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Headlines : Colorado
Gov., leaders dodge open budget promise
Legislative leaders and Gov. John Hickenlooper would not commit to a more visible debate as they craft the state's next budget.
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Headlines : Colorado
Colorado's improving budget forecast spreads holiday cheer
Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday he is pleased the state's executive director of budgeting could bring some holiday cheer to lawmakers with a revised budget forecast that might potentially allow $89 million to be restored to Colorado's education funding.
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Headlines : Colorado
Denver court decision in education suit says Colorado is underfunding schools by billions
In a ruling that could have multi-billion dollar consequences for Colorado's budget, a Denver judge ruled the state's school funding system is not "thorough and uniform" as mandated by the state constitution.
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Headlines : Colorado
Budget battle brewing in Colo over taxes, Medicaid
Colorado Republicans will get first crack at dictating the terms of state budget negotiations before the budget goes to the Democratic-controlled Senate. Election-year accusations about taxing the elderly to balance the budget, ignoring education and refusing medical care for poor children are expected to fly.
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Headlines : Colorado
Hickenlooper rejects Colorado GOP call to seek Medicaid waiver
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper rejected a Republican suggestion that he seek a federal waiver to rules governing Medicaid to balance the state budget.
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Gov. John Hickenlooper
Office of Governor Bill Ritter
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 866-2471
Fax: (303) 866-2003
http://www.colorado.gov/governor/
Todd Saliman, Director
Office of State Planning & Budgeting
111 State Capitol Building
Denver, CO 80203
Phone (303) 866-3317
Fax: (303) 866-3044
http://www.colorado.gov/governor/ospb
todd.saliman@state.co.us
2012 Legislative Calendar: Regular Session convenes January 11, adjourns May 9.
Legislative Budget Leaders
Rep. Jon Becker (R), Chair, House Appropriations Committee, jon.becker.house@state.co.us 303-866-2906
Rep. Cheri Gerou (R), Vice-Chair, House Appropriations Committee; Chair, Joint Budget Committee, cheri.gerou@gmail.com 303-866-2582
Sen. Pat Steadman (D), Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee, pat.steadman.senate@state.co.us 303-866-4861
Sen. Mary Hodge (D), Vice-Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee; Vice-Chair Joint Budget Committee, mary.hodge.senate@state.co.us 303-866-4855
Rep. Brian DelGrosso (R), Chair, House Finance Committee, brian@briandelgrosso.com 303-866-2947
Rep. Keith Swerdfeger (R) Vice-Chair, House Finance Committee, keith.swerdfeger.house@state.co.us 303-866-2905
Sen. Michael Johnston (D), Chair, Senate Finance Committee, mike.johnston.senate@state.co.us 303-866-4864
Sen. Angela Giron (D), Vice-Chair, Senate Finance Committee, angela.giron.senate@state.co.us 303-866-4878
The current state budget can be found here.
Colorado is required to pass a "balanced budget." Article X, Section 16 of the 1876 Constitution prevents appropriations from being passed which would exceed tax revenue. Despite this provision, Colorado reported a budget deficit (negative net transactions) for each of the three years studied. Color ado law forbids the carrying over of a deficit from one year to the next.
The State maintains five major individual governmental funds: General, Public School, Highway Users Tax, Capital Projects, and State Education. Each year the State budgets on a cash basis and only budgets the General Fund. This is evident from the State's data sheet where there is a significant difference between actual and budgeted figures. [from the Institute for Truth in Accounting]
Find the state's bond ratings here.
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Solutions: Colorado
Balancing Innovation, Accountability in Cyberschools
Technological advances are continually creating new opportunities to effectively educate Colorado's K-12 students through online learning. Colorado needs to look forward in protecting an environment for innovation, while balancing needed accountability for cyberschool operators.
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Solutions: Colorado
How to Save a Billion Dollars in Other Post-Employment Benefit Costs
This study focuses on the retiree health plan administered by the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). The PERA Health Care Program is a cost sharing multiple-employer plan. The “employers” in this context are the various governments that hire most public employees, such as public school teachers, fire fighters, police officers and state employees. Under this program, PERA subsidizes a portion of the premium for health care coverage, and the retiree pays any remaining amount of that premium. The Colorado legislature created the Health Care Trust Fund in 1999 to provide state subsidies to the Health Care Program.
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Solutions: Colorado
The Citizen's Budget
The Citizens' Budget includes legislative, constitutional, and policy recommendations to close the looming state budget gap - without raising taxes - and move Colorado towards sustainable government for good.
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Solutions: Colorado
K-12 Funding Issue Brief
he report lays out a road map for Colorado policy makers to implement policies that would close next year's billion-dollar budget problem and establish a sustainable trend line for balanced budgets into the future, with no increase in taxes or fees.
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Solutions: Colorado, Kansas
State Pension Funds Fall Off a Cliff
This study examines different measures of historical and current funding shortfalls in state pension plans. Two case studies are examined in greater depth to explore some fatal flaws that have caused funding crises in these plans: Public Employee Retirement Association of Colorado (PERA) and the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS).
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Colorado
How to Save a Billion Dollars in Other Post-Employment Benefit Costs
This study focuses on the retiree health plan administered by the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). The PERA Health Care Program is a cost sharing multiple-employer plan. The “employers” in this context are the various governments that hire most public employees, such as public school teachers, fire fighters, police officers and state employees. Under this program, PERA subsidizes a portion of the premium for health care coverage, and the retiree pays any remaining amount of that premium. The Colorado legislature created the Health Care Trust Fund in 1999 to provide state subsidies to the Health Care Program.
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Colorado, Minnesota
Pension Rulings May Boost Cutback Efforts
In a pair of rulings that may bolster efforts to roll back public pensions nationwide, judges in Minnesota and Colorado have thrown out lawsuits challenging recent cuts to certain retiree benefits.
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Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota
States test whether public pension benefits given can be taken away
If legislatures are not permitted to cut retirement costs now, the argument goes, the ability of the public pension systems to pay future benefits will be jeopardized.
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Colorado, Kansas
State Pension Funds Fall Off a Cliff
This study examines different measures of historical and current funding shortfalls in state pension plans. Two case studies are examined in greater depth to explore some fatal flaws that have caused funding crises in these plans: Public Employee Retirement Association of Colorado (PERA) and the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS).
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Colorado
Public pensions put state, cities in crisis
The recent layoff of 80 police officers in Oakland could be the harbinger of things to come as government officials find that public employee pension deals made when the stock market was booming are helping bust their budgets today.
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