Latest news with #BarbKirkmeyer
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Dust barely settled from Colorado's 2025 legislative session, already talk of special session
Colorado's legislative session is over, now the fallout begins. Gov. Jared Polis speaks during a press conference with Colorado Democrats following the end of the spring 2025 legislative session Thursday, May 8, 2025. CBS News Lawmakers sent some 400 bills to Gov. Jared Polis' desk, and he's already announced he's vetoing one of them. The bill, sponsored by Democrats, would change the state's Labor Peace Act to make it easier for unions to collect dues from non-union members. The governor said he wouldn't sign the bill without buy-in from both labor and business. As Polis decides the fate of hundreds of bills, he's also warning lawmakers he might call a special session. "We are watching what Congress does," Polis said during a press conference Thursday. Polis says, if congressional Republicans follow through on proposed spending cuts, he will likely reconvene the legislature to deal with impacts to programs such as Medicaid, which covers about one in five Coloradans. "If we come back into a special session, it will clearly be on the Polis administration and the tax-and-spend Democrats in the legislature," said state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (Col-R), who sits on the Joint Budget Committee. Kirkmeyer says Democrats need to prioritize spending. While theTaxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) caps how much the state can spend, Democrats have hinted at a ballot measure to raise the cap after an effort by some members to dismantle TABOR altogether stalled in the Colorado House of Representatives. "Thirty-one Democrat members of the House, 13 Democrat members of the Senate coming after TABOR, preview of coming attractions," state Sen. Paul Lundeen (Col-R) said during a press conference. Republicans warned Democratic bills expanding protections for undocumented immigrants and transgender individuals could also cost the state federal funding. The governor worked to amend the bills and has not said if he will sign them. Colorado Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie (Col-D) defended them. "I think our response in the legislative session was about protecting people's civil rights -- whether that was a newly arrived individual from another country, or it was a person from our LGBTQ community," McCluskie said during a press conference. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Colorado last week over immigration policies and Colorado Attorney General's office has filed 18 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Polis says he will work with the administration where possible. His priorities, Polis says, haven't changed. The first bill he signed post-session creates regional building codes for manufactured housing. "Our challenges in Colorado around making housing more affordable, making our communities safer haven't changed," Polis said. "And who's in the White House doesn't affect the steps we need to take here." In addition to federal spending cuts, some lawmakers are concerned an artificial intelligence law could also prompt a special session. Polis and the Attorney General asked the legislature to delay implementation of the law, which takes effect in February, but an eleventh-hour effort to do that failed. In addition to the union bill, the governor has also expressed concerns about a bill regulating rideshare companies. He hasn't said if he will sign the bill, but Uber has threatened to leave the state if he does.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado lawmakers advance bill to block local cooperation with ICE without a warrant
The Colorado State Senate gave initial approval Monday to a bill that would limit cooperation between local governments and federal immigration authorities. The measure would prohibit public schools, universities, child care centers, health care facilities and local governments from sharing personally identifying information with federal immigration agents. It would also block those agencies from allowing federal agents access to non-public areas without a warrant. In addition, the bill would prevent local law enforcement from notifying or detaining individuals for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "If local governments are not allowed to coordinate in this way and release this info and work with the federal government, it could possibly jeopardize their ability to receive federal funding," said Republican state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer of Weld County. Democratic state Sen. Mike Weissman, whose district includes Aurora, responded to that concern. "Look, I hear regularly from our county commissioners. They're concerned in the current environment about their ability to do their human service work," he said. "They haven't come to us with this kind of thing." Republicans introduced nine amendments to the bill during an eight-hour Senate floor debate. All of them failed.
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado health care providers fight to save community health workers program from budget axe
More than two dozen health care organizations are urging Colorado lawmakers debating the budget to spare a program that they say will save the state money. The Community Health Workers Program helps connect patients with non-profits that assist with food, housing, transportation and other non-clinical needs. The goal is to prevent patients from needing public assistance. The program, which was set to begin in July, costs nearly $3 million in state general fund dollars and $8 million in federal dollars. Children's Hospital Colorado is one of 25 organizations urging lawmakers to keep the program. "Not only is it the right thing to do for kids, and for other patients and families, it saves money in the current budget year. And so, if they're looking to make cuts in a difficult year, this is the one thing you don't want to cut," said Zach Zaslow with Children's Hospital Colorado. The Joint Budget Committee eliminated funding for the program due to a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. "If this is something that is that important to hospitals, why aren't they funding it? Why aren't they bringing in individuals to make sure that families and children are getting the resources that they need or directing them to the resources they need? We have case workers in social service programs, so it seemed duplication and it wan an additional $3 million that, quite frankly, we just don't have," said Senator Barb Kirkmeyer, who sits on the Budget Committee. While the senate restored money for the program, a house committee cut it again. The budget is now before the full house where lawmakers could amend it again to fund the program. They are expected to take an initial vote on the budget today.
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
What was saved and what was sacrificed as Colorado budget writers cut $1.2 billion
After months of crunching numbers and making cuts, Colorado state lawmakers have a balanced budget. The Joint Budget Committee, made up of four democrats and two republicans, voted unanimously on a budget proposal that increases funding for K-12 education and higher education but decreases funding for dozens of programs due to a $1.2 billion shortfall. The cuts touch on everything from workforce development and multi-modal projects to school mental health screenings, disordered eating and kidney disease. Transportation funding will also see a reduction of at least $20 million after the committee cuts road safety fees. For the first time, Medicaid, not K-12 education, accounts for the biggest share of the $16.5 billion general fund. The budget committee increased the reimbursement rate for Medicaid providers by 1.6%, or about $60 million. K-12 will receive $150 million more in general funds, and, depending on how much of the new school formula the legislature decides to implement, schools could get an additional $100 million. Meanwhile, budget writers earmarked an additional $40 million for higher education while capping tuition increases at 3.5% for in-state and out-of-state students. They also kept a 2.5% pay increase for state workers but cut the size of the workforce by 1.5%. Republican Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who sits on the budget committee, said this year's cuts were like ripping a band aid off but next year's cuts will need a tourniquet, "It's going to be 2, 3, 4-year process until we get to right sizing government; until we stop overspending. Our budget isn't constrained by TABOR. Our budget is constrained because we are overspending year over year. And that's the disappointing part to me, we should have done more cuts." Democratic Sen. Jeff Bridges, who chairs the budget committee, said the state is generating enough revenue; it just can't spend it all due to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, which limits spending to inflation plus population, "There's lots of cuts we can make moving into the future, and those hard decisions we will continue to make. But it's not because we don't have revenue. We're in the position we're in because we are up against the rationing limit in TABOR. That's why we're here. And that rationing formula is tied to population plus inflation, and the cost of what we invest in as a government goes up faster than inflation." That is especially true for Medicaid, which increased by nearly $600 million this year. The budget will be introduced in the senate Monday. It still needs approval by both chambers and Gov. Polis. Debate in the senate begins Monday.
CBS News
08-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Democratic lawmakers in Colorado defend plan to spend millions of dollars on new furniture
A hearing at the Colorado State Capitol turned heated Friday as lawmakers debated a plan by legislative leadership to spend millions of dollars on new furniture and office renovations in the midst of a budget crisis. Legislative leadership has budgeted $4 million for furniture and another $6 million for office renovations. State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, wasn't having it. "You want new furniture, wait for it," the Republican told colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Kirkmeyer says she's worried about how to fund programs for low-income families, children with disabilities and kids who are neglected and abused, not new furniture for lawmakers. "I'm thinking that's a 'nice to have' when I am sitting there in front of a bunch early intervention people who can't get the funding that they need for providers to fund children with severe disabilities and provide services to them," she said. The furniture is part of a $10 million renovation aimed at moving the offices of all lawmakers into the capitol -- half of them are housed in nearby buildings -- and moving legislative staff into a building across the street. Senate President James Coleman says if they wait to buy the furniture, it will cost even more. "These updates were approved through the normal legislative process, planned well in advance and part of responsible long-term stewardship of government facilities," Coleman said. Money for the renovations comes from a little-known fund in the legislative branch where leadership rolls over unspent general fund allocations. About $23 million has gone into it since 2020. Kirkmeyer introduced an amendment to sweep all but $500,000 back into the general fund. Democrats killed it, so she brought another amendment to take back $3.5 million. "The fact is that we didn't need $5.5 million last year, and the year before that $6.2 million and the year before that $4.7 million, I'm thinking $3.5 (million) is not a big, huge cut that you couldn't deal with," she said. It too failed, but Democrats on the committee said they'd think about it. Kirkmeyer had a message for them. "So I would ask everyone: check in. Where are your values? Where are your priorities? Is it with these kids that are neglected and abused? Is it with these low-income families that we're trying to get child care for. Is it for children with severe disabilities? Or is it for furniture?" Kirkmeyer said. The rollover cash fund is controlled by six people - the Speaker, President of the Senate and majority and minority leaders in both chambers. They all voted for the furniture and renovations. The Legislative Branch is also asking for an increase of about $700,000 in its overall budget despite not spending all the money it receives now, and even as budget writers ask every department to make cuts. Kirkmeyer plans to bring her amendments back when they debate the legislature's budget on the floor, along with another amendment to stop leadership from rolling over unspent general fund money in the future. She says money for any renovations should be coming from the "Capitol Renovation Fund."
