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

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...

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,...

This issue brief discusses recent federal guidance related to 1332 state innovation waivers, the required criteria that must be met for approval of a waiver, the  components of federal law that can be waived, the application process for a waiver, the monitoring and review process for an...

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 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...

This memorandum provides information concerning severance taxes in Colorado and eight other western states.  The memo provides detailed information on Colorado’s severance tax structure, including estimates for the current value of the ad valorem tax credit and the stripper well exemption. ...

A dynamic model attempts to quantify the downstream effects of a policy change throughout the economy.  Legislative Council Staff (LCS) does not conduct dynamic modeling, which means that fiscal notes and other analyses are limited to the scope of legislation’s direct impacts and, in...

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,...

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,...

This memorandum provides information intended to aid in the evaluation of legislation that would create a new or alter an existing tax expenditure. State law defines a tax expenditure as a “tax provision that provides a gross or taxable income definition, deduction, exemption, credit, or rate...