House Bill 16-1456 Summary

• Authorizes the Colorado Department of Human Services to sell up to 15 acres of vacant land at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at fair market value for cemetery expansion purposes.

• Fort Logan National Cemetery will exhaust all available grave sites by mid to late 2027 after completion of construction projects in mid-2017, making expansion necessary to serve veterans in the greater Denver area.

• Creates the Fort Logan National Cemetery Fund to receive sale proceeds, which the General Assembly shall appropriate to the Central Fund for nonrecurring expenditures serving veterans with at least 60 days advance notice to relevant legislative committees.

• Requires the State Board of Land Commissioners to transfer its interests in the land to the Department of Human Services prior to any sale, or the land cannot be sold and must continue to be used for mental health center purposes.

• Fund repeals automatically once all sale proceeds are appropriated to the Central Fund, with interest earned credited to the fund and unexpended moneys remaining in the fund rather than reverting to the General Fund.