(1) In addition to any other powers and duties set forth in law, the council shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To collect information concerning the government and general welfare of the state;

(b) To examine the effects of constitutional provisions and statutes and recommend desirable alterations;

(c) To consider important issues of public policy and questions of statewide interest;

(d) To prepare for presentation to the members and various sessions of the general assembly such reports, bills, or otherwise, as the welfare of the state may require;

(e) To expend moneys or authorize the expenditure of moneys to accomplish the functions contained in this section out of moneys appropriated to the council by the general assembly;

(f) To approve bills recommended by interim legislative council committees or other committees created by statute or resolution which operate during the interim;

(g) To review the ballot information booklet prepared by the director of research at a public hearing in accordance with section 1-40-124.5, C.R.S.

(2) In addition to any other powers and duties set forth in law, the executive committee of the legislative council has the following powers and duties:

(a) To consider, recommend, and establish policies relating to legislative management and legislative procedures, including but not limited to deadlines for the legislative session, guidelines on the format of bills, allocation of space in the capitol for legislative purposes, and lobbying practices;

(b) To consider and approve the budget requests from the legislative service agency directors for the legislative service agencies;

(c) To prepare and introduce the legislative appropriation bill each year;

(d) To establish policies about the retention of records by the legislative service agencies of the general assembly, including the retention of records relating to legislative review of rules and regulations promulgated by executive branch agencies pursuant to section 24-4-103, C.R.S.;

(e) Repealed.

(f) To coordinate the televising via cable television and webcast of proceedings of the house of representatives and the senate with the Colorado channel authority created in article 49.9 of title 24, C.R.S.;

(g) (I) (A) To consider, recommend, and establish policies allowing legislative committees to take remote testimony from one or more centralized remote sites located around the state.

(B) If remote testimony is approved, at least one remote site established pursuant to sub-subparagraph (A) of this subparagraph (I) must be located in the western slope area of the state.

(C) The video teleconferencing technology need not televise, nor otherwise allow testifying members of the public to see, the committee of reference proceedings, so long as the members of the public are able to hear such proceedings and communicate with the committee.

(II) In implementing this paragraph (g), the executive committee may enter into agreements with state institutions of higher education to use those institutions as the centralized remote sites and to use the resources, including facilities, equipment, and staff, of those institutions.

(III) The executive committee may, in its discretion, implement the use of video teleconferencing in phases.

(IV) Nothing in this paragraph (g) supersedes the power of the house of representatives or the senate to adopt rules or joint rules, or both, for the orderly conduct of their affairs.

(V) After the adjournment of the second regular session of the seventieth general assembly, but prior to August 1, 2016, the director of research of the legislative council shall submit to the members of the general assembly a report containing the following information pertaining to remote testimony taken pursuant to this paragraph (g):

(A) The total number of persons who testified remotely;

(B) The locations of the sites from which such persons testified;

(C) The average length of hearings at which remote testimony was accepted;

(D) The estimated calculation of travel miles saved by allowing persons to testify remotely;

(E) The cost to implement the remote testimony process;

(F) The technological or other issues, if any, that arose;

(G) Identification of other suitable sites from which remote testimony can be taken, in a manner that ensures that adequate geographic distribution of sites is achieved;

(H) Any recommendations that the director believes would improve the taking of remote testimony; and

(I) Any other information that the director believes relevant or useful.

(h)

(I) The power to allow members of the general assembly to participate electronically in committee meetings and to recommend and develop policies regarding electronic participation if so allowed; except that, if allowed, electronic participation must only be allowed for committee meetings occurring during the legislative interim.

(II) A member participating electronically in a committee meeting pursuant to this subsection (2)(h) is deemed to be in attendance of that committee for the purpose of receiving compensation to which the member is entitled under section 2-2-307 (3). Notwithstanding section 2-2-307 (3)(b), members participating electronically are not entitled to reimbursement for any expenses incurred in connection with such electronic participation.

(3) (a) In addition to the powers and duties specified in subsection (2) of this section, the executive committee of the legislative council shall annually approve a salary pay range to be used in setting the salaries of the legislative service agency directors.

(b) The legislative audit committee, the joint budget committee, the legislative council, and the committee on legal services shall each submit an annual report to the executive committee evaluating the performance of the legislative service agency director under such committee's supervision.

(c) Upon review of the reports received pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), the executive committee shall evaluate the performance of legislative service agency directors and determine the salaries to be paid thereto.

(d) The executive committee shall appoint legislative service agency directors, other than the state auditor, after receiving recommendations thereon from the respective committees.

(e) The executive committee shall consult with the legislative audit committee concerning the appointment of a state auditor before the legislative audit committee places the names of candidates before the general assembly in accordance with section 2-3-101 (3)(a).

(f) The executive committee shall annually approve salary pay ranges to be used in determining the salaries of the staffs of legislative service agencies. Legislative service agency directors shall determine the salaries to be paid to their respective staffs in accordance with such pay ranges; except that employees of the office of the state auditor who are within the state personnel system shall be paid in accordance with article 50 of title 24, C.R.S. Each legislative service agency director shall file a report annually with the executive committee setting forth the salaries paid to their respective staffs.

(g) Any senator or representative or any legislative committee may provide the executive committee or any legislative service agency director with information or recommendations concerning pay ranges or performance evaluations for legislative service agency directors or the staffs of legislative service agencies.

(h) As used in this subsection (3), unless the context otherwise requires:

(I) "Legislative service agencies" means the office of the state auditor, the joint budget committee staff, the legislative council staff, and the office of legislative legal services.

(II) "Legislative service agency director" means the state auditor, the staff director of the joint budget committee, the director of research of the legislative council, and the director of the office of legislative legal services.

(4) The executive committee has the power and responsibility to:

(a) Perform legislative management functions when the general assembly is not in session; and

(b) Set the date for convening the next regular session of the general assembly as provided in section 2-2-303.5 (4).