Search Publications

The Colorado Constitution limits the amount of revenue, from most sources, that the state government and local governments are permitted to retain and spend or save.  Revenue collected in excess of the constitutional revenue limit, or TABOR limit, must be refunded to taxpayers unless voters authorize retention of the excess amount.  This memorandum presents information on this constitutional requirement and its administration at the state level.

This memorandum highlights regional and sectoral differences in Colorado’s labor market and employment recovery from the pandemic‑induced recession, including in labor force, job openings, and employment. 

The Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy (committee) is charged with reviewing the state’s current tax policy and the evaluations of tax expenditures that are statutorily completed by the Office of the State Auditor.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.

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 2022-23, 33 state government entities had received enterprise status for at least one fiscal year.  In FY 2020-21, the most recent year for which financial data are available, enterprise revenue totaled $27.1 billion.

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several bills affecting funding for capital construction and the duties of the Capital Development Committee (CDC).

The senior homestead property tax exemption became available beginning in property tax year 2002, following voter approval of Referendum A in the 2000 General Election. The number of seniors claiming the exemption has grown over time, from 123,326 qualifying seniors in tax year 2002, to 266,538 seniors in tax year 2021.  Local governments are required to be reimbursed by the state for the property tax revenue impact of the exemption. In FY 2021-22, reimbursements for the senior homestead exemption totaled $156.5 million.

The Appropriations Report summarizes the final action of the General Assembly and the Governor on the budget and other legislation passed during the previous legislative session that contained an appropriation of moneys.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.

In FY 2020-21, Colorado received $314.5 million from tobacco-related sources.  These include taxes on cigarettes, other tobacco products, and nicotine products and payments from tobacco manufacturers as part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.  This memorandum describes the sources and uses of this revenue. 

The Long Bill Narrative, which is the annual appropriations act, is prepared by staff to explain funding decisions recommended by the JBC to the rest of the General Assembly.  This document is a companion document to the actual Long Bill.  The narrative outlines budget changes based on the introduced version of the Long Bill.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.

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

This memorandum provides background information on current and past statutory mechanisms used to refund state revenue in excess of the spending limit contained in the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR).  TABOR allows the state to use "any reasonable method" for refunds.

Refund Mechanisms Used for TABOR Surpluses, Tax Years 1997 through 2019. No refunds were required for unlisted years, including 1993 through 1996 and 2020. 

The Supplemental Narrative is prepared by the staff to explain proposed adjustments to prior year appropriations recommended by the JBC to the rest of the General Assembly.  This narrative describes all of the proposed budget changes statewide, by department, and by program, and provides detailed calculations of the spending and revenue limits.  This explanation does not reflect any subsequent changes to the Supplemental Bills as they are amended by the Senate or House of Representatives.

Among the allowable uses of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, states have the most flexibility in spending the portion of funding used to offset the state revenue loss attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. This memorandum provides information on the revenue loss reported for calendar year (CY) 2020 and the preliminary loss calculated for CY 2021, estimated at $1.14 billion and $2.55 billion, respectively. The preliminary cumulative two-year revenue loss is $3.69 billion, compared with the $3.83 billion total ARPA allocation for the state of Colorado.

The subpanel supporting the Economic Relief and Recovery Task Force is pleased to present this final report. After the Summary of Findings. The report is divided into five discrete sections. The organization into discrete sections reflects the organization of the work of the subpanel. In order to expedite our production of the report, the subpanel assigned ourselves areas of analysis and reporting on what we deemed the most important subjects to be covered.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Task Force on Economic Recovery and Relief Cash Fund.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.

The state incurs wildfire-related expenditures in several departments for various activities including wildfire prevention, preparedness, mitigation, suppression, and recovery.  These activities are not explicitly broken out in the state budget and are spread across various line items in multiple departments, making tracking of wildfire spending difficult.  This memorandum provides detailed funding information for three agencies that are responsible for the majority of wildfire-related expenditures in the state:he state incurs wildfire-related expenditures in several departments f

The Appropriations Report summarizes the final action of the General Assembly and the Governor on the budget and other legislation passed during the previous legislative session that contained an appropriation of moneys.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2020-21. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.