[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6110551,"mediaKeyId","2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812","parentId",2757605,"title","JBC approves drafting of bills to move disability buy‑in premiums and consider nursing facility fees in enterprise","audioSeconds",498,"startMs",13158000,"endMs",13656000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812&start=13158&end=13656","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812/thumbnail_13158000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6110551/Colorado/JBC-approves-drafting-of-bills-to-move-disability-buyin-premiums-and-consider-nursing-facility-fees-in-enterprise","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6110551-f506e893cf33b3ae9aeafc9da92a637f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770978040&Signature=Qn~63jyPEF3d5ws1CkRZRcV0skJCmlW4dVkCYrmsn910iK1GYY5aZBwDRJUo47V3e5KFxhyA21SY38Z2K3ImlEtaL9gFKHhXdkRB0o4dTFGAU82r23gq0p1D560eihDnTiKhsr8jLmcYV8~yXsIjK4YKSKOrO2Rm5Z89m80mRuPfkxlky~J2NoCNTgpYfItfYoK7ELAYbXO4d49sFXbJNm7aCbg0p6oaj95nr6eKylKismCGv~kedu1j04tYffsBerUtmHeYM4POmjx1dxiUDWPB1uBj9~HUkI5UO2K2hVAhGo7PkHczJ5X0CL6E9GUmEmUsMxJaW88ZJ5NRrVdnCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado State Legislature","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Joint Budget Committee directed staff to draft and introduce two related bill drafts tied to the state’s health care fee and enterprise framework.

Rebecca Bietti of the Office of Legislative Legal Services presented a working title for the enterprise bill: \"Concerning additional services provided by the Colorado Health Care Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise, and in connection therewith, modifying charges collected to provide additional services by the enterprise.\"

JBC staff described two components. First, a draft would change the statutory recipient of premiums for the Medicaid disability buy‑in program so those premiums are collected and retained by the Colorado Health Care Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (sometimes called the HAS enterprise) rather than flowing directly to the state’s general revenue. Rick Kurtz, JBC staff, said the shift would reduce the state’s TABOR refund obligation by an estimated $1.1 million in the current year and about $6.7 million in 2025–26 on an ongoing basis, because premium dollars would be counted inside the enterprise rather than state TABOR‑countable revenue.

The committee approved introduction of the disability buy‑in bill draft by voice vote. The motion to introduce the enterprise disability buy‑in premiums bill and give staff technical‑correction authority passed unanimously.

Second, staff presented a related policy option: moving two nursing‑facility provider fees (the nursing facility fee and the intermediate care facility fee for individuals with developmental disabilities) to the enterprise model so the fee revenue would be accounted for inside the enterprise. JBC staff said moving those fees into the enterprise would reduce TABOR refund exposure by roughly $65.2 million annually. The committee did not adopt that draft as a bill during the same motion; instead members agreed to treat the nursing provider fee proposal as a Long Bill balancing assumption and asked staff to include the fiscal effect in draft balancing materials. That motion passed 4–2, with Representatives Taggart and Senator Kirkmeyer recorded as objecting.

Why it matters: moving fee and premium collections into an enterprise changes how those dollars are counted for TABOR purposes and can reduce the state’s TABOR refund obligation while preserving funding to operate programs. Those changes can be controversial because they alter the distribution of cash between TABOR‑countable state revenue and enterprise assets used for program support.

What the committee decided: the committee authorized introduction of the disability buy‑in enterprise bill (6–0) and agreed to include the nursing facility provider fee concept as a balancing assumption (4–2). Staff were given authority to make technical corrections to bill text and to work with legislative leadership on sponsorship and scheduling.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Budget Committee [Mar 20, 2025]","oneSentenceSummary","The Joint Budget Committee voted to draft a bill moving disability buy‑in premiums to the state health enterprise and agreed to treat a nursing‑facility provider fee redesign as a balancing assumption.","taxTitle","Joint Budget Committee, YEAR-ROUND COMMITTEES, Committees, Legislative, Colorado","taxId",45208,"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},6110556,"Marijuana tax cash fund still shows a shortfall; JBC trims some governor proposals and asks staff for a revised list of cuts",1489,10646000,12135000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812&start=10646&end=12135","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812/thumbnail_10646000.jpg","/articles/6110556/Colorado/Marijuana-tax-cash-fund-still-shows-a-shortfall-JBC-trims-some-governor-proposals-and-asks-staff-for-a-revised-list-of-cuts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6110556-e20613b9095400e84192ce38cef4fe19/orig.mp4?Expires=1770978040&Signature=jJ5PLtdsdM06aKtrbOwhN~I~jtrao8h61TZ-qnbCMQEIv8LMYn8~zbLT7SXlOVacpZ3iWpHeUsXrcL1T9ZhyZ7vKdhTltJ7jHj88iAVCOITbptC1M4pAVGhv4wrwCPESdDnNJ0b3FG~8HfEZ83~g0M~hY6fv5PQOYQy0yC115HXempbntnidpo-~L2BHl9I1woE5Ejk4zGB6k1TaWBXAyK4FLcJ6vXMC7vVW8-X-IEwkpBJdzg77B9XgDtWoxwDAwA9M1dwmGAB4fFlE6-w30~-d-XrenWvEyOWAHJGc45sKIzefI0dG-fkfjZvgAuk1bX~SWIFZcBa~OvgXG~VKRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee staff told the Joint Budget Committee on March 26 that the marijuana tax cash fund remains under pressure and that more adjustments will be needed before the Long Bill is finalized.

John Catlett, JBC staff, summarized the sector's changed outlook: the state’s regulated retail marijuana market has shown sustained declines in receipts since its 2021 peak, and forecasting the fund has become more difficult. \"We are about $7,000,000 better off than what was presented [in OSPB's comeback],\" Catlett said after reconciling numbers with the governor’s office, but added that the fund still faces multi‑year declines that require programmatic choices.

The committee reviewed a long menu of proposed changes: reductions to targeted grants and appropriations, revised funding levels for education and health programs, revised IT requests and a proposed statutory change to the special sales tax distribution that would shift a portion of the local share to the state. The governor's proposal to revise the retail marijuana special sales tax distribution — moving some of the local share back to the state portion — would have freed an estimated $9.4 million for state spending in 2025–26, but members expressed concern about shifting revenue away from local governments.

After debate, members kept a number of program appropriations at current levels, declined others, and asked staff to produce a clean worksheet showing which proposals remain on the table. The net result: under the LCS revenue forecast the MTCF is roughly $11.8 million below the statutory reserve the committee must maintain; when the OSPB forecast is used instead, staff reported the fund is much closer to balance (about $0.17 million below the statutory reserve in staff’s overlay), reflecting the differences between the two revenue projections.

Catlett warned that the fund’s decline is driven by several market forces, including increased out‑of‑state competition and changes related to hemp derivatives that have affected consumer behavior and wholesale prices. He urged caution about ongoing appropriations funded from MTCF: \"If revenues don't come in as expected, you are looking at potentially mid‑year cuts to ongoing programs,\" he said.

Nut graf: The MTCF remains a constrained source for ongoing spending. Committee members signaled they will continue to look for reductions and statutory changes that spread pain across recipients and local governments, while staff will return with a revised package of specific cuts and transfers for a final vote.

What the committee did: The committee rejected or reduced a number of governor proposals and asked staff to prepare a revised balancing list. Committee members did not approve a final set of MTCF reductions on March 26 and will revisit the fund with updated numbers.

Quotes: \"It's a very complex and fast moving market that is very difficult to budget to in real time,\" Catlett said. \"You could be looking at mid‑year cuts to ongoing programs, which is difficult…\"","Committee members reviewed a long list of governor and staff proposals drawing on the marijuana tax cash fund (MTCF), approved several reductions and refused others, and were left with a residual shortfall under the Legislative Council Staff forecast while near balance against OSPB.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6110561,"Joint Budget Committee adopts OSPB revenue forecast 4–2 to begin balancing work",1687,216000,1903000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812&start=216&end=1903","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2757605-980cd5358c8c0d9e002f4e15e7cfd812/thumbnail_216000.jpg","/articles/6110561/Colorado/Joint-Budget-Committee-adopts-OSPB-revenue-forecast-42-to-begin-balancing-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6110561-3520e6c41a5ea9886c3257e29be86686/orig.mp4?Expires=1770978040&Signature=A4egMPiZkRvIOVgbB8h0f-C3iHUeNnNwP0CckfetmLhDlpHNxZBEefhQbBxUTduKD76wgV2bb~I8te6w8Jov4hj9gHFBG6WtxN2jxXzuglR-MxFhMEq~JMyCvW7qjG4lYo4lR3WW3ueypAeg02rR6Iqg16rob6TIEaMIQP-lalrlR3wuUdKBOxRfHlMN5R72nu0PspT0cmbUf5EKTAmRW-RpXErvlSHOh4UDl2XtssgrK2cfHhsRRVMjkBga73EguIIGZrskMnxdugW0pYuyrHqroZDgQK~ueY7-dA9zblWW6eq~cW~j96X~9PUhnoE~ZGVQvkA0-FwuUi6tHkeswg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Joint Budget Committee voted 4–2 on March 26 to base its initial budget balancing work on the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) March revenue forecast rather than the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) projection.

The vote followed long debate over the difference between the two outlooks. Craig Harper, JBC staff, told the committee that the two forecasts produced materially different starting positions: \"We have a $20,700,000 hole according to OSPB. We have a hundred and $88,700,000 hole according to LCS,\" Harper said, summarizing the size of the gap under each model.

Chair (unidentified), who led committee discussion, argued for using the OSPB projection to guide balancing this year. \"My preference would be that we move ahead with the OSPB forecast for balancing this year,\" the Chair said, adding that the OSPB view is, in the chair’s judgment, the more conservative choice over the forecast period.

Supporters said the OSPB forecast keeps the committee from immediately pushing deeper program cuts. Opponents called for greater fiscal caution. Representative Taggart said he could not support the OSPB choice: \"I think we have to assume that there will be Medicaid supplementals coming at us this year… I’m always going to pick the more conservative forecast,\" he said. Senator Kirkmeyer also warned the committee not to treat the forecast choice as a license to sustain recent levels of growth in ongoing spending.

The committee’s formal motion was made by the Vice Chair: \"I move that for budget balancing purposes that the committee choose the OSPB forecast for preparation of the fiscal year 25–26 Long Bill.\" The motion passed 4–2, with Representatives Taggart and Senator Kirkmeyer recorded as objecting.

Nut graf: The forecast choice narrows the immediate range of revenue assumptions the committee will use while staff and members continue to identify program reductions, transfers and other options to balance the 2025–26 budget. Even after choosing OSPB, committee staff told members additional adjustments will be required to reach a fully balanced budget under near‑term revenue assumptions.

What comes next: With the OSPB forecast adopted for balancing, JBC staff and the executive branch will continue to reconcile program-level requests and proposed changes. Members signaled they will revisit some program choices and cash‑fund uses in the coming days as staff provide updated revenue, reserve and appropriation detail.","After hours of debate about competing revenue forecasts, the Joint Budget Committee voted to use the Office of State Planning and Budgeting forecast in preparing the fiscal 2025–26 budget, a decision that narrows but does not eliminate the committee’s work to close remaining gaps.","actionData","errors"]

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JBC approves drafting of bills to move disability buy‑in premiums and consider nursing facility fees in enterprise

Marijuana tax cash fund still shows a shortfall; JBC trims some governor proposals and asks staff for a revised list of cuts

Joint Budget Committee adopts OSPB revenue forecast 4–2 to begin balancing work