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April 2020 Colorado Legislative Update
By now you’ve probably heard that Governor Polis has extended the statewide Stay-At-Home order to Sunday, April 26, as well as reiterated the call for individuals to wear protective face masks when out in public spaces. At this point, even projections for peak infection have varying results and it’s difficult to know if April 26 will be long enough to protect community members and keep our hospital system from becoming overwhelmed, further damaging our health as well as our economy. Gov. Polis is hosting a statewide town hall this evening to answer questions about the State’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As we support our communities by sheltering in our homes, governmental processes continue moving forward, even if more slowly. Here’s an update from our Legislative Liaison Sol Malick, who is monitoring the changing landscape for the Colorado legislature daily.
On Wednesday, April 1, the State Supreme Court ruled the Colorado legislature “can, during the exceptional circumstance of a public health disaster emergency, count only “working calendar days” toward the 120-day maximum.” This means the 2020 legislative session can reconvene when it’s safe to meet in large groups as long as it doesn’t surpass the 120-day restriction. With this ruling, there are roughly 50 working days left for the legislature to reconvene without restrictions at any time this year.
Here are a few of the main takeaways to consider based on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling:
The Court’s inclusion of “working calendar days” instead of calendar days means the legislature will gain roughly 15 workdays by not counting weekend days against the 120-day limit, as is standard practice in a non-emergency year.
The state’s 2020-2021 fiscal year begins July 1, 2020, so a budget must be passed by June 30. In a normal year, the powerful six-member Joint Budget Committee spends the better part of six months in the fall and winter building the annual state budget, dubbed the “Long Bill”. Passing this legislation, containing the budget of every state department, is a lengthy process as well. The House and the Senate typically devote a full week of session to budget each year. The budget has been growing steadily in Colorado’s expanding economy over the past decade, topping $30 Billion dollars in 2019-2020 budget year, with nearly $15 billion in general funding the legislature has direct control over.
The most recent budget forecast, given only two days after the legislature went into recess due to the growing risks of the coronavirus threat, estimated the $800 million increase previously projected for the 2020-2021 budget year had already been sliced down to $25 million during the early days of the pandemic response. This was attributed to a perfect storm of projected shortfalls due to the stoppage of business and tourism travel to and from the state, 20+ year low oil prices due to the Saudi/Russia price war, and various other economically detrimental effects of the coronavirus shutdown. The next forecast will not be until June. Essentially, the state could be pushed to its financial brink, and no one can reasonably predict the outcome.
—Sol Malick
Along with the legislative session, 2020 remains a huge election year for all levels of government, including Montrose, Ridgway, and other western Colorado community’s local elections being determined tomorrow The legislative recess could push this year’s state session deep into the election cycle, potentially impacting the outcome of the makeup of the Colorado legislature. Similarly, this is the time of year when ballot measure campaigns are heavily circulating petitions to secure their place on the ballot, and to give each measure a fair shot the Colorado Secretary of State’s office is advocating for a pause in signature collection timelines with governor’s office as well as exploring the potential for electronic signature gathering. Overall, there are still more unknowns that need to be answered, and we’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn more.
Jeriel joined the Western Colorado Alliance staff in February 2017 (back when we were still Western Colorado Congress), but you may remember her as our Canvass Director for the successful Minimum Wage ballot initiative in 2016! In her young career, Jeriel has worked with engaged citizens across Colorado on issues ranging from veterans' affairs, healthcare and women’s rights. Jeriel has called Grand Junction and the Western Slope home for 16 years, and enjoys running, hiking, biking and crafting with her daughter Emma.