes body measurements, facial recognition, or even keystrokes. The opt-in also applies to child data and demographic information. All of this goes into effect on July 1, 2023.

Its biggest provision, which will come into force on July 1, 2024, is to declare a global or universal opt-out. A consumer would only need to opt out once, and personal data cannot be stored, shared or sold by any website or business covered by the bill. This makes Colorado law stronger than the data privacy laws in California – where it is optional – and Virginia, which enacted new data privacy law earlier this year.

State Senator Robert Rodriquez, D-Denver, said in a statement Wednesday that the law “will give power back to consumers by ensuring that they have full control over whether or not a business can use their personal information.”

Polis signed all bills at the governor’s mansion on Wednesday afternoon.

Polis also signed a trio of education related bills, including Senate Bill 172, a bill that would set up a fundraiser for educators to provide more money to hourly workers or to increase teachers’ salaries. But the law only creates the fund; the legislator never put money into it when it was adopted. The tax bill for the bill specifies that funding is at the discretion of the General Assembly.

The amount of a teacher’s remuneration is determined by school boards and local school districts, not by the General Assembly.

The SB 172 legislative statement states that for all but 30 school districts in Colorado, out of a total of 178, the minimum teacher wage is $ 30,000 per year. The fund, according to the statement, is intended to help school districts and charter schools increase salaries paid to teachers.

Polis also signed the law Bill 1087, which expands a survey of teachers and learning conditions to include education support professionals; and Senate Bill 106, to expand a pilot program on educational opportunities from secondary to post-secondary.

The final trio of bills signed on Wednesday cover broadband, helping low-income utilities and a startup loan program funded by state stimulus dollars.

House Bill 1288 is setting aside $ 31.35 million for a start-up program that will provide loans and grants to businesses seeking capital to start, restart or restructure a business affected by the pandemic. The program will be managed from the Economic Development and International Trade office, using a third party vendor, as the office is not equipped to manage loan programs. The program will be promoted to minority-owned businesses, those owned by women or ex-combatants, and businesses in rural communities.

“With the rapid rise in vaccination rates and the repeal of capacity restrictions, small businesses in Colorado are poised for an economic recovery. However, many are still picking up the pieces after last year’s recession, ”according to Bill’s co-sponsor Senator James Coleman, D-Denver. “This program will help accelerate Colorado’s comeback by providing small businesses with access to capital, supporting entrepreneurs and prioritizing financial assistance to disproportionately affected communities, thereby ensuring our recovery is fair and sustainable.” . “

Bill 1105 requires investor-owned utilities, such as Black Hills Energy or Xcel, to collect monthly energy assistance fees from each customer starting in October 2021 to help fund administered low-income energy assistance programs by Energy Outreach Colorado, the Colorado Energy Office and the Department of Human Services.

The last bill signed on Wednesday is Bill 1109, which makes changes to the state’s broadband deployment map and creates a new definition of “underserved communities.”

The board grants grants from the Broadband Administrative Fund, which receives its money from the state High cost support mechanism, service charges paid by telecommunications companies, which then pass these charges on to the consumer. For example, Verizon labels the charge on a billing statement as a high cost fund supplement for CO. The facility is intended to help bring broadband to underserved rural communities, and the fee generates $ 12 million per year.