Senate Gives Initial Approval to FY 24-25 Supplemental Budget Package

Package includes measures to support Colorado families, workers and students, fund behavioral and health care services, and build safer communities

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Senate today advanced the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 supplemental budget package on a preliminary vote. The suite of bills includes measures to support Colorado families, workers and students, bolster behavioral and health care services, and build safer communities.

“Coloradans depend on programs and services that help them thrive, and this year’s supplemental budget package delivers those in a responsible, balanced way,” said Senator Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County. “Additionally, this package invests and relies on millions of dollars of critical federal funding that provide essential employment, health and behavioral health care, and safety services to families across the state.”

“It’s crucial that we take stock of where we are in the middle of the fiscal year to make sure our budget remains balanced,” said Senator Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. “This process allows us to continue to fund, at the correct amounts, the work that keeps Colorado running. This year, I am especially proud of our work to continue investments in behavioral health care, keep our communities safe, and support working families.”

Each year, the legislature adopts a supplemental budget package to make mid-year adjustments to the current fiscal year’s budget based on changes to caseload, pupil counts and other considerations.

Supporting Colorado Families, Workers, and Students

• SB25-112 would invest $276,088 in state funding and $1,020,100 in federal funding to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Department of Labor and Employment to assist individuals with disabilities in finding and keeping employment, as well as living independently.

• SB25-095 would increase funds for the Relative Guardianship Assistance Program by $4.6 million. The program provides financial assistance to families that meet federal eligibility criteria for income or child medical needs that present a barrier to adoption or legal guardianship.

• SB25-093 would allocate $17.6 million of federal funding to Medicaid-eligible Coloradans through school districts and Boards of Cooperative Education Services, who supply educational services to two or more school districts that alone cannot afford the service.

Funding Behavioral and Health Care Services

• SB25-093 would:

  • Allow the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to utilize federal funds already received for Medicaid-eligible Coloradans to operate Mental Health Transitional Living Homes, which are a step-down from the state hospitals and a step-up from home and community-based services.

  • Provide $43.5 million for home- and community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • Allocate $7.5 million for physical, dental and behavioral health services through the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and $13.9 million for benefits that mirror Medicaid and the CHP+ for children who would otherwise qualify, except for their immigration status.

• SB25-089 includes funding for food services provided by the Pueblo’s Colorado Mental Health Hospital to the Youthful Offender System, San Carlos, and La Vista facilities.

• SB25-113 would support equitable access to health, behavioral health and social health services for all Coloradans by extending appropriations for ongoing rural connectivity projects.

Building Safer Communities

• SB25-105 would utilize $1.1 million of funding in the Multidisciplinary Crime Prevention and Crisis Intervention Grant Fund to better support community-based, multidisciplinary approaches to crime prevention and crisis intervention strategies, specifically in areas where crime is disproportionately high.

The FY24-25 supplemental budget package will be heard on third reading in the Senate before moving to further consideration by the House.