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Tag: Fiscal Policy

Runaway Medicaid Spending Forces Colorado Toward Hard Choices
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Runaway Medicaid Spending Forces Colorado Toward Hard Choices

By: Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The legislature’s Joint Budget Committee (JBC) recently held a hearing with the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing (HCPF), the Governor’s office, and Manatt, a healthcare consulting firm, to address the unsustainable growth of Colorado’s Medicaid spending. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from the hearing. Runaway spending According to HCPF and the Governor’s office, General Fund spending on Medicaid increased at an average rate of 6 percent from fiscal year 2015-16 to fiscal year 2018-19. However, after the federal government windfall from COVID, General Fund spending blew up, growing at an average rate of 19 percent from fiscal year 2021-22 to fiscal year 2024-25. Health c...
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Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Plan That Threatens Future TABOR Refunds

State lawmakers will gavel in the 2026 legislative session Wednesday and the budget will once again dominate debate. By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The general fund is $850 million in the hole and it could get worse as the Trump Administration threatens to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Colorado. Despite the dire fiscal outlook, Democratic leadership made it clear they won't cave to pressure from the federal government. "It is going to be a powerful session. We will be standing up to Washington," said Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie.By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Colorado’s Budget Is Bigger Than Ever. Health Care Is Why.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Budget Is Bigger Than Ever. Health Care Is Why.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s state budget is larger than it used to be. That much isn’t disputed. What has changed over the last twenty years is where that growth landed. The Common Sense Institute’s “Colorado Budget: Then and Now” (December 2025) Colorado’s state budget has grown faster than population and inflation since the mid-2000s. The shift wasn’t sudden. It accumulated, year by year, across multiple budgets and multiple administrations. The increase shows up clearly in the numbers. In the mid-2000s, state spending worked out to a little under $5,600 per person once population and inflation were accounted for. It didn’t stay there. Year by year, the number crept higher. It now sits above $7,300. The increase...
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Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits
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Approved, Complete Colorado, State

Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — After years of voter-approved measures scaling back Colorado’s income tax rate, proponents of significantly higher government spending have cleared a major hurdle at the state Title Board towards raising taxes by $4.1 billion annually.   Proposed Initiative #181 would replace Colorado’s flat income tax with a so-called “progressive” tax where taxpayers are charged higher rates based on their income.   The initiative is being put forth by the Bell Policy Center, a progressive nonprofit led by former Colorado state rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, who while in office advocated multiple times for such things as reducing refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) and universal healthcare. The Title Board gave the green light to move forw...
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PERA Payments on the Chopping Block as Polis Seeks Short-Term Budget Relief
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

PERA Payments on the Chopping Block as Polis Seeks Short-Term Budget Relief

By: Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The move would save the state money in the short term to address Colorado’s budget crisis, but it could cost the pension as much as $180 million in the long run. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has proposed cutting the state’s contributions to the public pension by as much as $38 million next year to help cover the cost of employee raises owed under the state’s collective bargaining agreement. The move would buy the state government some financial breathing room for next year, when it faces an $850 million deficit. But it would also come at a steep long-term cost that could come back to bite public workers and taxpayers alike. The legislature’s Joint Budget Committee will consider the proposal between now and March, when it’s scheduled to ado...
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Governor Polis Pushes Record $50.7 Billion Budget Amid Fiscal Concerns
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Governor Polis Pushes Record $50.7 Billion Budget Amid Fiscal Concerns

By: Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Governor Jared Polis recently proposed his more than $50 billion Colorado state budget, requesting a flood of money to education and public safety while acknowledging Medicaid spending has gotten out of hand. The 2026-27 spending plan was presented to the Joint Budget Committee on Oct. 31, three days ahead of schedule. Polis’ total request stands at $50.7 billion, with $18.6 billion being General Fund (or discretionary) money. The plan dedicates an additional $167 million to school finance, as well as reallocating remaining revenue from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund to the education fund , while increasing universal pre-school funding by $14.3 million. The state will then issue $2 million for the evidence-based math accelerator program, $...
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Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Council Rejects Mayor’s Budget, But Johnston’s Spending Plan is Alive and Well

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Denver City Council rejected Mayor Mike Johnston’s $1.66 billion spending plan, but the proposal, as amended, will still govern operations, as the charter requires the city to have a budget in place by Nov. 12. In a split 6-6 vote on Monday, councilmembers expressed disappointment with various aspects of the budget process, citing its complicated nature and “lack of collaboration and transparency.” One councilmember was absent. Councilmembers Chris Hinds, Kevin Flynn, Diana Romero-Campbell, Jamie Torres, Amanda Sandoval and Darrell Watson voted in favor of the budget, while Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Shontel Lewis, Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Paul Kashmann, and Amanda Sawyer balked at the spending plan. At-large C...
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Inside the 2025 Colorado elections: What voters rewarded, rejected—and why it matters
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Inside the 2025 Colorado elections: What voters rewarded, rejected—and why it matters

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board An analysis of what Colorado’s 2025 elections reveal about power, performance—and the path forward Colorado voters made their message plain this year, though not all spoke with one voice. In city halls and school races they favored those who stayed engaged, turned away those who coasted and reminded every leader that trust has an expiration date. Aurora: Jurinsky’s crime fight meets a political storm Aurora voters ended two decades of center-right control, electing progressives to every open seat and turning a 7–3 conservative majority into a 6–4 Democratic edge. In the at-large race, Rob Andrews and Alli Jackson won with 29,659 and 29,177 votes, while Danielle Jurinsky—a high-profile incumbent—finished third with 25,246. As ch...
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Commissioner Daniel: It’s Time for Fiscal Common Sense in Colorado
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The Business Times, Approved, Commentary, Local

Commissioner Daniel: It’s Time for Fiscal Common Sense in Colorado

By Bobbie Daniel | Commentary, The Business Times In the business world, there’s one principle that separates success from failure: You can’t spend what you don’t have. If a company tried to launch a dozen new initiatives without funding them, investors would walk, creditors would call, and the board would be out by morning. Yet somehow, that’s exactly how the State of Colorado has been operating. Each year, new laws are passed that sound good on paper but come with no money to make them work. Those costs get quietly pushed down to local governments — and ultimately to taxpayers. We call them unfunded mandates, and they’re the public-sector version of bad business. Here in Mesa County, we’ve been tracking these costs for two years, and the numbers tell the story. This year alon...
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Colorado’s Competitive Edge Fades Under High Taxes and Regulation
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado’s Competitive Edge Fades Under High Taxes and Regulation

By: Nash Herman | Complete Colorado The non-partisan Tax Foundation just published its 2026 edition of the State Tax Competitiveness Index. Colorado — already in the bottom half of states for tax competitiveness — continues to slide in the rankings, and the current political trajectory will only exacerbate the situation. Colorado losing its edge  In last year’s index, Colorado placed 32nd in overall tax competitiveness, worse than all of the state’s immediate neighbors.  According to its subcategories, Colorado ranked 10th in corporate taxes, 18th in individual income taxes, 37th in sales taxes, 36th in property taxes, and 39th in unemployment insurance taxes.  This year, Colorado’s rank dropped to 33rd ...
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