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< Back December 13, 2023 Speaker McCluskie Makes Committee Assignments DENVER, CO – House Speaker Julie McCluskie today made committee appointments for the second regular session of the 74th General Assembly. These legislative appointments were necessitated in part by the resignations of Representatives Dickson, Michaelson Jenet and Gonzales-Gutierrez. “Committees are critical to the legislative process and where so much of our work gets done. With session just around the corner, these committee assignments lay the groundwork to continue doing the work Coloradans elected us to do,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Each lawmaker and the committees they serve on play an important role in crafting critical legislation that will uplift hardworking families, invest in public education, protect our water and air for future generations, and make Colorado a more affordable place to live and thrive.” The changes include a combined Health and Human Services committee, to take the place of the previously named Health and Insurance committee as well as the Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services committee. House Democrats Committee Assignments for the Second Regular Session of the 74th General Assembly: Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee (9-4) Chair, Representative Karen McCormick, D-Longmont Representative Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora Representative Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs Representative Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista Representative Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango Representative Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie Representative Tammy Story, D-Conifer Representative Brianna Titone, D-Arvada Representative Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs Appropriations Committee (7-4) Chair, Representative Emily Sirota, D-Denver Vice Chair, Representative Shannon Bird, D-Westminster Representative Judy Amabile, D-Boulder Representative Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins Representative Leslie Herod, D-Denver Representative Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora Representative Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs Business Affairs and Labor Committee (7-4) Chair, Representative Judy Amabile, D-Boulder Vice Chair, Representative Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora Representative Regina English, D-Colorado Springs Representative Sheila Lieder, D-Lakewood Representative William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield Representative Javier Mabrey, D-Denver Representative Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo Education Committee (7-4) Chair, Representative Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango Vice Chair, Representative Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista Representative Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver Representative Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial Representative Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs Representative Tammy Story, D-Conifer Representative Mary Young, D-Greeley Energy and Environment Committee (9-4) Chair, Representative Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins Vice Chair, Representative Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn Representative Meg Froelich, D-Englewood Representative Junie Joseph, D-Boulder Representative Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City Representative Brianna Titone, D-Arvada Representative Alex Valdez, D-Denver Representative Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs Representative Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs Finance Committee (7-4) Chair, Representative Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs Vice Chair Representative Junie Joseph, D-Boulder Representative Chris deGruy Kennedy, D-Lakewood Representative Lorena Garcia, D-Unincorporated Adams County Representative Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins Representative William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield Representative Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch Health and Human Services Committee (9-4) (This combined committee replaces the previously named Health and Insurance Committee and the Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee) Chair, Representative Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada Vice Chair, Representative Mary Young, D-Greeley Representative Kyle Brown, D-Louisville Representative Regina English, D-Colorado Springs Representative Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial Representative Tim Hernández, D-Denver Representative Sheila Lieder, D-Lakewood Representative Karen McCormick, D-Longmont Representative David Ortiz, D-Littleton Judiciary Committee (9-4) Chair, Representative Mike Weissman, D-Aurora Vice Chair, Representative Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver Representative Judy Amabile, D-Boulder Representative Lorena Garcia, D-Unincorporated Adams County Representative Leslie Herod, D-Denver Representative Javier Mabrey, D-Denver Representative Said Sharbini, D-Brighton Representative Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs Representative Steven Woodrow, D-Denver State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee (8-3) Chair, Representative Steven Woodrow, D-Denver Vice Chair, Representative Said Sharbini, D-Brighton Representative Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins Representative Kyle Brown, D-Louisville Representative Elisabeth Epps, D-Denver Representative Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora Representative Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City Representative Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee (8-3) Chair, Representative Meg Froelich, D-Englewood Vice Chair, Representative Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora Representative Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins Representative Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora Representative Tisha Mauro, D-Pueblo Representative Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie Representative Alex Valdez, D-Denver Representative Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs Legislative Audit Committee Representative Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins Representative William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield Previous Next

Representative Eliza Hamrick today visited Pickens Technical College and The Excel Center to learn more about post-secondary education and workforce opportunities for Coloradans. < Back September 17, 2024 Rep. Hamrick Visits Technical College AURORA, CO – Representative Eliza Hamrick today visited Pickens Technical College and The Excel Center to learn more about post-secondary education and workforce opportunities for Coloradans. “I’d like to thank the folks hosting me at Pickens Technical College and The Excel Center – it was great to hear about their emerging programs to not only meet our workforce needs but make it easier for students to succeed in any career,” said Rep. Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial . “Under the gold dome, we’ve worked hard to make it easier for Coloradans to find and take advantage of workforce opportunities, including the Care Forward program which has successfully boosted our health care workforce through zero-cost credentials.” Rep. Hamrick toured both Pickens Technical College and The Excel Center. Pickens offers 25 certificate programs , in everything from the skilled trades to healthcare, to adults and high school students as part of the Aurora Public Schools and the Colorado Community College System. The Excel Center makes it possible for adults to earn their high school diploma at no-cost . Both education centers are designed to improve access to skills training and make it possible for Coloradans to begin a career they love. During the 2024 legislative session, Rep. Hamrick championed a number of bills designed to uplift education opportunities and local communities. This includes legislation to boost apprenticeship programs and expanding community-based behavioral health care grants . Rep. Hamrick also supported multiple workforce bills, including new laws to expand concurrent enrollment , uplift careers in high-demand sectors such as construction and health care and a tax credit to make the first two-years of college free for low and middle-income students. Previous Next

< Back March 27, 2019 REP. FROELICH’S BIPARTISAN BILLS TO LOWER COST OF HEALTH CARE & HELP STUDENTS MOVING THROUGH LEGISLATURE (Mar. 26) – Rep. Meg Froelich’s bills to help students and lower the cost of health care are moving through the legislature. Earlier today, the full House approved a bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Froelich, D-Englewood, that would increase the accountability of online schools. This afternoon, a House committee gave approval to her bipartisan bill with Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton, to lower health care costs and improve the quality of care that Coloradans receive. “Lowering the cost of health care is a top priority for us at the legislature,” said Rep. Froelich. “Colorado only invests roughly seven to ten percent of its health care dollars on primary care. If we invest more money in primary care on the frontend, that will reduce the cost of health care for both the patients and the medical system on the backend.” HB19-1233 establishes a primary care payment reform collaborative in the Division of Insurance in the Department of Regulatory Agencies. It also requires the Commissioner of Insurance to establish affordability standards for premiums, including adding targets for carrier investments in primary care. Finally, requires the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and carriers who offer health benefit plans to state employees to set targets for investment in primary care. The goal of primary care is to achieve better health outcomes by improving the quality and consistency of care so that both patients and the health care system can see a reduction in costs. Primary care visits comprise 53 percent of all health care appointments. HB19-1233 passed by a bipartisan vote of 9-2. It now heads to the House Appropriations committee. Another bipartisan bill led by Rep. Froelich is headed to the Governor’s desk. “This bipartisan bill is about leveling the playing field for students who attend an online school, but may depart those schools for various reasons,” said Rep. Froelich said of SB19-129. “It seeks to address whether students who leave online schools are having their educational needs met. Additionally, we are putting in place a key protection in this bill to ensure that poorly performing online schools have to improve before they can once again be accredited by the state.” SB19-129 enables more effective tracking of students, especially those who enter an online program and subsequently leave before the end of the school year. The bill requires the Online Division in the Department of Education to report information about students who disenroll from an online school after the annual pupil enrollment count date and if known, where they go next. Online schools in Colorado increased 40 percent from 2010 to 2018, to more than 21,000 students. Many of the online schools fare poorly in state evaluations. Little more than half of the 42 online schools received one of the top two ratings, and 31 percent didn’t have enough data to be rated, according to Colorado Department of Education. In 2014, the Colorado General Assembly approved a task force made up of education stakeholders to study issues related to Colorado Online Schools. The report submitted to the General Assembly called for more than a dozen items that might be fixed to improve the online education experience. SB19-129 passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 44-19. It now heads to the Governor’s desk. Previous Next

The House today advanced commonsense gun violence prevention legislation on a preliminary vote to create new avenues to pursue justice for victims of gun violence. < Back March 26, 2023 Houses Advances Bill to Allow Victims of Gun Violence to Seek Justice DENVER, CO - The House today advanced commonsense gun violence prevention legislation on a preliminary vote to create new avenues to pursue justice for victims of gun violence. “Colorado is one of the only states in America that has extreme anti-victim laws that punish gun violence victims and their families for attempting to pursue accountability from the gun industry in civil court,” said Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver . “Civil lawsuits encourage sellers and manufacturers to behave responsibly and have repeatedly resulted in the enhanced safety of consumer products. We’re removing Colorado’s extreme gun industry immunity law to give victims the opportunity to pursue justice from bad actors.” “All industries should be held to a similar standard for ethical and responsible business practices, but especially when those actions cause severe damage, injury or death,” said Rep. Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie . “This legislation restores Coloradans right to pursue justice through our courts and is an important step in encouraging the firearms industry to take more precautions to keep our communities safe.” Right now, gun sellers and manufacturers enjoy broad protections under the federal PLCAA law from most types of civil lawsuits - and Colorado law goes even further by including a punitive provision that makes victims of gun violence who sue the gun industry pay the company’s legal fees in dismissed cases. SB23-168 would remove Colorado’s overly-broad immunity protections for gun sellers and manufacturers and allow legitimate lawsuits against the gun industry to move forward. After their daughter was killed in the Aurora theater shooting, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips sued four online retailers that irresponsibly sold magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and body armor to the murderer. Under Colorado’s immunity law, they were forced to pay around $200,000 in legal fees to bulk ammunition sellers. They ended up selling their house and declared bankruptcy. Civil liability plays an important role in promoting consumer safety, and lawsuits can help incentivize industries to take reasonable steps to prevent their products or business practices from causing foreseeable risks to human life and wellbeing. Removing Colorado’s gun industry shielded liability will allow survivors like the Phillips and countless others to seek appropriate justice and fair remedies via civil actions, and will give survivors the legal opportunity to hold gun sellers and manufacturers accountable for their actions. Previous Next

< Back April 28, 2021 READY FOR PICKUP: HOUSE EXTENDS ALCOHOL TAKEOUT AND DELIVERY DENVER, CO– The House today passed Representative Dylan Roberts’ bipartisan bill to extend the period of time during which restaurants and bars can offer takeout and delivery of alcoholic beverages on second reading. The bill passed by a unanimous vote of 61-0. “Restaurants, bars and other retail businesses are the heart of our local communities and major employers across the state,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon. “They have been dealt a particularly harsh blow by the pandemic, and many have turned to alcohol takeout and delivery as a critical source of income during tough times. As we work to build back a stronger Colorado, we have to ensure that our state’s small businesses have the support they need to bounce back and thrive. Extending takeout and delivery alcohol and allowing for towns to utilize common consumption areas for a few more years is a common sense way to lend bars and restaurants a hand.” Under a current law also sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, certain liquor licensees like bars, restaurants, and gastropubs may sell alcohol as part of takeout and delivery orders through July 1, 2021. HB21-1027 , which is also sponsored by Representative Colin Larson, allows these establishments to continue using this critical tool for an additional five years and also allows them to apply for a license to establish a common consumption area, extending a tool many restaurants, bars, and communities have embraced to remain afloat throughout the pandemic. Previous Next

< Back March 8, 2019 REP. ROBERTS’ BILL ON WINTER DRIVING CLEARS PASS(AGE) (Mar. 8) – The House floor gave preliminary approval today to a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts to increase safety and efficiency on our roads by updating and revising language in statutes for motor vehicles driving the I-70 mountain corridor. “Given the recent record snowfall, this is a very appropriate day and week for this bill. Many drivers are not prepared for the winter driving conditions on I-70 and that leads to crashes, spin-outs, and closures along the I-70 mountain corridor – especially during winter months,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon. “Closures due to unprepared drivers on I-70 cause traffic and can hurt our economy on the Western Slope and across Colorado.” This bill gives state patrol more leeway to control the traffic during winter months. “We want to make sure drivers are prepared to drive on I-70 during winter conditions for the safety of themselves and the safety of others, ” said Rep. Roberts added. HB19-1207 updates current statutes to reflect modern traction technology and traction options. It sets minimum standards for tires being used in the winter in the mountain corridor. It also defines the I-70 mountain corridor by mileposts and sets out clear standards for the timeframe for traction equipments requirements. The heightened traction standards would be in effect from September 1 through May 31 of each year and apply to travel between milepost 133 (Dotsero) and milepost 259 (Morrison). HB19-1207 received preliminary passage on the House floor by a voice vote. It still requires a final vote before clearing the final pass in the House and moving to the Senate. Previous Next

< Back January 30, 2020 REP. SIROTA: LIMIT CONTRIBUTIONS IN SCHOOL BOARD RACES DENVER, CO– The House Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs today advanced Rep. Emily Sirota’s bill to set a maximum contribution limit of $2,500 in school board elections by a vote of 7-2. “Money is corrupting our political system, and we need to address it at every level, especially when it’s taking direct aim at our children’s education,” said Rep. Sirota (D-Denver). “Spending in school board races is out of control and getting larger each year. It’s time to put limits on contributions in school board races to curb the influence of high-dollar donors in our democracy.” Unlike federal elections, Colorado House and Senate elections and county elections, there are currently no limits on campaign contributions in school board races. Spending in school board races in Colorado is growing rapidly, and donors, sometimes from out of state, are contributing tens of thousands of dollars to individual candidates, amounts substantially above federal and state contribution limits in other races. HB20-1066 would set contribution limits in school director elections at $2,500 per individual donor. These limits would be adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the bill subjects school board candidates to existing disclosure laws, including requiring school board candidates to file contribution reports in a similar manner to state House and Senate candidates. Previous Next

HB25-1221 would allow Emily Griffith Technical College to offer associate’s degrees < Back February 26, 2025 Hamrick’s Bill to Meet Workforce Needs Passes Committee DENVER, CO – The House Education Committee today passed bipartisan legislation to expand postsecondary education opportunities to strengthen Colorado’s workforce. HB25-1221 sponsored by Representative Eliza Hamrick, would allow the Emily Griffith Technical College to offer an associate’s degree to students participating in registered apprenticeship programs. “We’re working hard to address Colorado’s ever-evolving workforce needs, and this bill helps ensure students involved in apprenticeship programs can pursue associate degrees that will lead to good-paying jobs,” said Rep. Eliza Hamrick, D-Centennial. “Our bipartisan bill supports students by breaking down barriers, expanding access to higher education and fostering strong pathways to jobs in high-demand fields after graduation. The new associate’s degree program at Emily Griffith Technical College will create new low-cost opportunities for students to pursue higher education and help meet Colorado's workforce needs.” HB25-1221 , also sponsored by Representative Lori Garcia Sander, R-Eaton, passed committee by a vote of 13-0. To meet workforce needs, this bill would allow the Emily Griffith Technical College to offer an associate’s degree of applied science for students participating in qualified apprenticeship programs. This bill aims to break down barriers for students wanting to pursue an associate’s degree while participating in an apprenticeship program. Registered apprenticeship programs at the Emily Griffith Technical College are work-based learning experiences that are overseen by both the college and an employer. Approximately 5,300 students at Emily Griffith Technical College participate in an apprenticeship program. HB25-1221 would strengthen Colorado’s workforce by ensuring students are enrolled in programs that align with in-demand industries and good-paying jobs. Previous Next

< Back April 10, 2019 HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES REP. HOOTON’S BILL TO STRENGTHEN RIGHTS OF MOBILE HOME OWNERS Colorado currently has over 900 mobile home parks (Apr. 10) — The House Transportation and Local Government committee voted in favor of a bill sponsored by Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder, and Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, to protect the rights of mobile home owners in mobile parks. “Colorado mobile home owners came to DORA to raise serious concerns about how park owners were treating them. The DORA report found that there is ongoing mistreatment occurring in manufactured home communities due to lack of enforcement of existing laws,” said Rep. Hooton. “In some mobile parks in Colorado, there are bad actors exploiting relatively loose regulatory structures.” The Department of Regulatory Agencies’(DORA) report on Manufactured Housing Community Owners and Managers can be found here . HB19-1309 creates a low cost and effective Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program within the Department of Local Affairs Housing Division. It also provides counties the same permissive authority that home-rule municipalities have to enact and enforce regulations. “In rural communities, affordable housing is at a premium and mobile home parks are an essential part of the solution to our housing crisis,” said Rep. McCluskie. “But we have concerns about what is happening at these parks. I am proud to bring forward a bill to put in place a dispute resolution process for effectively and peacefully resolving conflicts.” In addition, HB19-1309 extends the time a homeowner has to sell or move from their home after an eviction from 48 hours to 60 days, and extends the time to cure a late payment from five days to ten days. Approximately 100,000 Coloradans live in mobile homes, many of them within the state’s over 900 mobile home parks. Currently, the only recourse a homeowner of a mobile home has if they believe a park owner has violated the Colorado Mobile Home Park Act (MHPA) is to initiate a private action in civil court, which is often times too expensive for more homeowners. The Colorado Mobile Home Park Act was passed in 1985 and it lists the rights of mobile home owners and park owners, but no enforcement was ever created. The bill passed with a vote of 7-4 and now heads to the House Finance committee. Previous Next

Legislation would reduce barriers for victims of crimes and improve safety of survivors < Back February 13, 2024 Bipartisan Victim Protections Legislation Passes Committee Legislation would reduce barriers for victims of crimes and improve safety of survivors DENVER, CO - The House Judiciary Committee today passed bipartisan legislation to increase safety for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and other crimes by expanding protections around civil protection orders. HB24-1122 unanimously passed by a vote of 11-0. “Not everyone is as lucky as my son and I were to escape their abuser, and civil protection orders are a crucial tool for survivors to escape from dangerous situations," said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. "Too many Coloradans live in fear of their safety every day, and they are especially vulnerable to abuse when the abuser finds out that their partner is taking steps to leave them. Our bill makes robust changes to our criminal justice system to reduce barriers and improve the safety of survivors.” HB24-1122 , also sponsored by Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, would increase protections for victims of domestic violence by: Broadening the definition of domestic violence, changing sexual abuse to sexual violence including sexual harassment, and reframing these forms of violence as patterns of behavior rather than discreet actions, Reducing reasons why a civil protection order may be denied and directing judges to make a temporary protection order permanent without requiring additional evidence of testimony from the survivor when the respondent doesn’t appear at the hearing, Prohibiting a court from serving an abuser with a notice of a civil protection order unless the protection order is granted, improving the safety of victims after they take action against their abuser, Including temporary care and control of any shared children in the civil protection order when requested by one of the parties and prohibiting judicial officers from redirecting survivors to file in a district court instead, Prohibiting the court from hearing a motion to dismiss or modify a civil protection order if filed incorrectly, Preventing survivors from paying their abuser’s attorney’s fees, and Directing cell phone companies to transfer shared phone lines to the survivor’s name and control if requested with the civil protection order. Majority Leader Duran has spearheaded pivotal legislation supporting survivors, including HB23-1222 , which established standards for domestic violence cases tried in municipalities and increased data sharing, and SB22-183 which invested $48 million toward providing critical resources, programs, and support to victims of crime, including domestic violence. She has also passed laws to protect survivors of domestic violence by strengthening enforcement of requirements that certain domestic violence abusers relinquish their firearms. Previous Next

The House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services today unanimously passed a bipartisan bill by a vote of 11-0 to expand access to community health services through Medicaid reimbursement. < Back April 18, 2023 McCluskie Bill to Increase Affordable Health Care Passes House Committee DENVER, CO - The House Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services today unanimously passed a bipartisan bill by a vote of 11-0 to expand access to community health services through Medicaid reimbursement. “Community Health Workers, like patient navigators and Promotores de salud, are critical to reducing health disparities in rural communities by connecting patients to critically needed preventative, primary and behavioral health services,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Improving patient access to community health workers and preventative care mitigates costly, life-threatening and preventable diseases to keep Coloradans healthy and alive. This legislation bolsters Colorado’s health care workforce capacity to save people money on care and increase access to the services they need in the communities they call home.” SB23-002 , also sponsored by Representative Mary Bradfield, would save money on health care by providing a lower cost option for preventative health care and seeks Medicaid reimbursement for community health workers that would incentivize growth in the workforce. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) would be authorized to seek federal authorization from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide Medicaid reimbursement for community health worker services, which would secure long-term funding to make urgently-needed care both easier to access and more affordable for the Coloradans who depend on it. Services provided by community health workers include preventative services, screening, assessments, behavioral or dental health-related services, health coaching, and advocacy. The bill requires HCPF to seek federal approval by July 1, 2024, and to begin implementing coverage once approval is received. The committee also passed SB23-031 , sponsored by Representatives Brianna Titone and Mandy Lindsay, to expand opportunities for clinical health professions and graduate students enrolled in participating Colorado institutions of higher education through training at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to better support multidisciplinary health care for aging Coloradans . This training would expand geriatric health care services and work to increase the workforce of specialty providers for older Coloradans across the state. SB23-031 passed by a vote of 11-0. Previous Next

Democratic members of the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) today released the following statements after the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) delivered the March quarterly economic forecasts. < Back March 17, 2025 JOINT RELEASE: Recession Risk Increases, Tight Budget Conditions Persist DENVER, CO – Democratic members of the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) today released the following statements after the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) delivered the March quarterly economic forecasts. “The Joint Budget Committee faces an extraordinarily challenging budget process this year because of the rationing equation in TABOR. Uncertainty at the federal level also poses very real threats to our work at the state level,” said JBC Chair Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County. “However, unlike Washington, we have combed through the budget to make thoughtful, strategic, and bipartisan cuts. Even tougher decisions lie ahead that will impact everyday services Coloradans rely on. Despite these challenges, we’ll wrap up our work later this week to pass a responsible, balanced budget.” “Today’s forecast is a reminder that looming trade wars, federal cuts to Medicaid, and sweeping federal layoffs, will significantly harm Colorado’s economy, drive up prices and worsen our budget crisis,” said JBC Member Emily Sirota, D-Denver. “Coloradans are counting on us to responsibly balance our budget, which means we will need to make cuts in places no one wants in order to protect essential services and our most vulnerable community members. Our tight budget condition is the result of increased Medicaid costs and fiscal constraints, and that means we will need to make tradeoffs to deliver on the services Coloradans rely on.” “This economic forecast highlights the uncertainty driven by federal decision-making and the concerns many Coloradans share about the nation’s economy,” said JBC Member Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. “These challenges compound an already difficult budgeting process that the Joint Budget Committee has been working through and presents new challenges as we think long term about the state’s budget and economy. As we approach the end of our budgeting process, I will work hard to protect critical funding for services like education and behavioral health care – investments that will build stronger, healthier communities for years to come.” “As we get closer to delivering a balanced budget for Coloradans, federally-fueled economic uncertainty is creating alarming risks to our economy and new pressures on our budget process,” said JBC Vice Chair Shannon Bird, D-Westminster. “While we have difficult, painful budget decisions still before us, we’ve worked hard to prioritize the investments that Coloradans rely on in education, health care and public safety. Colorado has a long history of passing bipartisan budgets, and I’d like to recognize the JBC’s diligent, thoughtful work to find responsible cuts that, while still painful, will help us finalize a balanced and responsible budget in these difficult circumstances.” Despite headwinds exacerbated by federal policies, Colorado’s economy remains strong. Driven by lower housing inflation, headline inflation in the Denver area is lower than the nation, and inflation in Colorado has been measured at much lower levels than nationally. The LCS forecast anticipates Colorado’s economy will continue to grow, however “rapidly shifting federal policy” has resulted in downward revisions to the economic forecasts. According to LCS, “over the forecast period, increased tariffs are expected to reduce trade volumes, put upward pressure on prices, and dampen business investment in structures and equipment.” Tariffs will “put upward pressure on retail gasoline prices.” Given the uncertainty surrounding consequential economic decisions made by the Trump administration, including tariffs, freezing federal funds and promised extensive changes to federal economic and tax policy, Colorado’s recession risk has been elevated. President Trump's tariff policies have resulted in more business volatility and uncertainty for consumers, and LCS staff believes there are now more risks to the forecast that could worsen budget conditions (downside risks) as a result of these federal policies. For example, tariffs on the import of crude oil from Canada could raise prices for Colorado consumers. Colorado has a large number of federal employees, some of whom have been subject to mass layoffs by the Trump administration at the USDA, NOAA, IRS and other federal departments. Colorado’s budget conditions remain constrained as costs grow. Medicaid costs have increased in Colorado, mainly due to aging demographics and higher demand for more expensive services, such as long term care. Colorado is facing a budget deficit of more than $1 billion, however, increased costs in Medicaid make up nearly 60 percent of this deficit. Colorado’s Medicaid funding could further be jeopardized if Congress adopts a plan to drastically reduce Medicaid spending. This federal funding cut to Medicaid has the potential to impact Colorado's ability to provide health care to nearly 400,000 Coloradans . The state is also required to fulfill voter-approved investments that further reduce the amount available in a capped budget and require legislative trade offs. The Legislative Council Staff (LCS) forecast anticipates General Fund revenues to be $17.89 billion in FY 2025-2026, adding to an opening balance of $2.20 billion in reserves, and $18.78 billion in FY in 2026-2027 – a 6.5 percent decrease in total funds available when compared year over year. The Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) anticipates that General Fund revenue will be $17.2 billion for FY 2024-2025 and $18.0 billion for FY 2025-2026 – a $344.6 million decrease for FY 2024-2025 and a $108.5 million decrease for FY 2025-2026 as compared with the December revenue forecast. Previous Next