SB 5: Reallocate Department of Natural Resources Wolf Funding to Health Insurance Enterprise - Colorado

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Aug 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill reallocates $264,268 from the general fund to the Colorado health insurance affordability enterprise cash fund, reducing funding available for gray wolf reintroduction. The change also clarifies that the Division of Parks and Wildlife cannot use the 2025-26 appropriated funds for acquiring or reintroducing gray wolves, though they may still use those funds for livestock conflict assistance and compensation. The bill includes technical formatting updates and maintains the safety clause declaration.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on gray wolf reintroduction funding, but the specific use of appropriated funds is now more restricted, prohibiting acquisition and reintroduction activities while allowing livestock conflict management.

FISCAL

Reduced $264,268 appropriation from general fund to Division of Parks and Wildlife for gray wolf reintroduction, transferring the amount to the health insurance affordability enterprise cash fund.

REQUIREMENT

Added prohibition preventing the Division of Parks and Wildlife from using 2025-26 appropriated funds for acquiring or reintroducing gray wolves.

Clarified that the Division may still use appropriated funds for assisting livestock owners with wolf conflicts and paying fair compensation for livestock losses.

TECHNICAL

Updated formatting and sponsor information to reflect final act status with signatures from legislative officers and the Governor.

Revised → Rerevised · 4 edits · Aug 24, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was re-revised to update formatting and add a new House sponsor (Caldwell, Marshall, Mauro, McCluskie) while maintaining the core policy of redirecting $264,268 from wolf reintroduction funding to the health insurance affordability enterprise. The substantive policy content remains unchanged between the Revised and Rerevised versions.

TECHNICAL

Added three new House sponsors: Caldwell, Marshall, Mauro, and McCluskie to the House Sponsorship section.

Updated the bill header to change 'Revised' to 'Rerevised' and adjusted the amendment history to reflect the new House 3rd Reading date of August 24, 2025.

Removed explanatory notes about markup conventions (strikethrough, all-caps, underline, highlight) that were present in the Revised version but not needed in the final Rerevised version.

Reorganized the document layout with different formatting for the title page and removed page/line number references from the beginning of the bill text.

Reengrossed → Revised · 3 edits · Aug 23, 2025

MINOR

The bill was revised to shift emphasis from reallocating general fund money away from wolf reintroduction to retaining those funds for wolf management while requiring the Division of Parks and Wildlife to seek alternative funding for additional wolf relocations in fiscal year 2025-26. The revision also adds a new committee assignment to Appropriations and includes a stamp indicating the bill was amended during second reading in the second house on August 23, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope was modified to require the Division of Parks and Wildlife to use non-general fund sources for additional wolf relocations in state fiscal year 2025-26, while retaining general fund money for existing wolf management and livestock producer support.

FISCAL

Changed language to require the Division of Parks and Wildlife to use other funding sources for additional wolf relocations in FY 2025-26 instead of reallocating general fund money.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that general fund money originally allocated for wolf procurement, capture, transport, and release be retained to support livestock producers and communities impacted by wolf population.

TECHNICAL

Added committee assignment to Appropriations and stamp indicating amendment during second reading in the second house on August 23, 2025.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 3 edits · Aug 22, 2025

MINOR

The bill version changed from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' after additional amendments were adopted in the House. Four new sponsors were added to the Senate sponsorship list, and the version description was updated to reflect that it now includes all amendments adopted in the House rather than just those from the second reading.

Scope change

No substantive policy changes to the bill's scope, applicability, or requirements were identified in this version change.

TECHNICAL

Four new names (Bright, Exum, Frizell, Kirkmeyer, Liston) were added to the Senate Sponsorship list.

The version description was updated from 'This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted on Second Reading in the House of Introduction' to 'This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the House of Introduction' to reflect the current legislative status.

The bill title was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Reengrossed' to indicate this is a new version incorporating additional amendments.

Introduced → Engrossed · 5 edits · Aug 21, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed with significant substantive changes to its legislative declaration section, removing references to Medicaid cuts and education spending while adding new language about using non-general fund sources for wolf procurement. The bill's core purpose remains reallocating $264,268 from wolf reintroduction funding to a health insurance affordability fund, but the justification for this action has been modified to emphasize fiscal constraints and health insurance affordability rather than broader budget cuts.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on reallocating wolf reintroduction funding to health insurance subsidies, but the legislative declaration was substantially rewritten to remove references to specific budget cuts in transportation, Medicaid, and education, while adding new language about using alternative funding sources for wolf procurement.

REQUIREMENT

Removed references to cuts in transportation infrastructure, Medicaid services, and education from the legislative declaration, replacing them with new language about using non-general fund sources for wolf procurement.

Changed the wolf population statistics in the legislative declaration from 'over 30 wolves' to '21 collared adult wolves, at least one known uncollared adult wolf, and an estimated 9 or more pups from 4 breeding pairs'.

Revised the justification for not funding wolf procurement to emphasize that other funding sources outside the general fund should be used instead, rather than stating it undermines the state's ability to lower everyday expenses.

TECHNICAL

Added formatting changes including page and line number indicators, and updated the bill summary date from the original introduction to August 21, 2025.

Reorganized the bill header and sponsorship information, moving from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' status with updated formatting for Senate and House sponsorship sections.

Reallocate Department of Natural Resources Wolf Funding to Health Insurance Enterprise

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