Two years ago, when Colorado lawmakers agreed to rescue the state pension plan from the financial brink for the second time in a decade, they insisted on new safeguards. Among them: A special oversight commission with a subcommittee comprised of lawmakers and outside financial experts to monitor the reforms, vet pension-related legislation, and — if […]
2020 legislative session
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado spared more budget cuts for now, but an additional $1 billion in reductions looms on 2021 horizon
No further budget cuts are immediately necessary as an economic forecast from the Polis administration shows a series of tax changes approved by Colorado lawmakers generated enough revenue to preserve the state’s slim budget cushion. Gov. Jared Polis’ office says a new economic forecast shows that tax revenue will allow the state to carry a […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, News, Politics and Government
Voters will decide in November whether all Colorado 4-year-olds can attend preschool starting in 2023
By fall 2023, thousands more Colorado 4-year-olds could be gathering in preschool classrooms for a few hours each week to practice their letters and listen to storytime in preparation for kindergarten. It’s a vision that state leaders — namely Gov. Jared Polis — and early childhood advocates have been chasing for decades. They might finally […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado lawmakers made billions in cuts to finish the budget. Now Gov. Polis may need to make even more.
In the final hours of the lawmaking session, the General Assembly finalized a $30.3 billion state budget after weeks of difficult work to close a $3 billion deficit. Instead of expressing relief at the finish line, the top legislative budget writer issued a warning. “For those of you who haven’t heard the news flash, next […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Education, News, Politics and Government
Graduation rates could suffer after lawmakers cut a program to help Colorado kids entering high school
The leap from eighth grade to ninth grade can be particularly daunting, with high stakes for students: the success or struggles that mark their first year of high school can predict whether they will graduate. About a dozen of Colorado’s 178 school districts have implemented a year-old, state-funded program that provides extra support to incoming […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
Gallagher led to $35 billion in residential property tax cuts. Now Colorado lawmakers want voters to repeal it.
In a desperate attempt to stave off further budget calamity, state lawmakers are fast-tracking a landmark ballot measure that would ask voters to repeal the Gallagher Amendment — the property tax-limiting constitutional provision that has provided an estimated $35 billion in tax relief to Colorado homeowners since 1983. The bipartisan proposal — which requires a […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers focus on essential workers amid coronavirus, push to make paid sick leave a right for all
To lift public health restrictions and reopen Colorado, Democratic lawmakers say the first step is to protect essential workers like Mirja McDade in the retail and service industries. McDade’s past jobs in the restaurant industry didn’t include paid sick time, so she worked regardless of her health. “The food industry is probably the worst as […]
Posted inCOVID, Education, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s $30.3 billion coronavirus-sickened state budget explained in 10 numbers
Colorado lawmakers will begin debate Monday on the $30.3 billion coronavirus-sickened state budget — and no one is happy. “Do we love this budget? No,” said state Rep. Daneya Esgar, a Pueblo Democrat and chairwoman of the Joint Budget Committee. “This budget is hard. There are a lot of cuts in this budget.” The cuts […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, Politics and Government
“It’s an 11 on the weird scale”: Colorado legislature makes an awkward return to the Capitol
The hallways were mostly empty. The lawmakers were mostly masked. The interactions were mostly awkward. The General Assembly’s return to the state Capitol after a two-month coronavirus pause looked anything but normal. Members of the House sat at desks divided by plexiglass or in the gallery above the chamber shouting down their votes on legislation. […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
A conversation about what to expect when the Colorado legislature returns to the Capitol on Tuesday
Colorado lawmakers return to the state Capitol on Tuesday to revive the legislative session after the spread of the coronavirus led to a 10-week intermission. But the lawmaking won’t look the same. In the time since lawmakers hit pause, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything — including the priorities for the Democratic-led General Assembly. The disease […]