As the Second Regular Session of the 75th Colorado General Assembly winds down, the conversation once again centers on the state’s annual budget. On April 30, the General Assembly finalized next year’s fiscal plan and sent it to the governor for signature. Despite months of work, one reality remains unchanged: State expenses continue to grow faster than state revenue. That imbalance fuels difficult debates and forces compromises that do not always reflect every Coloradan’s priorities.
There are, however, areas where lawmakers found meaningful alignment. For the third consecutive year, the state portion of K-12 funding avoided the slippery slope of recreating a Budget Stabilization Factor. Fully funding public education as required by our constitution is a welcome bipartisan achievement.
Another example of broad agreement is SB26-149, a significant effort to address long-standing deficiencies in how Colorado’s criminal justice system handles people deemed incompetent to proceed and nonrestorable. This monthslong collaboration – driven by district attorneys, public defenders and disability advocates – has earned near unanimous support as it heads to the House floor. The bill carries a substantial price tag, but legislators across the political spectrum recognized the need to balance public safety with the constitutional rights of vulnerable individuals.
Still, the balanced budget sent to the governor comes with real costs. People with developmental disabilities and the providers who serve them face reductions through Medicaid provider rate cuts. Medicaid spending continues to grow far faster than the revenue allowed under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, and the program is overdue for a comprehensive review.
To close the budget gap, lawmakers also reduced the statutory reserve, relied on prior-year TABOR refunds and swept millions of dollars from cash funds across state agencies. These tactics may balance the books for a single year, but they are not sustainable.
So where do we go from here?
The path forward is not complicated, but it is undeniably controversial. Colorado must either reduce government spending, increase revenue through new taxes or pursue some combination of both. For years, I have raised concerns about the rapid expansion of state government – hundreds of new offices and programs and thousands of new employees over the past decade and a half. Yet there has been little appetite to evaluate these additions for efficiency or prioritize what is essential.
On the revenue side, voters will see ballot measures this November proposing tax increases, including raising the revenue limit first established by TABOR in 1992 and increased by Referendum C in 2005. For many Coloradans, the rising cost of living is already a heavy burden. For those reasons, I cannot support raising taxes or increasing the revenue limit by billions of dollars. I look forward to a thoughtful, deliberate public conversation between now and November.
It remains one of the greatest honors of my life to represent the people of Senate District 6 at the Capitol. As we close out this session, I look forward to traveling the district, listening to residents and continuing the work of building a stronger, more sustainable future for Colorado
Cleave Simpson (R-Alamosa) is Colorado’s Senate Minority Leader and represents District 6 covering Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan and San Miguel counties.
