Transportation Planning and Funding in Colorado
This issue brief examines the entities and revenue sources used to administer and finance Colorado's transportation system.
Second Regular Session | 74th General Assembly
Colorado General AssemblyThis issue brief examines the entities and revenue sources used to administer and finance Colorado's transportation system.
The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill. Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget. This issue brief outlines the types of projects...
Information technology (IT) is used by every state agency to make operations more efficient and services more widely available to the citizens of Colorado. Along with other day-to-day expenses of state government, expenses related to IT are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual...
In response to natural disasters that have hit Colorado in recent years, the General Assembly has enacted a number of tax breaks aimed at mitigating or relieving the impact of these disasters on taxpayers. Tax breaks can take a number of different forms, such as an income tax deduction,...
Senate Bill (SB) 09-228, adopted by the General Assembly during the 2009 legislative session, creates a five-year block of statutory transfers from the General Fund to finance transportation and capital construction projects. This issue brief discusses the state law that specifies the amounts of...
This memorandum provides information about the charge of the Joint Technology Committee, as established by House Bill 13-1079 and amended by House Bill 14-1395. It discusses the formation, membership, and meetings of the committee, the powers and duties of the committee, staff assistance, and...
State law defines "achievement gap" as the difference in academic achievement attained by student groups on the statewide assessments and "growth gap" as the differences among student groups in the rates of academic growth.1 Achievement gaps are observable between racial or ethnic groups of...
In 2000, voters approved Amendment 20, allowing the possession and use of medical marijuana in Colorado. In 2012, voters approved Amendment 64, legalizing marijuana for use by adults aged 21 and older. Sales of retail marijuana for adult use began on January 1, 2014.
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY
During the summer and fall of 2014, seven interim committees and commissions met to discuss policy issues and draft legislation for consideration by the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session. As required by legislative rules, the Legislative Council Committee met to review the...
School Finance Funding Comparison With Passage of Both HB 14-1292 and HB 14-1298, FY 2014-15
Current Law vs. Passage of HB 14-1292 and HB 14-1298 Combined
School Finance Funding Comparison With Both HB 14-1292 and HB 14-1298
FY 2014-15 vs FY 2013-14
Remedial education refers to academic courses in higher education intended to improve the basic skills of new or returning college students, so that they are adequately prepared for college-level work. These basic skills courses are typically non-credit courses. This issue brief discusses how...
This memorandum provides an overview of K-12 funding within the context of the state's operating budget. In December 2013, about $1.1 billion was transferred from the General Fund to the State Education Fund (SEF). The General Assembly has used some of this one-time money to set funding levels...
Assessments provide teachers, parents, students, policymakers, and other stakeholders in Colorado's education system with a way of measuring student performance against state standards. First administered on a statewide basis in 1997 under the name Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP),...
Gun control is a much studied and debated topic. Proponents of gun control argue that the availability of firearms is directly linked to gun deaths and injury, especially in situations of domestic violence. Opponents counter that crime victims who defend themselves with guns are less likely to...
This issue brief examines Colorado's fireworks law, including the ability of cities and counties to regulate fireworks.
On May 14, 2013, Governor Hickenlooper issued an executive order directing the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to develop the Colorado Water Plan (CWP). According to executive order D 2013-005, the CWP must promote a productive economy that supports vibrant and sustainable cities;...
The FY 2013-14 General Fund surplus is estimated at $235.8 million.1 State law requires this surplus to be distributed in the amounts and order shown in Table 1.2 Additionally, the transfer to the Capital Construction Fund is allocated by state law in the order and amounts shown in Table 2.3 Up...
Child support is a required payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child after a divorce or other dissolution of a relationship. This issue brief summarizes how child support orders are issued, details elements of child support enforcement units and various child support...
This memorandum provides background information on the structure of the business personal property tax and the estimated fiscal impact of eliminating the tax. The first section of the memorandum describes the business personal property tax base, authorized exemptions, filing procedures, and the...
This issue brief provides information on the relative size of state and local governments, compared with the total state economy. Government expenditures are represented as a percentage of the state's gross domestic product (GDP). In Colorado, stategovernmentexpendituresarebelowthenational...
Telecommunications regulation has been an active issue in the Colorado state legislature for several years. In 2014, five bills passed that changed telecommunications regulation, subsidies, and infrastructure in Colorado. These bills deregulate a number of telecommunications products, specify...