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During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to higher education.  Specifically, bills related to scholarships, grants, and financial assistance; pathways to student success; degrees and workforce development; and administration and governance.

Colorado State Operating Budget Appropriations Data since FY 1999-00. Includes total appropriations and General Fund-only appropriations for each state agency. 

This memorandum examines technical debt and modernization, along with legislation that aims to address legacy technical solutions that serve government organizations and their constituents.

Report No. 2022-TE11

Note: A more recent evaluation was issued in November 2023. Click HERE to access the November 2023 report.

This memorandum provides an overview of the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government Act" (SMART Government Act). The act requires executive agencies to annually present specific information to joint legislative committees during the first two weeks of the legislative session. This memorandum summarizes the information that state agencies are required to submit to committees in advance of the hearings and the requirements of the hearings.

This memorandum provides an executive summary of the various Executive Orders issued during the declared disaster emergency related to COVID‑19 in Colorado.

This issue brief examines Colorado fireworks law, including permissible fireworks, sales, local government regulations, penalties for violating state laws, and executive orders.

This memorandum summarizes the policies and procedures for committees meeting during the 2021 legislative interim.

The purpose of the CDC final report is to provide annual and historical information on the capital development process. The 2020 final report provides a complete summary of all capital construction and controlled maintenance appropriations during the 2018 session. A five-year history and three-year forecast of capital project funding are also included.

This memorandum provides an overview of the various Public Health Orders issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) during the declared disaster emergency related to COVID‑19 in Colorado.  Thirteen public health orders have been issued since March, 2020.

Respite care provides temporary relief to a caregiver from the physical and emotional impacts of caring for a person with special needs who requires assistance to care for themselves.  Care can be provided for a few hours, overnight, or on an extended basis by a friend, family member, volunteer, paid service provider, or in a community-based care setting.  This issue brief provides an overview of state respite care services.

This issue brief provides an overview of state‑sponsored retirement plans, retirement plan marketplaces, and multiple employer retirement plans for private sector workers. The brief also includes a discussion of related federal laws and Congressional activity.

The Legislative Council Staff's Energy Handbook is intended to serve as a reference guide to Colorado's energy sector.  The book is divided into five sections.  Section I covers the sources and uses of energy in Colorado.  Section II explains how severance taxes and federal mineral lease moneys are calculated and distributed.  Section III looks at energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.  Section IV provides an overview of the state departments involved in energy issues.  Section V highlights local governments' role in energy.  The handbook also includes t

This memorandum provides a summary of the various Executive Orders and Public Health Orders issued during the declared disaster emergency related to the presence of COVID‑19 in Colorado.

During the 2020 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to its operations, state employees and retirement plans, state agencies and procurement, open records and meetings, and notarization.  Several of the bills were in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the related state disaster emergency declared by the Governor in March.

In 1982, voters approved a constitutional measure governing property taxes, including a provision known as the Gallagher Amendment (Gallagher).  Gallagher sought to protect homeowners from rising property taxes by maintaining a relatively constant ratio of residential and nonresidential property values in the statewide tax base.

Report No. 2020-TE17

Report No. 2020-TE15

This issue brief outlines home rule governance for municipalities and counties, including the process for adopting a home rule charter and the powers that a home rule charter provides to local governments.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to its own operations, federal relations, state employees and retirement plans, state agencies and procurement, open records and meetings, and notarization and recording.

This issue brief provides an overview of the Colorado unemployment insurance (UI) program, including UI benefits, funding, and solvency in the context of recent economic downturns. 

This memorandum describes how some states find new ways to share cybersecurity knowledge and resources with their local governments to improve the state’s overall cybersecurity posture.

Senate Bill 18-200, Modifications to the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) to Eliminate Unfunded Liability, included an automatic adjustment provision (AAP) that triggers when PERA's trusts are not on track to reach full funding within the targeted 30-year period.  This issue brief discusses how the provision works and has been used since 2019.

This memorandum provides information on state government enterprises under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, also known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).  From FY 1993-94 through FY 2017-18, 22 state government entities had received enterprise status for at least one fiscal year.  In FY 2017‑18, enterprise revenue totaled $17.9 billion.

This memorandum is an assessment of the fiscal impact of the attached proposed Amendment L.045 to Senate Bill 19-188. This fiscal assessment is for the impact of the bill with inclusion of this amendment only. Any other added amendment could influence the fiscal impact.