[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6340337,"mediaKeyId","2259593-020744b87799f31ce23a4fecf74d7f80","parentId",2259593,"title","Appropriations panel advances supplemental for CBI DNA testing but removes roll‑forward authority","audioSeconds",2922,"startMs",2532000,"endMs",5454000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2259593-020744b87799f31ce23a4fecf74d7f80&start=2532&end=5454","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2259593-020744b87799f31ce23a4fecf74d7f80/thumbnail_2532000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6340337/Colorado/Appropriations-panel-advances-supplemental-for-CBI-DNA-testing-but-removes-rollforward-authority","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6340337-a8e720cbad60bad24e977327ddf9b567/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168722&Signature=VW3ubOZE33TjEnEhIfZ3tNQ0Q7vz9Jh11g7o~usfvHp6JwnnNe--4CRrD4vPDV3LXvBgzC2BrrteX9ZUGVjqrQOZAe0wZgeJBTY5uoyoKUo~G4w8WV0i0mw6tw~VJnx8~0hpZ670pgjgOkjaIGe4Ij6lK1sP7moW7PzuRyRxNaOrxiioOk~Qm6kkK24sAYmDnqBVKj6UVQcx01jzRHPa7Zdmlnv9VI8GXDR5GlxNs0-vCkGu6O8knyXUByrHRBi1AZVdf8sphDpMAvtxxfV6mHwBXFzTD8KU0yQ0tmw7pbg-3N3OAIJUWXNZ229jLgeeyGan5gQpCtcezAmYByuETw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado State Legislature","date","2025-02-11T00:00:00Z","article","The House Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 105 to the Committee of the Whole on a 9‑2 vote after adopting an amendment that removed the bill’s authority to roll forward unspent funds into the next fiscal year.

The bill covers supplemental spending for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to address a backlog of sexual‑assault evidence kits and related DNA testing work. Committee members and witnesses debated whether allowing money to roll forward was necessary to secure a one‑year contract with an out‑of‑state lab that has capacity to process a large portion of the backlog.

The detail matters because, according to testimony, there are 1,407 unprocessed sexual‑assault kits and an average wait of roughly 529 days for analysis. \"At this time, there are 1,407 survivors whose lives have been upended,\" said Elizabeth Newman, public policy director for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, testifying in support of the supplemental. Newman said survivors urged passage so CBI could begin clearing the backlog while lawmakers work on longer‑term oversight measures.

Joe Malekka, legislative director for the Colorado Department of Public Safety, told the committee the department had identified an out‑of‑state lab with capacity now to process about 1,000 kits and that the vendor estimated a roughly 60‑day turnaround at the lab plus another 30 days for CBI to enter results into CODIS — \"so 90 day turnaround from when we send the kits out to when we can have it back in hand for a prosecutor,\" he said. Malekka said the department fears losing that vendor capacity if it waits; labs that perform this work are in high demand, he said.

Committee members pressed the department on timing, prior use of the appropriation and accountability. Several members said they were troubled that detailed plans and documents arrived late (a white paper was emailed to members the evening before the hearing) and that previous appropriations had not resolved the backlog. Representative Taggart and other committee members said they wanted guardrails and clearer plans before allowing roll forward authority.

The committee considered amendment J002, which strikes the supplemental's roll‑forward authority. The amendment was moved by the bill sponsor (identified in committee as Madam Vice Chair) and seconded by Representative Taggart. The amendment passed on a recorded vote of 9 to 2 (Yes: Representative Bassenacker; Representative Bottoms; Representative Garcia Sander; Representative Luck; Representative McCormick; Representative Taggart; Representative Titone; the Madam Vice Chair; the Madam Chair. No: Representative Joseph; Representative Velasco).

After adoption of J002, the committee moved the bill as amended and voted to advance Senate Bill 105 on a 9 to 2 vote (Yes: Representative Bassenacker; Representative Garcia Sander; Representative Joseph; Representative McCormick; Representative Taggart; Representative Titone; Representative Velasco; the Madam Vice Chair; the Madam Chair. No: Representative Adams; Representative Luck).

Discussion vs. decision

- Discussion: witnesses described the backlog size (1,407 kits), the current average wait (~529 days), and the department's plan to contract with a lab that could receive ~1,000 kits. Committee members repeatedly requested additional detail on timelines, prior expenditures of the $3 million appropriation and stronger oversight measures.
- Direction/assignment: committee members signaled intent to work on guardrails and possible statutory or footnote language to accompany any future roll‑forward authority; the amendment removed roll forward authority pending that work.
- Formal decision: amendment J002 (remove roll‑forward authority) passed 9‑2; SB105 as amended advanced to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation 9‑2.

Where the money came from and timing

The $3,000,000 in question originated in an earlier supplemental appropriation. Department witnesses said the original intent was to send a subset of cases for third‑party retesting, but internal reviews diverted staff resources and led to a growing backlog of kits. The department says the current plan is to use the funds to contract out kit analysis because kits are uniform evidence and therefore efficient to outsource to an external lab.

What proponents and critics said

Newman (Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault) said survivors prefer securing funding for timely testing even if legislative guardrails are developed afterward: \"Passing the extension would secure the funding for the necessary time frame while we develop a bill to put guardrails in place.\" Malekka said losing immediate access to a lab with large capacity could significantly slow any effort to reduce the backlog.

What the committee acted on

- Amendment J002 (striking roll‑forward authority) — moved by the Madam Vice Chair; seconded by Representative Taggart — PASSED 9‑2.
- Senate Bill 105 as amended — moved to Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation — PASSED 9‑2.

Next steps

The committee and sponsors said they intend to work with victim advocates, the Joint Budget Committee and the department to draft guardrails that would permit targeted roll‑forward authority with clearer accountability and reporting requirements in a subsequent action (long bill language, supplemental or conference). The department said it can still contract in the current fiscal year but that a roll‑forward would allow larger, year‑long contracts to send about 1,000 kits to a vendor and achieve the faster reduction the department described.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations [Feb 11, 2025]","oneSentenceSummary","The House Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 105, a supplemental to address a backlog of sexual‑assault evidence kits at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, after adopting amendment J002 that removes the bill's authority to roll unspent funds into the next fiscal year.","taxTitle","Appropriations, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Colorado","taxId",43220,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6340332,"Appropriations advances supplemental bills across state agencies; health, schools and capital items highlighted",6140,356000,6496000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2259593-020744b87799f31ce23a4fecf74d7f80&start=356&end=6496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2259593-020744b87799f31ce23a4fecf74d7f80/thumbnail_356000.jpg","/articles/6340332/Colorado/Appropriations-advances-supplemental-bills-across-state-agencies-health-schools-and-capital-items-highlighted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6340332-b555745092bbb4593105d1f74ecad79f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168722&Signature=D7Pmh93u432KJFHA9sDmdZ3SjvlICOMebIl0RjCNUVxbhd-MBIm2z4bJffvVoawtj9Td7SS3xhTTvaD0FUCY-PjjFnjHx0YV5fAIzQqPxb40GKzu6JspyfkxDXdHGdzVW34O43PpJDD0PydfyxlcbJB~~NhNgwOke9jgtikvvZ7Kyk72eVzZufC63bgU73bVxmaL-lOeZIF7po-I3hcCE6u-YP-WRx7EyYwLgghrTqvduGd0yXU1WYxhO3GBkuwXtcI9UCyG2afBBUIKdDGOyTXE3pLE8nTM1Zo0qLhqpB6AE2oHYICUezuGH-t61WgCBS8SmdgVyL8mbz5o06D6NQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bills 88 through 115 to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendations on a series of recorded votes. Most bills were routine technical or budgetary true‑ups tied to state agencies, but several included substantive funding changes highlighted during committee discussion.

Key items and committee action

- Senate Bill 93 (Department of Health Care Policy and Financing): The committee was told the bill contains a net increase of $324,200,000 in total funds to account for medical services premiums, behavioral health, office of community living, school health services, and other adjustments, including ARPA reallocations for home‑and‑community‑based services and funding tied to a Department of Justice settlement for ADA compliance. The bill passed on a vote of 8‑3.

- Senate Bill 113 (K‑12 funding adjustments): The bill provides a $64.1 million supplemental for the school finance formula driven by census changes (about $38.5 million) and reduced local property tax revenue offsets (about $25.6 million). The committee advanced the bill; the recorded vote was 10‑1.

- Senate Bill 111 (capital construction): The supplemental included multiple capital items, among them funding for Arapahoe Community College renovations, two phases of renovation at Trinidad State College's Freudenthal Library, and roughly $796,000 for Fort Lyon decentralized building heating to address an imminent heating system failure. The committee advanced the bill unanimously.

- Senate Bill 105 (Department of Public Safety / CBI backlog): Committee adopted amendment J002 to strip roll‑forward authority pending guardrails, then advanced SB105 as amended 9‑2. (SB105 is the subject of a separate, detailed article.)

- Senate Bill 102 (Department of Natural Resources): The bill included cash‑fund authority and 0.8 FTE from parks and wildlife funds to scale a body‑worn camera pilot for Colorado Parks and Wildlife law enforcement; committee members asked whether the pilot was statutory and discussed data‑storage costs. The bill passed 8‑3.

- Senate Bill 96 (Judicial Department): Included funding increases for the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel, contract interpreters, courthouse facility grants from the Underfunded Courthouse Facilities Cash Fund, and IT cybersecurity improvements for the state public defender; passed 9‑2.

Other votes and routine adjustments

Many bills were technical or reflected budgetary impacts from central services (Office of Information Technology or Department of Personnel). Several passed unanimously, including SB89 (Corrections adjustments for food inflation, phone call costs and technical corrections), SB95 (Human Services technical and caseload corrections), SB97 (Labor and Employment technical adjustments), SB98 (Department of Law technical corrections), SB107 (Revenue technical decrease), SB114 (repeal of an underused Financial Literacy and Exchange Program, returning approximately $625,000 to the general fund), and others.

Votes at a glance (bill ' outcome — summary)

- SB88 — PASSED 7‑3 — Department of Agriculture fund‑source changes to limit general fund impact.
- SB89 — PASSED unanimous — Department of Corrections: food inflation, phone calls, technical and caseload changes.
- SB90 — PASSED 8‑2 — Department of Early Childhood indirect cost true‑up (no general fund impact).
- SB91 — PASSED unanimous — Department of Education accounting changes (net decrease $112,232 total funds).
- SB92 — PASSED 9‑1 — Governor's office: $208,890 GF for IT services.
- SB93 — PASSED 8‑3 — Health Care Policy & Financing: net +$324.2M total funds, ARPA reallocations, DOJ settlement funding.
- SB94 — PASSED 9‑2 — Higher Education cash fund increases and COP true‑ups for campuses.
- SB95 — PASSED unanimous — Human Services: adoption/guardianship assistance, Fort Logan unit delay, BHA adjustments.
- SB96 — PASSED 9‑2 — Judicial Department: defense counsel, interpreters, virtual court system funding, cybersecurity.
- SB97 — PASSED unanimous — Labor & Employment: disabled parking education fund increase and technicals.
- SB98 — PASSED unanimous — Department of Law technical decrease (~$1.2M total funds).
- SB99 — PASSED 8‑3 — Legislative branch IT services increase.
- SB100 — PASSED 8‑3 — Department of Local Affairs budget true‑up.
- SB101 — PASSED 10‑1 — Military & Veterans Affairs: small total funds increase for OIT and fleet costs.
- SB102 — PASSED 8‑3 — Natural Resources: cash fund appropriation and 0.8 FTE for a body‑worn camera pilot.
- SB103 — PASSED 8‑3 — Department of Personnel fleet and IT cost adjustments.
- SB104 — PASSED 8‑3 — Public Health & Environment: landfill remediation grant adjustments and OIT decrease.
- SB105 — PASSED 9‑2 — Public Safety/CBI DNA backlog (as amended; roll‑forward authority removed by J002).
- SB106 — PASSED 9‑2 — Department of Regulatory Agencies OIT and personnel cost adjustments.
- SB107 — PASSED unanimous — Department of Revenue OIT‑driven cash fund decrease (~$585K).
- SB108 — PASSED 10‑1 — Secretary of State: one‑time $54K cash fund for signature‑verification staffing.
- SB109 — PASSED 9‑2 — Department of Transportation administrative/operations offsets.
- SB110 — PASSED 10‑1 — Treasury unclaimed property postage and claims processing increases.
- SB111 — PASSED unanimous — Capital construction projects, including Fort Lyon heating, college renovations.
- SB112 — PASSED 8‑3 — IT projects for Health Care Policy & Financing and Vocational Rehabilitation DVR system.
- SB113 — PASSED 10‑1 — K‑12 funding adjustments totaling $64.1M (census and property tax changes).
- SB114 — PASSED unanimous — Repeal of underused Financial Literacy and Exchange program (Flex); ~$625K return to GF.
- SB115 — PASSED 9‑2 — Roll‑forward authority for Colorado State Forest Service Seedling Tree Nursery.

What to watch next

- SB93 (HCPF) and SB113 (K‑12) are the largest dollar items and may receive additional scrutiny or floor debate as the bills move through the House and into conference.
- SB105 (CBI DNA backlog) now proceeds with amendment J002; committee leaders said they will work with advocates and staff to draft targeted guardrails should roll‑forward authority be restored.

","The House Appropriations Committee advanced a slate of supplemental spending bills (Senate Bills 88–115) to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendations, approving most measures unanimously or by clear margins. Notable items include a large Medicaid‑related supplemental, school funding adjustments, capital projects and appropriations","actionData","errors"]

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Appropriations panel advances supplemental for CBI DNA testing but removes roll‑forward authority

Appropriations advances supplemental bills across state agencies; health, schools and capital items highlighted