Colorado Code § 23-5-101.7

Enterprise status of institutions of higher education
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(1) As used in this
section, unless the context otherwise requires, "institution of higher education" or "institution"
means the Colorado state university - Pueblo, Adams state university, Colorado Mesa university,
Metropolitan state university of Denver, Fort Lewis college, Western Colorado university, the
university of northern Colorado, Colorado school of mines, the university of Colorado, Colorado
state university, and all community colleges governed by the state board for community colleges
and occupational education.
(2) An institution of higher education, or a group of institutions of higher education that
is managed by a single governing board, may be designated as an enterprise for the purposes of
section 20 of article X of the state constitution so long as the governing board of the institution
or group of institutions retains authority to issue revenue bonds on behalf of the institution or
group of institutions and the institution or group of institutions receives less than ten percent of
its total annual revenues in grants from all Colorado state and local governments combined. So
long as it is designated as an enterprise pursuant to the provisions of this section, an institution or
group of institutions shall not be subject to any of the provisions of section 20 of article X of the
state constitution.
(3) In pledging revenues for the repayment of revenue bonds issued on behalf of an
institution of higher education or group of institutions of higher education that is designated as
an enterprise, the institution or group of institutions may pledge internal revenues only if the
institution or group of institutions:
(a) Is accounted for separately in institutional financial records; and
(b) Engages in the type of activities that are commonly carried on for profit outside the
public sector.
(4) (a) The governing board of an institution of higher education may, by resolution,
designate an institution of higher education or group of institutions of higher education managed
by the governing board as an enterprise so long as the institution or group of institutions meets
the requirements for an enterprise stated in subsection (2) of this section. Except as provided in
paragraph (b) of this subsection (4), any such enterprise designation shall not terminate, expire,
or be rescinded as long as the institution or group of institutions meets the requirements for an
enterprise.
(b) All resolutions adopted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shall be
submitted by the adopting governing board to the office of the state auditor in the form and
manner prescribed by the legislative audit committee. The designations shall be reviewed by the
office of the state auditor to determine whether the designations are within the authority of the
adopting governing board pursuant to the provisions of this section. The legislative audit
committee shall also review the designations to determine whether the designations conform
with the provisions of this section. The official certificate of the state auditor as to the fact of
submission or the date of submission of a designation as shown by the records of the office of
the state auditor, as well as to the fact of nonsubmission as shown by the nonexistence of such
records, shall be received and held in all civil cases as competent evidence of the facts contained
therein. A designation adopted by a governing board of an institution or group of institutions of
higher education without being submitted within twenty days after adoption to the office of the
state auditor for review by the office and by the legislative audit committee shall be void.
(5) Repealed.
(6) Notwithstanding section 24-77-108, an institution of higher education, or a group of
institutions of higher education that is managed by a single governing board, that was designated
as an enterprise as of January 1, 2021, and that subsequently disqualifies as an enterprise does
not require voter approval in order to qualify and be redesignated as an enterprise.

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