The act extends the repeal date of the open educational resources grant program and the Colorado open educational resources council (council) to November 1, 2031. The act increases representation from public institutions of higher education on the council from 12 to 15 members. The act extends the requirement for the department of higher education (department) to prepare and submit an annual report regarding open educational resources to December 31, 2031. The act appropriates $275,000 to the department for use by the Colorado commission on higher education and higher education special purpose programs.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
If the executive director of the department of health care policy and financing (state department) receives gifts, grants, and donations for the purpose of providing support for the development and funding of an enhanced reimbursement model for nursing facilities that serve residents with behavioral health needs, the state department is required to use the gifts, grants, and donations for that purpose. Receiving gifts, grants, and donations for this purpose does not commit the state to an expenditure of general fund money, and the general assembly shall not reduce any appropriation made to the state department for the same purpose. If requested by the joint budget committee, the state department is required to report the state department's use of the gift, grants, and donations received.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the commission on medicaid (commission) to develop recommendations regarding implementation of new federal medicaid policy changes that go into effect in 2026, 2027, and 2028 and to support Coloradans impacted by those policy changes. The commission is required to:Convene at least 6 times but no more than 12 times between May 14, 2026 and December 11, 2026;Invite relevant state agency representatives and medicaid stakeholders to present and provide feedback on commission recommendations; andContract with a technical advisor to assist the commission in writing and submitting a report to the general assembly and the governor documenting the commission's process and any recommendations by December 11, 2026. The act appropriates $500,000 to the legislative department from the general fund to implement the act.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
On June 30, 2026, the state treasurer is required to transfer the following amounts from the unclaimed property trust fund (UPTF):$72.8 million to the general fund; and$2.2 million to the division of housing to be deposited into the housing development grant fund (grant fund). On July 1, 2026, the act repeals the statutory provisions that authorize future transfers from the UPTF to the grant fund and to the adult dental fund. For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $63,491,322 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF), and an appropriation to HCPF from the adult dental fund is decreased by a corresponding amount. The appropriation takes effect only if the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act makes the following changes to the disaster emergency fund:Requires the office of state planning and budgeting (office) to include in its quarterly reports to the joint budget committee an identification of disasters that have been closed out and the amount of unencumbered money that the office has transferred back to its original source;Institutes a timeline for closing out a disaster based on the type of disaster, 3 years for a federally declared disaster or 8 years for a state-only disaster; andLimits the annual maximum unencumbered balance of the disaster emergency fund to $200,000,000 and directs the office to transfer money in excess of that amount to the general fund after August 12, 2026, and on June 30 each year thereafter.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act eliminates the third-party evaluation requirement for the health disparities and community grant program (program) and instead requires the department of public health and environment to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state treasurer to transfer any unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the public safety communications revolving fund at the end of a fiscal year to the public safety communications trust fund (trust fund). The act clarifies that the primary purpose of the money in the trust fund is to support the digital trunked radio system (DTRS) by acquiring and maintaining public safety communications systems and equipment for use by the office of public safety communications (office), state departments, and other users of the system. The money in the fund may also be used for the payment of maintenance expenses of the office, state departments, and other users related to the DTRS, including the cost of leased or rented equipment, infrastructure maintenance, tower lease costs, payments to local governmental entities for radio communications systems, or payments related to public safety radio systems.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under existing law, the department of public safety administers the wildfire resilient homes grant program, which provides grants to homeowners for the purpose of making their homes more resilient to wildfire risk. The grant program is funded through the wildfire resilient homes grant program cash fund (grant program cash fund). The act requires the state treasurer to transfer the unexpended and unencumbered balance of the grant program cash fund to the general fund on June 30, 2026, and repeals the wildfire resilient homes grant program, effective July 1, 2026.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, the department of human services (CDHS) was required to enter into an agreement with an outside entity no later than January 2, 2024, to develop a county administration of public and medical assistance programs funding model (funding model) to determine the amount of money necessary to fund the administration of public and medical assistance programs in each county. CDHS is required to enter into an agreement with an outside entity to annually update and modify the funding model. Before November 1 of each year, CDHS is required to submit the results of the funding model to the joint budget committee, the department of health care policy and financing, and the county departments of human or social services (county departments). The act repeals the funding model and the requirement to annually update and submit the results of the funding model to the joint budget committee, the department of health care policy and financing, and county departments. The act reduces the appropriations made to CDHS and the department of health care policy and financing in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year.(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 act directs the state treasurer to annually transfer no more than $3 million from the severance tax perpetual base fund to the species conservation trust fund. The act also directs the state treasurer to, beginning on June 30, 2027, annually transfer from the severance tax operational fund to the general fund the lesser of $14.2 million or the difference between the amount of severance tax revenue projected to be deposited in the operational fund in the current fiscal year and the amount appropriated from the operational fund for certain programs in the same fiscal year. The cash funds appropriation from the severance tax operational fund for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of natural resources for use by the executive director's office for the species conservation trust fund is decreased by $3,000,000.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Current law requires an amount equivalent to the recorded depreciation or amortization of an information technology asset acquired, repaired, improved, replaced, renovated, or constructed with an appropriation from the information technology capital account in the capital construction fund based on the depreciation period (information technology annual depreciation-lease equivalent payment) to be credited and transferred to the information technology capital account within the capital construction fund. Current law also requires the state treasurer to transfer any unappropriated balances in the information technology capital account or any otherwise unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the information technology capital account at the end of a fiscal year to the general fund. The act prohibits the state treasurer from transferring any money that was transferred, credited, or paid into the information technology capital account as an information technology annual depreciation-lease equivalent payment back to the general fund at the end of a fiscal year, for state fiscal years commencing on or after July 1, 2026.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
