Rep. Shannon Bird

The act repeals the roll-forward authority of a state department to use unexpended and unencumbered money from the department's utilities line item to purchase energy conservation equipment and services during the state fiscal year following the state fiscal year for which the money was appropriated without further appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, beginning July 1, 2025, the department of corrections (department) is required to cover 100% of all inmate telephone call costs. The act changes the amount the department is required to cover, beginning July 1, 2025, to 75% of all inmate telephone call costs. The act requires the department to cover 100% of all inmate telephone call costs on and after July 1, 2026. The act appropriates $1,436,165 from the general fund to the department for inmate telephone calls. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Previously, Colorado law required a bill that resulted in a net increase in periods of incarceration to include an appropriation to cover the increased cost of incarceration for 5 years after the bill went into effect. In 2022, the general assembly suspended the appropriation requirement for 3 years. The act repeals the appropriation requirement permanently. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The housing development grant fund (fund) has been continuously appropriated to the division of housing in the department of local affairs (division), and the division has been authorized to expend up to 3% of the money in the fund for its administration of the fund. Beginning in state fiscal year 2025-26, the act increases the percentage of money in the fund that the division may expend for such administration to 4% and makes the expenditure of money from the fund for administrative costs subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $187,659 to the department of local affairs for use by the division of housing for affordable housing program costs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Since July 1, 2023, a state agency that terminates a lease for private space has been required to calculate the associated amount of the annual reduction in the state agency's leased space costs (cost reduction). The general assembly has been required to annually transfer to the capital construction fund, from the fund that was the source of the funding for the lease, an amount equal to the cost reduction from the fund that was the source of the funding for the lease until the total amount transferred equals the amount that has been required to be transferred to the capitol complex renovation fund from annual depreciation-lease equivalent payments that otherwise would be credited to state agency capital reserve accounts. The act repeals the requirements that a state agency calculate its cost reduction and that the general assembly make the annual transfers to the capital construction fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Money in the state agency sustainability revolving fund (fund) is used for the operation of the office of sustainability and to assist in replacing the state's gas- and diesel-powered equipment that is located in ozone nonattainment areas with equivalent electric equipment. The act repeals the requirement that the state treasurer transfer $400,000 from the general fund to the fund on July 1 of each year. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act provides that the following funds are no longer continuously appropriated for use by the following executive branch agencies and instead are available to be expended by those agencies subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly: The child welfare cash fund for use by the department of human services; The community impact cash fund for use by the department of public health and environment; The accelerated appeal cash fund for use by the board of assessment appeals within the department of local affairs; The mobile home park act dispute resolution and enforcement program fund for use by the division of housing in the department of local affairs; The public safety communications revolving fund for use by the office of public safety communications in the division of homeland security and emergency management in the department of public safety; and The state agency sustainability revolving fund for use by the department of personnel. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $284,167 from the child welfare cash fund to the department of human services for use by the division of child welfare for child welfare licensing. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act extends the repeal date from September 1, 2025, to September 1, 2030, for statutes authorizing the transfer of spending authority between line items in specified circumstances and allowing overexpenditures in excess of the amount authorized by an item of appropriation in specified circumstances. The act also clarifies which transfers between appropriations are for like purposes in the statute allowing for intradepartmental transfers and specifies that transfers between any line items of appropriation in the department of corrections that are not explicitly authorized in a footnote to the annual general appropriation act are not for like purposes. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act reduces the transfer from the limited gaming fund to the advanced industries acceleration cash fund for state fiscal year 2025-2026 from $5,500,000 to $1,840,000. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

In 2022, the general assembly created the Colorado household financial recovery pilot program to facilitate lending to individuals and households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who face financial insecurity and who have difficulty accessing affordable loans to address the financial insecurity. The act repeals the "Colorado Household Financial Recovery Pilot Program Act". On June 30, 2025, the state treasurer is required to transfer the balance of the Colorado household financial recovery pilot program fund to the general fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)