Happy budget week, Colorado.
The state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee formally introduced the annual spending bill in the House on Monday morning, setting the stage for a week dominated by debate on the $46.8 billion budget document.
About $17.3 billion of that spending plan is general fund money, or the taxes directly collected by the state and the most flexible dollars available to the state government. That is up from about $17.1 billion in general fund dollars in the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30, said Rep. Rick Taggart, a Grand Junction Republican on the budget committee. For the general fund budget next year, legislative forecasters also expect the plan to include another $3 billion or so from the cash fund that would be subject to restrictions under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Taggart noted Monday morning that general fund growth is "significantly below” the rate of inflation as the state grapples with its latest budget deficit, which The Denver Post reported on in depth Sunday. Aside from rocketing costs in the departments that oversee state prisons and Medicaid, where the state has little choice but to meet increasing demand, Taggart said the committee reduced overall spending everywhere else.
On Tuesday, the House Republican and Democratic caucuses will meet separately for briefings from their respective members of the budget committee. Those meetings will give rank-and-file members a chance to ask questions about the spending document, known as the long bill, and discuss potential amendments.
From there, House leadership plans to introduce the bill for full debate on the floor Wednesday.
That will likely mean a marathon of proposed amendments, most of which will not go anywhere. The budget committee has spent months crafting the spending bill and balancing the budget based on economic forecasts for the upcoming fiscal year. The state must pass a balanced budget, and any changes risk throwing that balance out of whack.
Even the changes that survive a floor vote will most likely end up discarded as the budget proceeds through the process, but an amendment could provide potent politics if it strikes a strong enough chord to win initial approval.
If all goes to plan, the House should send the budget to the Senate for consideration by the end of the week. That chamber will then repeat the process before the document heads to Gov. Jared Polis for consideration.
It's one of two must-pass bills the legislature considers every year. But while the budget will dominate Capitol conversations this year, it won’t be the only issue considered.
Here’s what else is on the docket this week, with schedules subject to change.
Monday
In the afternoon, the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee will hear , a proposal to raise the overtime threshold for agriculture workers to 56 hours.
The bill, which briefly moved concurrently with a measure renaming César Chávez Day to Farm Workers Day following revelations the labor leader sexually abused multiple women and girls, has divided the Democratic majority. Some members see it as helping farmworkers get more hours during harvest season, while others see it as exploitative of an already-marginalized community.
Tuesday
The Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee will consider , which would expand which kinds of employees must meet firearms dealer training requirements. Also that day, the House Judiciary Committee will vote on , a measure that would create new regulations for online gaming services that have minors in their user base.
That committee has already heard testimony about the bill, but it was laid over to allow sponsors to amend the proposal further.
Wednesday
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on , a proposal that would limit law enforcementap use of certain surveillance technology, including facial recognition software and drone cameras. That committee has already heard testimony on the bill but delayed the vote to allow sponsors to work on amendments.
Thursday
The Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee will hear . That bill extends the timeline for when ballots must be sent out before an election and the number of days drop boxes can accept ballots, among other changes to election law.
