Local Government Limited Gaming Impact Fund

The act clarifies the authorized distributions from the local government limited gaming impact fund by:

• Specifying that "documented gaming impacts" should be for negative impacts and defining that phrase;
• Requiring grant awards to be prioritized for:
• Eligible local governmental entities that have lower property values compared to all eligible local governmental entities; or prioritized for eligible local governmental entities located in counties with lower property values compared to the property values of all counties that are eligible local governmental entities. If an eligible local governmental entity has a jurisdictional boundary that includes more than one county, then the prioritization for that eligible local governmental entity is established based on the county in which the eligible local governmental entity's administrative offices are located; and
• Based on a methodological approach that incorporates a weighted decision matrix which includes community and impact scoring;
• Defining "property values" as the sum of the actual value of all property, including the actual value of all tax-exempt property, as of December 31 of the prior year;
• Requiring documented negative gaming impacts to be explicitly identifiable;
• Defining "negative impacts"; and
• Allowing grants from the gambling addiction account to be used to provide gambling addiction treatment training to staff at nonprofit community mental health centers or clinics; this is in addition to the current authorized use for gambling addiction counseling services to Colorado residents.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)