Colorado taxpayers will be refunded as much as $2.8 billion in tax revenue collected over the three fiscal years because the state’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis has been so swift and strong and because of growth limits under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. That’s according to two tax-revenue forecasts — one from nonpartisan […]
Joint Budget Committee
Posted inSun Investigation
With bites, bruises and low pay, caretakers for Colorado’s troubled youth say there’s not enough staff to keep kids — and each other — safe
Olivia Couch followed as the boy hopped two fences and climbed into a drainage ditch filled with water. Her job was to keep the 12-year-old safe, and protocol at the residential treatment center was to “shadow” children who ran off campus but not restrain or block them. Couch had never given up on sticking with […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor signs $34 billion budget into law, setting aside historic reserves and funding $800M stimulus package
Gov. Jared Polis signed Colorado’s $34.1 billion fiscal year 2021-22 budget into law on Monday, restoring cuts made as the coronavirus crisis descended on the state last year while also saving a historic amount for future economic downturns. The Joint Budget Committee, the legislature’s budget-writing panel, had to contend with constantly changing tax-revenue projections that […]
Posted inColoradans, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado will finally get hundreds off the waitlist for disabilities services. But not everyone.
Joni Krickbaum found out recently that her son, who is 34 and has severe disabilities, will soon get a spot in a state program for people who need round-the-clock help with personal care and supervision. It only took 20 years. Krickbaum immediately cried when she got word two weeks ago that her son would soon […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Colorado’s investment in more equitable higher-ed funding is a necessary start
Those responsible for managing Colorado’s state budget over the past year – in the Governor’s Office and the legislature – haven’t had it easy. It has been a roller coaster ride, and next year will be challenging too. While the latest federal stimulus provides needed assistance and the COVID-19 vaccination drive is gaining speed, running […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: We need higher education for all to overcome racial, income and health divides in Colorado
The pandemic has clearly exposed the faulty underpinnings and systemic problems with our larger health-care system. Rightly so, advocates are calling for systemic change — change in how we insure people, change in how we provide safety net services, and change in how we keep all people safe and healthy. Yet, the root causes in […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s governor wants a big, fast coronavirus stimulus package. State lawmakers worry about the details.
As the Colorado legislature returns to work on Tuesday, the No. 1 priority for Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers will be passing an economic stimulus package to help lift the state out of the effects of the coronavirus crisis. But the question of how big the package should be and how fast the General […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Rep. Leslie Herod: Colorado to see maternal health legislation during the 2021 session
Now more than ever, we know that racism threatens our collective health as much as the most infectious viruses do. We also know that racism impacts childbirth. To this day, Black and Indigenous women still face rates of mortality, morbidity, and mistreatment much higher than their white counterparts in the United States. Data suggests that […]
Posted inNews
Colorado school finance bill would spare districts from impact of enrollment declines
Colorado school districts would avoid the worst budget hits from losing 30,000 students this school year under a bill that received initial support from the Joint Budget Committee Thursday. The bill sends an extra $60 million to school districts — $41 million to make up for lost local tax revenue and another $19 million to districts […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado’s state budget drives decisions that affect us all, but it’s long and complicated. We’re here to help.
Schools, roads, parks. The cost of college and health care. How much you pay in taxes. No matter what issue you care about in Colorado, chances are the state budget plays a large role in its fate. The good news: following the budget process from home is easier than ever thanks to live-streamed government meetings […]