A Bipartisan Morning In The Appropriations Committee

Senate Democrats pass mid-year funding adjustment legislation, protect school funding, and address wildfire mitigation

DENVER, CO - This morning, the supplemental funding package was passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support. The package of bills, sponsored by Joint Budget Committee members, provide mid-year funding adjustments to various executive branch departments, which will allow continuous funding streams for priority programs and initiatives. Notable bills include:

• SB21-042: Office of the Governor Supplemental, this bill will provide additional needed funds to support the Colorado Economic Development Fund, which will support statewide and local economic growth programs, and the Advanced Industries Acceleration Cash Fund, which will work to support job creation in various industries.

• SB21-043: Health Care Policy and Financing Supplemental, this bill includes adjustments to account to support and continuation of the emergency public health crisis as well as additional funds for public school health services to make sure our students and teachers can return to the classroom safely.

• SB21-044: Department of Human Services Supplemental, this bill reflects an injection of federal funds to the Child Care Development Fund--a fund that supports increasing equal access to high-quality child care. The bill also includes a one-time decrease in funding to the Division of Youth Services to account for a reduced caseload, with a small increase in funding for visitation improvements and enhancements.

• SB21-049: Department of Public Safety Supplemental, this bill directs $14 million to ensure that our firefighters have the equipment and resources they need to keep our communities and themselves safe. This past year proved to be the most destructive and costly year for wildfires in Colorado state history, and next year could be even worse--our firefighters deserve the tools they need to get the job done.

In addition to the bills in the supplemental package, a further subset of spending priority legislation was passed through the committee, including the following bills that were bipartisanly approved:

• SB21-053: Adjustments To School Funding Fiscal Year 2020-21, this bill fulfills the Senate Democrats’ commitment to maintaining K-12 funding for the current fiscal year, and ensures that school districts will have the resources they need when students and teachers return to the classroom.

• SB21-054: Transfers For Wildfire Mitigation And Response, this bill transfers $13M to the Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program. This program provides assistance grants to local governments facing the threat of wildfires, as well as provides local governments with strategic planning assistance for wildland fire hazard mitigation.

• SB21-110: Fund Safe Revitalization Of Main Streets, this bill allocates $30 million to construction-ready transportation infrastructure projects in municipalities across the state, so that we can get Colorado back to work while simultaneously improving local transit infrastructure statewide.

• SB21-112: General Fund Transfer To Capital Construction Fund State Parks, this bill will transfer $20 million to our state parks for infrastructure costs to help them withstand the increased visitation over the last year.

The supplemental package and additional spending bills now make their way to the floor of the Senate where they will be heard for debate in the coming week.