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Tag: Joint Budget Committee

Taxpayers on the Hook When Government Programs Cost More Than Promised
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Taxpayers on the Hook When Government Programs Cost More Than Promised

By: Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado’s state budget is structurally unsustainable, which majority Democrats say could be fixed by ending voter consent over new taxation or by increasing taxes on Colorado residents through a progressive income tax.  While those suggestions would certainly increase state revenue, they are unlikely to fix Colorado’s ongoing budget deficits.  Meanwhile, taxpayers often learn too late that programs are vastly exceeding costs; programs like Cover all Coloradans, Healthy School Meals for All, and the wolf reintroduction scheme were all revealed to be more expensive than initially advertised to voters.  Why do programs end up being so much more expensive than advertised?&n...
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Colorado’s prison problem is underfunding. The legislature’s answer was early release.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s prison problem is underfunding. The legislature’s answer was early release.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice On May 19, Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills that will accelerate the release of inmates from Colorado's prisons. No ceremony. No bill-specific statement. The governor's office issued an administrative notice listing six pieces of legislation and went about its day. The two prison bills, SB26-159 and SB26-158, arrived at his desk with the claim that Colorado's prisons are overcrowded.  The population pressure is real. The projected increase in the male inmate population this fiscal year is the largest in 14 years, with the exception of the post-pandemic rebound in FY 2021-22. But the legislature's own budget documents tell a different story about why. Colorado does not have a prison space problem. It has a fund...
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Polis Plan Relies On Keeping TABOR Refunds to Balance Budget
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis Plan Relies On Keeping TABOR Refunds to Balance Budget

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Should voters have a say in whether Colorado’s state government can keep and spend $289.1 million in taxpayer money because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)?  House Bill 1419, titled “Refund of State Revenues,” fulfills one of Governor Polis’ primary budget requests to balance this year’s budget.  Background Polis’ office suggests that, due to immediate reductions in state tax collections upon passage of the federal OBBBA, the state is entitled to recoup Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds accordingly.  However, as previously explained, Legislative Council Staff believed that the request was legally dubious and could exacerbate future fiscal challenges should the g...
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Weiser’s record: A system falling behind
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Weiser’s record: A system falling behind

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Every time a convicted felon in Colorado decides to fight their case on appeal, the state has to answer. Homicide. Sexual assault. White collar crime. Death row. It doesn't matter — the Attorney General's Criminal Appeals Section picks up every one. Thirty-four attorneys. Every felony appeal in the state. And for three straight years, they haven't been able to keep up. The cost of that starts before a single case is decided. The state tracks response briefs through mandatory SMART Act performance filings. One metric counts how many are overdue — cases where the office has not filed within the deadline set by the Colorado Appellate Rules.  The Attorney General's office sets its own annual target for how ma...
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Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Barb Kirkmeyer in her own words
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s Republican governor primary: Barb Kirkmeyer in her own words

By RMV Editorial Board | Rocky Mountain Voice In five weeks, more than 21,000 petition signatures become a name on a ballot. Barb Kirkmeyer got on that ballot by knocking on doors. While her two opponents competed for delegate votes at the GOP state assembly, this state senator skipped the convention and submitted 21,342 petition signatures—15,438 of which were validated by the Secretary of State—to qualify for the June 30 primary. In the individualized portion of RMV's governor primary feature, Kirkmeyer explains why she chose that path and answers questions about her budget vote, TABOR refunds, Tina Peters, abortion and what kind of Republican she is. The questions below were shaped by reader submissions, public statements and Kirkmeyer's record in the state Senate. The six ...
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Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado legislators on Tuesday adopted a $46.8 billion plan to pay for state operations and programs next year after a joint panel reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions. A small group of lawmakers had resolved those differences. Lawmakers adopted what is called the conference committee report on House Bill 1410 — the budget measure — mostly along party lines. Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, was the only Republican to vote in favor of the bill in the Senate. In the House, fellow JBC member Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, was the only Republican to vote “yes,” while Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, was the only Democrat to vote “no.” READ T...
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Polis Budget Plan Seeks To Keep Your TABOR Refund To Close Colorado Budget Gap
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Budget Plan Seeks To Keep Your TABOR Refund To Close Colorado Budget Gap

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Tucked deep within the hundreds of pages of the proposed $46.8 billion 2026–27 state budget is a line item showing $306.1 million in savings — achieved by canceling TABOR refunds. Gov. Jared Polis has recommended withholding TABOR refunds in both 2026–27 and 2027–28. His budget proposal says the state accidentally overpaid $306.1 million in refunds during the 2025–26 fiscal year. According to the governor’s office, the overpayment stemmed from federal budgetary changes that affected how the state calculated revenue for 2024–25. Those revised calculations led to higher-than-appropriate refunds being issued in 2025–26, according to the Polis administration. The request argued that if the federal budget’s impact on 2024–25 ...
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Partisan Divide Sharpens Over Colorado Spending Plan As $46.8B Budget Moves to Senate
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Partisan Divide Sharpens Over Colorado Spending Plan As $46.8B Budget Moves to Senate

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette The battle over Colorado’s proposed $46.8 billion spending plan for next year shifted to the state Senate, which must decide whether to acquiesce to changes made by the House. The senators could also decide to adopt their own changes, which would force the two bodies to reconcile their differences. The state constitution requires a balanced budget, although that rarely stays balanced for long, and this year, lawmakers must plug a deficit of more than $1 billion. The proposed budget is actually bigger than the current year’s spending plan, driven by Medicaid costs. In the Senate, the budget is sponsored by Joint Budget Committee members Sens. Jeff Bridges, D‑Greenwood Village, Barbara Kirkmeyer, R‑Brighton, and Judy Amabi...
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Colorado House Pushes Through $46.8 Billion Budget After Contentious Debate
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado House Pushes Through $46.8 Billion Budget After Contentious Debate

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The House on Saturday, after four days of work – it usually takes two – finished up their work and voted on the $46.8 billion 2026-27 state budget, as contained in House Bill 1410 and 64 accompanying measures designed to help balance the budget. The delay in getting to the finish line was caused by Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, who asked for the 661-page budget bill to be read at length, a computer-operated process expected to take up to 15 hours. That was on Wednesday, the first day the full House worked on the budget. The reading was laid over until late Thursday by House Majority Leader Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. The reading didn’t start until after 6:30 p.m., to allow the House to finish wor...
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$46.8 Billion Colorado Budget Reflects Rising Medicaid Costs and Hard Choices
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The Gazette, Approved, State

$46.8 Billion Colorado Budget Reflects Rising Medicaid Costs and Hard Choices

By Marianne Goodland | The Gazette The six-member panel of legislators in charge of crafting the state budget has now turned over its plan to the Colorado legislature, proposing to spend $1.5 billion more for the Medicaid program. The increase is driven by Medicaid costs, which forced the Joint Budget Committee to make cuts elsewhere. All told, House Bill 26-1410 proposes a state budget of $46.8 billion, with $17.3 billion coming from general funds, the revenue largely from corporate and individual income taxes, as well as from sales and use taxes. Notably, that general fund amount is 1.4% higher than the $17.1 billion in the 2025-26 budget. The 2025-26 budget, as approved by lawmakers a year ago, stood at $43.9 billion. It has changed significantly since...
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