Senate Democrats Go All In On Stimulus This Busy Legislative Week

Stimulus bills to invest in restaurants, youth mental health, wildfire mitigation, creative industries, clean energy, and workforce development, other priority bills tackle health benefits, prescription drug monitoring, behavioral health, and immigration resources

DENVER, CO - This week, Senate Democrats double down on Colorado’s recovery as the legislative calendar enters its final weeks.

Five of the bills being heard are a part of Colorado’s recovery package:

HB21-1265: Restaurant Sales Tax Relief, sponsored by Senators Pettersen & Woodward.

• Colorado restaurants and bars have faced some of the toughest challenges of this pandemic, with many closing and others struggling to stay open. This bill continues the successful sales tax assistance effort passed during the 2020 special session. It allows restaurants, bars, caterers, and food service contractors (such as airline food service contractors and food concession contractors at sporting events) to deduct up to $70,000 in net taxable sales from their monthly state sales tax return and retain the resulting sales tax revenue during the months of June, July, and August 2021.

This bill is being heard by the Senate Finance Committee today, Monday May 17th in the Old Supreme Court Chambers.

SB21-258: Wildfire Risk Mitigation, sponsored by Senators Ginal & Rankin.

• The impacts of global warming have been devastating for Colorado. With mass wildfires only continuing to worsen, we have all watched in horror as natural habitats get destroyed, wildlife are displaced, and toxic pollution clouds our state. This bill creates the Wildfire Mitigation Capacity Development Fund in the Department of Natural Resources to support wildfire mitigation workforce development, coordinate cross-boundary wildfire mitigation efforts, facilitate engagement, and connect priority wildfire mitigation projects with available resources. Additionally, the bill creates the Hazard Mitigation Fund to assist local jurisdictions in obtaining the matching funds required for certain federal hazard mitigation grants. Finally, the bill dedicates almost $30 million across various wildfire mitigation and response funds to help the state bolster wildfire prevention, detection, and response

This bill will be heard by the Senate Local Government Committee at 2:00PM on Tuesday May 18th in Senate Committee Room 352.

HB21-1285: Funding To Support Creative Arts Industries, sponsored by Senators Jaquez Lewis & Buckner.

• Venues, artists, and so many other culturally vital organizations have struggled to make it through the last year. This bill provides $10 million to support artists and cultural organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19 throughout the state. This includes funding for the performance-based film incentive, cultural facilities and the CO Creative Industries grant program set up during the 2020 special session.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Local Government Committee at 2:00PM on Tuesday May 18th in Senate Committee Room 352.

HB21-1253: Renewable & Clean Energy Project Grants, sponsored by Senators Winter & Rankin.

• Market forces, consumer choices, and environmental consciousness have moved Colorado’s economy toward a sustainable clean energy future. This bill will invest $5 million into local government grants for shovel-ready, job-creating projects in the renewable energy sector. The grants are intended to be allocated by August 15, 2021, or as soon as possible thereafter. The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is tasked with distributing the grants and will report to the General Assembly regarding the grants during its 2022 annual "SMART Act" presentation to legislative committees of reference.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee at 2:00PM on Tuesday May 18th in Senate Committee Room 357.

HB21-1270: Appropriation To Department Of Human Services For Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program sponsored by Senators Fields & Kirkmeyer.

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment First initiative has successfully helped Coloradans who receive SNAP benefits obtain new skills to thrive and reenter the workforce. This bill, which was introduced last week on April 9, leverages $3 million in state funds to draw down an additional $3 million in federal funds to provide a total of $6 million for jobs and skills training services to SNAP recipients. The funds may also be used to support work based learning opportunities and expanding 3rd party partnerships to expand the SNAP employment and training program's reach. 

This bill will be heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee at 1:30PM on Wednesday May 19th in Senate Committee Room 357.

Other legislative priorities headed to committee this week include:

HB21-1232: Standardized Health Benefit Plan Colorado Option, sponsored by Senator Donovan.

• For far too long, Coloradans have struggled to pay for the healthcare that they need. Though it may seem unattainable, easy access to high-quality, affordable care for everyone can be a reality in Colorado, and this legislation will help us get there. The revised version of the bill requires the Commissioner of Insurance to establish a standardized health benefit plan that will be offered by health insurance carriers in the individual and small group markets. In addition, over the next three years, carriers would be required to reduce premiums by 20%. Access to health insurance coverage is proven to have a positive impact on health outcomes and financial security and well-being.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee at 1:30PM today, Monday May 17th in Senate Committee Room 357.

HB21-1012: Expand Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, sponsored by Senators Pettersen & Coram.

• The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program provides a state database to track all controlled substances that are dispensed in Colorado. The database allows prescribers to monitor their patients’ use of controlled substances, with the goal of mitigating the misuse of prescription drugs. However, the program only applies to controlled substances prescribed in Colorado. This bipartisan bill would expand the program to all prescription drugs prescribed in the state, which will increase transparency and accountability, and help facilitate data-driven, evidence-based policies to reduce substance abuse.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Finance Committee at 1:30PM today, Monday May 17th in the Old Supreme Court Chambers.

HB21-1150: Create The Colorado Office Of New Americans, sponsored by Senator Gonzales.

• Colorado is home to more than half a million immigrants, including refugees, who make up 10% of the state's population and play a vital role in our state's cultural fabric and shared prosperity. To help organize a structure for state agencies and immigrant communities to partner in order to enhance integration across the state, this bill establishes the creation of the Colorado Office of New Americans. This will provide immigrant communities the means to address any concerns and obstacles they encounter when accessing state services.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Finance Committee at 1:30PM on Wednesday May 19th in the Old Supreme Court Chambers.

HB21-1166: Behavioral Health Crisis Response Training, sponsored by Senator Ginal.

• Coloradans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health diagnoses have limited access to appropriate treatment, including crisis intervention, stabilization, and prevention. Additionally, individuals who live in rural areas of Colorado are particularly impacted by this limited access to appropriate treatment. To focus more attention to this gap in resources, this bill directs the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to provide a comprehensive care coordination and treatment training model for people who work with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co-occurring behavioral health needs, which will provide more tools to case management agencies, mental health centers, and other programs across the state.

This bill will be heard by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee at 1:30PM on Wednesday May 19th in Senate Committee Room 357.

To listen to committee hearings, visit leg.colorado.gov/watch-listen. The full Senate calendar for the week can be found at http://leg.colorado.gov/session-schedule?type=senate.