April 24, 2026 · Appropriations · 4,200 words · 14 speakers · 241 segments
. Thank you. Thank you. House appropriations will come to order. Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representative Baisenecker.
Here.
Bottoms. Here. Joseph. Here. McCormick. Here. Soper. Here. Taggart. Here. Titone. Here. Velasco. Here. Zilkai. Here. Madam Vice Chair. Excuse. And Mr. Chair. Here. All right, folks. We have a couple of about eight bills on the docket today. Let's go ahead and get started with 1306. Madam Majority Leader.
Welcome. Committee members, do we have any questions for our bill sponsor? All right, seeing none, Madam Majority Leader, I understand you have an amendment in the packet.
Would you like us to move L-001?
Yes, Mr. Chair, I would.
Thank you.
Representative McCormick?
I move L001 to House Bill 1306.
Second.
Are there any objections to L001? Seeing none, L001 is passed. Are there any additional amendments from the committee or sponsors? Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Note for the record that Madam Vice Chair, Representative Sirota, has joined us. Are there any additional comments or questions? Sorry, additional wrap up. Seeing none, Madam Vice Chair, would you like to?
Sorry.
What?
No.
You were expecting both. The committee will stand in a brief recess. I'll come back to order. I am being told by staff that we still need the appropriations in the J amendment. And so, Madam Majority Leader.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to clarify because I saw that we have the J001 and then the L001.
So I just want to make sure that we move what we need to.
Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out, too. I was under the impression that because we had removed the Tabor impact with L001 that we no longer needed the J amendment. but our JBC staff is saying that we still need to appropriate the money, even if there is no more TABOR impact, I think is what I'm being told. So if it's okay with you, we'll go ahead and move the J amendment as well.
Yes, please do, Mr. Chair. Okay, thank you. Madam Vice Chair?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move J001.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Glasgow. Are there any objections to J001? All right, seeing none, the amendment passes. All right, are there any additional amendments? All right, seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Wrap up from the committee. Any additional amendments? All right, seeing none, Madam Vice Chair, would you like to move the bill?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move House Bill 1306 as amended to the Committee of the Whole.
Seconded.
Seconded by Representative Velasco. So, Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representative Spasenecker.
Yes.
Bottoms.
No.
Joseph.
Yes.
McCormick.
Yes.
Soper.
Yes.
Taggart.
Yes.
Titone.
No.
Velasco.
Yes.
Zilkai.
Yes.
Madam Vice Chair.
Yes.
And Mr. Chair.
Yes. That passes 9 to 2. All right. Thank you, Madam Majority Leader. Let's move on to 1206. Representative Joseph, would you like to describe, or do you have any, sorry, are there any questions for our bill sponsor, Representative Joseph? Seeing none. We, in this particular case, we do have two amendments in our packet. I believe the sponsor has prepared L009. Representative Joseph, would you like us to move that?
Yes, I move L009.
Second.
Seconded by Madam Vice Chair. Is there any objection to L009? Seeing none, L009 is passed. Are there any additional amendments?
No, Mr. Chair.
I see a J001.
Yes, but we don't need it according to our staff.
Awesome, no more amendments. Okay, seeing no further amendments, the amendment phase is closed. Wrap up from the committee. All right, seeing none, Representative Joseph.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move 1206 to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendations, thank you.
As amended.
As amended.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Velasco. Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representative Basenecker.
Yes.
Bottoms.
No.
Joseph. McCormick.
Yes.
Soper.
No. Taggart. No. Tatone. Yes.
Velasco. Yes.
Zocay. Yes.
Madam Vice Chair. Yes.
Mr. Chair. Yes.
That passes on a vote of 8 to 3.
All right. Let's move on to Representative Jackson and Mabry, if they're here. Welcome, that's fine. We'll be sure to embarrass him later. No, I'm just kidding. We do, yeah, thank you. Representative Jackson, or do we have any questions for our bill sponsor All right seeing none Representative Jackson we have L002 in our packet Would you like us to move this amendment
Good morning.
Yes, please.
Thank you.
Madam Vice Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move L002 to House Bill 1256.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Velasco.
Is there any objection to L002? Seeing none, L002 has passed. Okay. Okay, Representative Jackson, do you have any additional amendments?
No, I don't.
Great, committee members, seeing no further amendments, the amendment phase is closed. Wrap up from the committee. All right, seeing none, Madam Vice Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, I move House Bill 1256 as amended to the Committee of the Whole.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Belasco.
Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representatives Basenecker.
Yes.
Bottoms. No.
Joseph. Yes.
McCormick. Yes.
Soper. Yes. Taggart. Yes. Titone. Yes.
Velasco. Yes.
Zilkai. Yes.
Madam Vice Chair. Yes.
And Mr. Chair. Yes.
That bill passes 10 to 1.
Thank you. Thank you, Rep. Jackson. All right, moving on to 1315. in 2015, Representative Soper and Representative Espinosa. Welcome Representative Espinosa. Committee members, do we have any questions for our bill sponsors? Oh, Representative Soper.
Oh, no, I was just thinking here. Oh, okay.
Welcome Representative Soper, thank you. If I didn't note it earlier, I apologize. Okay, seeing no questions, we have no amendments. Your fiscal note is zero. Thank you for doing the work in the previous committee. Are there any amendments from the sponsor or from the committee? Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Wrap up from the committee. All right, seeing none. Representative Soper.
I move House Bill 1315 to the Committee of the Whole with the favorable recommendation.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Taggart.
Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representative Basenecker.
Yes. Bottoms.
Yes. Joseph.
Yes. McCormick.
Yes. Soper.
Yes. Taggart. Yes. Titone. Yes. Blasco.
Yes. Zilkai.
Yes. Madam Vice Chair.
Yes. And Mr. Chair.
Yes. That bill passes unanimously. All right. Moving on to 1416. you're in charge. All right, we are the committee of reference for this bill. So bill sponsors, who would like to tell us about the bill? Representative Wynn.
Thank you, Madam Chair. HB 261416 makes two targeted transfers of existing funds within the Office of Economic Development and International Trade to support Colorado's budget and economy without requesting any new funding. What this bill does is that it transfers $2.3 million in unused scholarship funds to the General Fund for Budget Balancing and reallocates $1.2 million in existing unused funds to support small business-facing economic challenges, builds on prior action to return unused funds, bringing the total net return to $5.6 million to the General Fund, and does not create any new programs or request any new appropriations. Behind me, you'll hear testimony from a audit SBDC director as well as clients who have directly banned from this funding. And I'll also turn this over to my co-prime for any further explanation and the importance of this bill. Thank you.
Chair Brown.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I appreciate that. I don't think I could say it any better than my co-prime. So good bill vote, yes.
Any questions for the bill sponsors? All right, seeing none, we'll move on to witness testimony. is there anyone in the room or online who wishes to testify on House Bill 1416? Okay. Do we have anyone online? Okay. Please introduce yourself. You'll each have two minutes. So just introduce yourself, who you represent, and you can begin with your testimony.
Good morning, Mr. Chair and committee members. My name is Hannah Krieger. I serve as the state director of Colorado's Small Business Development Center, or SBDC, hosted by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. And I'm here to testify in support of House Bill 1416. Colorado's small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy, with over 715,000 businesses employing about 1.1 million Coloradans. In 2024, the Colorado SBDC supported 452 business starts and helped retain and create more than 3,300 jobs that account for an estimated $251 million in wages. In that year, SBDC support generated an estimate of $8.4 million in aggregated sales and income tax revenue for the state of Colorado. Through no-cost confidential one-on-one business advising, no-to-low-cost educational programs, and connections to local resources, the SBDC provides guidance small businesses need to grow, thrive, and strengthen Colorado's economy. The Colorado SBDC is currently experiencing a delay in its 2026 federal funds that has been ongoing for nearly five months. This delay has made it more difficult for the network to support small businesses as they manage economic uncertainty. Since the start of this year alone, one quarter of all client inquiries received by our small business navigator requested support regarding economic uncertainty. As the go-to resource for small business owners over the past 40 years, the Colorado SBDC serves as the primary support system for small businesses to navigate challenges and take advantage of available opportunities. House Bill 1416 takes a practical and responsible approach to existing resources. The bill transfers $2.3 million in unused scholarship funds to the general fund to support budget balancing. It also reallocates $1.2 million in existing unused funds to directly support small businesses. The return on investment with the Colorado SBDC means that this money is an investment in small businesses and in the economic vitality for all Coloradans. This funding will address real-time economic pressures providing small businesses with essential education in the form of long-term strategic planning, financial management, and loan readiness to boost business resiliency and retain essential jobs. Would you like me to stop?
If we have questions, we can come back to it. All right, you've got two minutes.
Good morning. Thank you, Chair and Committee. My name is Anne Wintemute. I'm the co-founder and CEO of Amy Says. We provide online services to survivors of domestic violence, and I'm testifying in favor of House Bill 1416. Last year, I participated in an accelerator program through the SBDC program in Boulder. I had experience starting small businesses, but I didn't know what it would take to scale a business to meet the real world demands of this issue. The SBDC changed that. Through their program, I learned customer discovery, product market fit, and how to build something that wouldn't just reach hundreds of people, but hundreds of thousands. Scaling is important to every business, but in our business, it's the difference between saving a life and missing the chance. Domestic violence homicides in Colorado are rising. At the same time, the systems designed to support them are stretched thin. Scale is not just growth strategy. It's how more people in Colorado will stay safe, protect their children, and contribute fully to our economy. Today, because of the SBDC, AMI is supporting nearly 50,000 people across the country. We now provide 25% of the total volume of sessions done by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. And we've created a platform that will help buffer the impact of the drastic federal cuts to victim services. We're just one company, but this isn't about just us. Programs like the SBDC are how Colorado turns early stage ideas into real solutions. When that support disappears, it's not just the funding that's lost. It's future companies, it's future innovation, and it's future outcomes for citizens in this state. I am here today because of the investment that was made in me. And I can say with certainty that the return on that investment is still growing. Thank you.
Thank you. And I see we have someone online and I can't see your name, so go ahead and introduce yourself. You've got two minutes.
Yeah hello Chair and Committee members I am Chaffey County Commissioner P Wood and I am here today in support of HB 261416 As a County Commissioner I seen time and again the benefit that SBDC brings to our rural county. And as a small business owner, I've been a client and personally experienced the difference the SBDC can make for a small business taking on complex challenges. Over the past three years, RSBDC has helped hundreds of clients creating new jobs in a variety of sectors and millions of dollars in investment. The work Audrey and her team do is invaluable to our economy, helping elevate local entrepreneurship, turning ideas and dreams into vital parts of our economy. From 3D printing of homes that help solve our housing crisis, to bags for bikepacking that bring joy to thousands, to the finest whiskey in the world, yes, made right in downtown Salida. The Central Colorado SBDC is making the American dream possible in Chaffee Lake and Park counties, while the other SBDC offices are doing the same across our great state. The world is improved by the work that SBDC does, and HB 261416 helps continue this important service that is changing lives and empowering Colorados to follow their dreams, ensuring a bright future for all of Colorado. Please help us continue this transformational work and vote yes on SB 261416. Thank you for your time and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you. Committee members, do you have questions for our witnesses? All right, seeing none, thank you all so much for your time and testimony today. Is there anyone else in the room who wishes to testify on House Bill 1416? Seeing no one else, the witness testimony phase is closed. All right. Bill sponsors, do you have any amendments for us today?
We do not. All right.
Committee members, any amendments to House Bill 1416? Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Mr. Chair, would you like to move the bill, and do you have any final remarks?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I move House Bill 1416 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.
Second.
Seconded by Representative Velasco.
And I want to also thank Representative Taggart for his work on this bill and for his support of this program. I know it's very important to him as well. So I just appreciate your support today and ask for an aye vote.
Representative Wynne. All right. Committee members, any final discussion on House Bill 1416? Seeing none, Ms. Shen, please pull the committee.
Representatives Basenecker?
Yes. Bottoms?
No. Joseph?
Yes. McCormick?
Yes. Soper?
Yes. Taggart? Yes. Titone? Yes. Velasco?
Yes. Zilkai?
Yes. Madam Chair Sirota?
Yes. And Mr. Chair Brown?
Yes. That bill passes on a vote of 10 to 1. Thank you, Rep. Wynn. Congratulations. You're on to the committee of the whole. All right, moving on to 1419. We are also the committee of reference for this bill. Madam Vice Chair, would you like to start
by describing the bill? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, House Bill 1419 is a bill that is included in our balancing assumptions. It is a relatively short bill. It is simply directing the controller to determine an amount that is equal to the difference between what the state required refund was for fiscal year 25, and then the difference of what would have been required due to the passage of H.R. 1. which was passed a few days after the budget year closed and the fiscal year closed. But because of that, when the fiscal year closed, we were projected to have about $306 million in refunds that then went out. However, what actually happened is that the bill that passed H.R. 1 reduced significantly the revenue coming into the state so that what was actually when the books were closed is not reflective of what actually happened. And this bill solves for that by making up for this TABOR over refund by reducing projected refunds in the next two fiscal years to account and balance for that. So we're spreading the correction over two years to minimize this impact on upcoming TABOR refunds. But under the OSPB forecast, which we are balanced to, Coloradans are still projected to receive refunds in both years.
Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Committee, do we have any questions for our bill sponsors? Representative Bottoms.
So from what I understand, staff said that this puts us in pretty good liability. Can you explain that?
I'm not sure which staff you are referring to, possibly a presentation from Director Harper during the course of the budget committee meeting. And I will say there have been different conversations about the approach we might take and what actual language we are using to implement this bill. but I think that the language that is reflected in the bill is not exactly the approach that was described in that memo, and we feel confident that this is compliant with law, and we are doing what it is the General Assembly is entitled to do under law.
Representative Bottoms.
So if this were to be challenged in court, what do you think would happen?
Thank you, Representative Bottoms. I will just say that I'm sure that any number of bills that we pass here are often challenged in court. This is no different than that. My sense is obviously there are specific mechanisms. If for some reason the General Assembly makes an error, there are specific mechanisms set up under TABOR that create penalties for the state. we believe this is not only legally defensible, but it is appropriate. And that is why we are running this bill.
Last thing.
Representative Bottoms. Yeah, I totally disagree with that. And I think we'll see this when it comes out in the courts.
Thank you, Representative Bottoms. Are there additional questions? All right. We have three people signed up to testify. One is against and two are for questions only. If we could bring up Ms. Natalie Menton online and then if we could bring up Mark Ferrandino and Mr. Bob Jaros. Actually, I believe Mr. Jaros is also online and maybe Mr. Ferrandino is right here and can join us at the dais if he wishes for questions. But in the meantime, Ms. Menton, go ahead and state your name.
You'll have two minutes to testify and we appreciate you being here. Thank you, Natalie Menton, representing myself, speaking in opposition to the bill. Listening to the JBC briefing that occurred in February and speaking to the comments that Director Harper along with as he mentioned there were other individuals from staff involved with that memo at that time Throughout the hearing the word risk was used multiple times and laid out clearly as to what the risk was And as I understand it, recommending not to run the bill that is presently before you. The risk is substantial to taxpayers in this decision because we are talking about $300 million with a four-year look back on interest if the court should find that it was inappropriate at a 10% interest rate. This is outside of the norms that have been set on correcting small issues. And it is very clear that the date that this impacted the fiscal year for the state would have been no different if it was a July date or a December date in making a decision like this. It is still outside of that 24, the fiscal year 24 to 25. And because it is outside of that, it should be reflected in the appropriate year and not backtracked. That is what is outside of the norms, and as listening to the hearing, understanding that is where the risk lies. There is no precedent for that. And for accounting standards, it's concerning that the legislature is telling the auditor, the controller, both would appear, perhaps, that they did not render a clean opinion because that is what came out of the 24 to 25. It was accurate, and therefore it seems like the legislature is trying to overstep by telling somebody to, I don't know, rearrange the numbers.
Thank you very much for your testimony, Ms. Benton. We appreciate it. Committee, we have one witness online and one in front of us for questions only. Do we have any questions?
Representative Zokai. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to ask Mr. Faradino the same questions that we were just discussing. If this were to be challenged in the court, my experience working with you is you're pretty risk adverse. I'm curious what you think the outcome of that lawsuit would be.
Mr. Chair. Mr. Faradino. Director Faradino. Excuse me. I'm sorry. Sorry. Speaker Faradino.
That's what we should call you. I'll answer to anything. Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the record, Mark Faradino, Director of OSPB. We feel very confident. We've done the analysis, had the conversation that the way this bill is written and to deal with current law and how the impact of H.R.1, which really does, it goes back actually to 2020 because people can do accelerated depreciation back to that. The impact is for the and we're getting this numbers in the next month. Actually, we'll get a good amount of numbers because of April filings. go back through all of tax year 25, which remember that tax year 25 is half in 24 and half in 24, 25, and half of it's in 25, 26. And that's what it's trying to do. We feel very strongly this is supported by law and case law to be able to do this and be able to reclaim this money because we did over-refund that money to taxpayers.
Additional questions for our witnesses? All right, seeing none. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for being with us. Thank you, Ms. Menton. All right, seeing no, is there anyone else in the room or online who wishes to testify on House Bill 1419? Seeing none, the witness phase is closed. Sponsors, do we have any amendments?
We do not have any amendments.
We do not have any amendments. Committee members? Oh, wait, we do. I forgot. There is the J Amendment.
We have the J Amendment.
Okay, thank you. Sorry about that. Madam Vice Chair, would you like to move the amendment?
Thank you, Mr. Chair, I move J001.
Second. All right, committee members, do we have any objections to J001?
Representative Soper has objected,
and so Ms. Shen, please call the roll. Representative Basinecker?
Yes. Bottoms?
No. Joseph?
Yes. McCormick?
Yes. Soper?
No. Taggart? No.
Velasco yes, okay. Yes, madam vice chair. Yes, and mr. Chair. Yes
That passes on a vote of eight to three Are there any additional amendments? Seeing none the amendment phase is closed Committee members wrap up All right seeing none
Madam vice chair, thank you, mr. Chair. I move House bill 1419 as amended to the committee of the whole second
Seconded by Representative Velasco.
Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representative Basenecker.
Yes.
Bottoms.
No.
Joseph.
Yes.
McCormick.
Yes.
Soper.
No.
Taggart.
No.
Tatone.
Yes.
Velasco.
Yes.
Zocay.
Yes.
Madam Vice Chair.
Yes.
And Mr. Chair.
Yes. That bill passes on a vote of 8 to 3. All right, moving on to 1276. Representatives Velasco and Garcia, welcome. Do we have any questions for our bill sponsors? Seeing none. Sponsors, we have a J amendment in our packet. Would you like to move that? Representative Velasco.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move J1 to House Bill 1276.
Seconded by Representative Titone.
Are there any objections to J1? Seeing none, J00 is passed. 001 is passed, excuse me. Are there any additional amendments? Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Sponsors, committee members, any additional comments? All right, seeing none, Representative Velasco.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move House Bill 1276 as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.
Seconded by Representative Tutton.
Ms. Shen, please call the roll.
Representatives Basinecker.
Yes.
Bottoms.
No.
Joseph.
Yes.
McCormick.
Yes.
Soper.
No.
Taggart.
No.
Tutton.
Yes.
Velasco.
Yes.
Zocay.
Yes.
Madam Vice Chair.
Yes.
And Mr. Chair.
Yes. that bill passes 8 to 3. All right. Finally, we have 1347. All right. Committee members, do you have questions for our bill sponsors on House Bill 1347? Seeing no questions, bill sponsors, do you have any amendments today?
We do. We do not. Sorry.
Okay. Committee members, any amendments? to House Bill 1347. Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Any final discussion on House Bill 1347? All right.
Mr. Chair. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move House Bill 1347 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation.
Seconded by Representative Velasco.
Ms. Shen, please pull the committee.
Representative Basinecker.
Yes.
Bottoms.
Yes.
Joseph.
Yes.
McCormick.
Yes.
Soper. Yes. Taggart. Yes. Tatone. Yes. Velasco. Yes. Zilkai. Yes. Madam Chair Sirota. Yes.
And Mr. Chair Brown. Yes. Unanimous. That passes unanimously. All right, committee, thank you very much. We will likely meet again on Tuesday and we will see you next week. House Appropriations is adjourned. Thank you very much. There you go.