The act allows money collected from the hospital provider fee to be used to maximize reimbursement through state-directed payments for physician services at Denver health and hospital authority. The act appropriates $3,527,482 from the healthcare affordability and sustainability hospital provider fee cash fund to the department of health care policy and financing to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes optional an appropriation to comply with matching requirements under the federal 'Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act' and allows the amount to be appropriated from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund. The act allows money for administration of the summer electronic benefits transfer for children program to be appropriated from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund. The act makes an appropriation for the start smart nutrition program optional, repeals the start smart nutrition program cash fund, transfers the start smart nutrition program cash fund balance to the general fund, and allows an appropriation for the start smart nutrition program to be made from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund. The act makes an appropriation for the child nutrition school lunch protection program optional and allows an appropriation for the child nutrition school lunch protection program to be made from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund. Under current law, the department of education administers a local school food purchasing program and a local school food purchasing technical assistance and education grant program (legacy local school food programs) that are distinct from the local school food purchasing program and technical assistance and education grant programs within the 'Healthy School Meals for All Act' (HSMA local school food programs). The act permits the general assembly to appropriate money for the legacy local school food programs if the healthy school meals for all program cash fund does not fully fund the HSMA local school food programs. The act appropriates $3,001,741 from the healthy school meals for all program cash fund to the department of education for the affected programs. The act reduces appropriations for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of education for the affected programs by $3,839,685, of which $229,097 is from the general fund and the remainder from various cash funds.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On July 1, 2027, the act repeals the decarbonization tax credits administration cash fund, which is subject to annual appropriation to the department of revenue and the Colorado energy office to pay for the direct and indirect costs associated with the implementation and administration of various decarbonization tax credits.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act exempts the public school construction and inspection cash fund and the health facility construction and inspection cash fund from the annual limitations on the amount of uncommitted reserves that may be held in a cash fund (maximum reserve). Instead, those cash funds are subject to the same substantive maximum reserve requirements if the uncommitted reserves of the fund exceed the allowable maximum reserve for 3 consecutive fiscal years.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The public defender and prosecutor behavioral health support program (program) is funded through any appropriation made for the program and any gifts, grants, and donations received for the program. Current law splits the program allocation to direct 50% of the money to the Colorado district attorneys' council to award grants to district attorneys' offices and 50% to the office of the state public defender. For state fiscal year 2026-27, the program allocation split is altered to direct 100% of program money to the office of the state public defender.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Pursuant to existing law, a school district (district) may direct, by written instruction to the state board of education (board), that a specified portion of its monthly payment of the state's share of the district's total program for the budget year be paid to the department of labor and employment to cover the district's costs for participation in school-to-work alliance programs. The board is required to certify to the state treasurer on a monthly basis the amount, if any, to be transferred directly to the department of labor and employment instead of paid to the district. The act clarifies that the amount of money transferred from the state public school fund directly to the department of labor and employment for school-to-work alliance program costs instead of paid to a district is not state fiscal year spending for purposes of section 20 of article X of the state constitution.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The bill requires any 2 or more legislators who organize themselves according to a common interest, ideology, issue, identity, or for any other reason and who accept, receive, or expend money, other than their own private, personal money (legislative caucus) to deliver to the legislative council staff a quarterly report that lists all money that the legislative caucus received, accepted, or expended during the previous quarter. The legislative council staff is required to post each report received on a publicly accessible page on the website of the general assembly. Each legislative caucus is required to provide the legislative council staff with accurate contact information for the caucus and shall promptly inform the legislative council staff of any changes to that contact information. A legislative caucus that does not receive, accept, or expend any money in a quarter shall file a no activity report as prescribed by the legislative council staff.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
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Government Transparency
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer money from certain cash funds to the general fund. On June 12, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer $16,747 from the local governmental entity backfill cash fund to the general fund. On June 28, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer $5.3 million from the school and child care clean drinking water fund to the general fund. On June 30, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer the following amounts to the general fund:$1,057,001 from the scale-up grant fund;$796,959 from the qualified apprenticeship intermediary grant fund;$200,000 from the immediate payment fund;$500,000 from the Colorado uninsured employer fund;$750,000 from the records and reports fund;$9.2 million from the kickstarter program master account, in consultation with collegeinvest;$200,000 from the electronic recording technology fund;$250,000 from the tobacco settlement defense account within the tobacco litigation settlement cash fund;$1 million from the Colorado bureau of investigation identification unit fund;$11 million from the information technology revolving fund;$10 million from the technology risk prevention and response fund;$15 million from the small business recovery and resiliency fund;$1 million from the supplemental state contribution fund;The unexpended and unencumbered balance of the controlled maintenance trust fund;$1 million from the account for the department of public safety within the indirect costs excess recovery fund;$800,000 from the unused state-owned real property fund;$5.4 million from the supplier database cash fund;$215,000 from the fixed-wing and rotary-wing ambulances cash fund;$5,162,373 from the community impact cash fund;$3 million from the mobile home park water quality fund; $7,252,996 from the severance tax operational fund; and$19.4 million from the local government severance tax fund. On July 1, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer the following amounts to the general fund:$400,000 from the peace officers behavioral health support and community partnership fund;$117,551 from the child care facility development cash fund;$427,113 from the multidisciplinary crime prevention and crisis intervention grant fund;$111,191 from the law enforcement workforce recruitment, retention, and tuition grant fund;$686,890 from the state's mission for assistance in recruiting and training (SMART) policing grant fund;$15 million from the 'Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act' cash fund; andAn amount equal to the unexpended and unencumbered balance of the electrifying school buses grant program cash fund minus $799,200. On June 30, 2027, the state treasurer is required to transfer the following amounts to the general fund:$20 million from the information technology revolving fund;The unexpended and unencumbered balance of the decarbonization tax credits administration cash fund; $5 million from the community impact cash fund;$11,150,000 from the severance tax operational fund; and$27.3 million from the local government severance tax fund. On June 30, 2027, and on each June 30 thereafter through June 30, 2033, the state treasurer is required to transfer $400,000 from the mobile home park resident empowerment loan and grant program fund.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act relocates in statute the disability support fund (fund), which finances the work of the Colorado disability opportunity office (office). The fund receives revenue from fees paid for license plates in a retired style and from the sale of unique vehicle registration numbers. The act makes the office responsible for administering the sale of these unique vehicle registration numbers, which was previously a duty of the Colorado disability funding committee (committee) housed within the office. The act repeals the committee on July 1, 2027. The fund is subject to annual appropriation to support the office and, for state fiscal year 2026-27 only, the fund is also subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of labor and employment (department) for vocational rehabilitation. Beginning on October 1, 2026, the $25 annual fee paid for license plates in a retired style is replaced by a one-time and annual fee of $2.50 credited to the fund and a one-time and annual donation of $22.50 remitted to the Colorado disability funding authority (authority), which is a newly created special purpose authority. The authority is governed by a board of 13 members appointed by the governor, the majority of whom are individuals with disabilities, individuals with immediate family members with disabilities, or individuals who are caregivers to a family member with a disability. In making the appointments, the governor must ensure that the authority board has members with experience in or knowledge of:Business and business management;Nonprofit entities and managing nonprofit entities;Advocacy for individuals with disabilities;The practice of medicine, with experience working with individuals with disabilities; andThe practice of law, with experience working with individuals with disabilities. The authority is required to invite nonprofit entities, independent living centers, county departments of human services, county departments of social services, and other state and county agencies to submit proposals for programs to aid individuals with disabilities in accessing disability benefits. Beginning on July 1, 2027, the authority is required to award a contract or grant to one or more of the entities that submitted program proposals. When adequate funding is available, the authority may also:Accept and review proposals to fund projects or programs that study or pilot new and innovative ideas that will lead to an improved quality of life or increased independence for individuals with disabilities; andMake grants or develop, implement, or deliver education programs concerning reserved parking that is available to an individual with a disability affecting mobility. On or before December 1, 2027, and on or before each December 1 thereafter, the authority is required to prepare and submit a financial and performance report to the joint budget committee. In addition to this annual report, the state auditor may also be required to conduct or cause to be conducted postaudits of the authority. By October 1, 2026, the state treasurer is required to issue a warrant in the amount of $523,343 from the fund to the authority. On June 30, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer $21 million from the fund to the general fund. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, the act decreases by $100,000 the appropriation from the disabled parking education and enforcement fund to the department for use by the office for operating expenses. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $1 million is appropriated from the fund to the department for use by the division of vocational rehabilitation and independent living services. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $27,000 is appropriated from the fund to the department of revenue for use by the division of motor vehicles for DRIVES maintenance and support.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The excess federal Title IV-E reimbursements cash fund (cash fund) exists in current law and includes federal revenue in excess of the amount required to reimburse certain eligible foster care, prevention, and permanency services. The act renames the cash fund as the federal Title IV-E reimbursements cash fund and updates the permissible uses of the money in the cash fund to align with current federal requirements, which permit the state to apply savings associated with federal funding increases to a range of child welfare services. The act specifically authorizes the use of cash fund money for services to support a positive permanency outcome for a child or youth who might otherwise enter or reenter foster care.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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Children
