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This is the Joint Budget Committee's schedule. Please check this document regularly for schedule updates.

Aging and ill inmates are the fastest growing population within Colorado prisons. Special needs parole (SNP) is designed to provide early release or parole to incarcerated individuals who have serious, debilitating, or terminal illnesses, or who are advanced age and no longer pose a threat to public safety. Yet, this release mechanism is used infrequently, often due to lack of healthcare services and housing options available upon release to the community.

Fiscal notes are prepared by Colorado Legislative Council Staff (LCS) to provide the members of the Colorado General Assembly with the estimated impact of proposed legislation on state and local government revenue and expenditures. The fiscal note is a non-binding, decision-making tool for legislators and others to use when deliberating state policy.

During the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly considered bills concerning the state, including the General Assembly, the Colorado Open Records Act, and a state symbol. Additionally, the General Assembly considered legislation addressing various immigration matters. 

During the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several bills concerning the military and veterans, including service providers, the military code, and assistance programs.

During the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several bills concerning elections, including changes to vacancy elections, voting rights, voter verification, the initiative process, and the national popular vote.

This issue brief provides an overview of geothermal energy resources and policies in the United States and Colorado as well as recent legislation enacted to promote the use of geothermal energy in Colorado.

This memorandum is intended for use by policymakers, legislative drafters, and budget analysts to understand the different funding mechanisms that may be used in legislation. It describes how different funding mechanisms in legislation impact the state budget and how they are shown in fiscal notes. These funding mechanisms include appropriations, transfers, diversions, and warrants on state funds, as well as fee revenue and gifts, grants, or donations. The memorandum concludes with a list of funding mechanisms for which voter approval is required.

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) was signed into law in 1970. It requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of a project and involve the public in the decision-making process before proceeding with a project. The requirements for complying with NEPA depend on many factors, including the size and scope of the project and the extent of which it may affect community resources, such as parks, water resources, and urban communities.

Federal law requires employers to pay their employees a minimum hourly wage. States have the authority to set different pay standards than the federal minimum wage requirement. However, when the state and federal law differ, such as in Colorado, the higher wage prevails. This issue brief provides an overview and history of federal and Colorado minimum wage laws and provides a summary of how other states compare to the federal standard. 

Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) are invasive animals, plants, and disease-causing pathogens that can affect lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, and wetlands. This issue brief provides an explanation of ANS and an overview of the Colorado ANS Program. 

In place of property taxes, Coloradans pay the specific ownership tax (SOT) on their vehicles. This issue brief provides an overview of the SOT, including how it is calculated, collected, and distributed.

This memorandum describes the organizational structure of the staff of the Colorado legislative branch. These staff are categorized as follows:

Report No. 2025-TE13

For more information, see also Workplace Expectations.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has the potential to reshape the economy. Although AI research has been conducted for decades, products are now proliferating due in part to advances in computing power. This memorandum explores basic topics in contemporary AI. It describes several limitations and misconceptions about AI and discusses AI regulation in Colorado.

For more information, see also https://leg.colorado.gov/workplace-harassment-policy.

Colorado’s Medicaid program, Health First Colorado, is administered by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). HCPF contracts with Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs), to coordinate health care for Medicaid members. This issue brief provides an overview of RAEs.

Pursuant to Section 2-3-1602, C.R.S., the committee is charged with reviewing and proposing legislation or other policy changes related to wildfire prevention, mitigation, and related matters, including public safety and forest health issues.

This issue brief provides an overview of state laws related to pet animal facilities. These facilities are licensed and regulated under the Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA).

In response to the ongoing drought in Colorado, the General Assembly passed House Bill 22-1151 to promote the efficient and maximum utilization of Colorado’s water resources by decreasing the amount of irrigated turf within the state. The bill required the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) in the Department of Natural Resources to create a turf replacement program that incentivizes the voluntary replacement of nonessential irrigated turf across the state.

This memorandum provides an overview of the process in Colorado for removing criminal records from publicly available sources, known as the “sealing” or “expungement” of criminal records.