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During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly passed legislation focused on enhancing the state's adoption, foster care, and child welfare programs; expanding a Division of Youth Services (DYS) pilot program designed to change the internal culture of DYS; and enhancing services available to persons with disabilities who are applying for federal disability benefits.

The General Assembly passed legislation during the 2019 legislative session which strengthens protections for children in voluntary temporary care; requires studying challenges facing child care homes and ways to increased the availability of infant and child care in child care homes; amends child support guidelines; and modernizes marriage laws for minors.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures to:  regulate industrial hemp; increase food safety and branding; modify certain agricultural operations; and continue existing agricultural programs and laws.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to addressing Colorado’s growing demand for water, funding water projects, and making other changes to certain water-related laws.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a number of bills related to the regulation of liquor, tobacco/nicotine, and marijuana.

During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to veterans and the military concerning education, employment, income taxes, license plates, vehicle registration, and public safety.

Report No. 2019-TE11

Report No. 2019-TE12

Note: A more recent evaluation was issued in February 2024. Click HERE to access the February 2024 report.

Report No. 2019-TE13

Note: A more recent evaluation was issued in February 2024. Click HERE to access the February 2024 report.

Report No. 2019-TE8

Note: A more recent evaluation was issued in February 2024. Click HERE to access the February 2024 report.

Report No. 2019-TE9

Report No. 2019-TE10

This memorandum is an assessment of the fiscal impact of the attached proposed Amendment L.045 to Senate Bill 19-188. This fiscal assessment is for the impact of the bill with inclusion of this amendment only. Any other added amendment could influence the fiscal impact.

This issue brief provides an overview of extreme risk protection orders, including what they are, how they are used, and how Colorado's proposed law compares to other states.  It also addresses other types of protection orders authorized in Colorado law.

The Long Bill Narrative, which is the annual appropriations act, is prepared by staff to explain funding decisions recommended by the JBC to the rest of the General Assembly.  This document is a companion document to the actual Long Bill.  The narrative outlines budget changes based on the introduced version of the Long Bill.

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law, legislation passed by the General Assembly affecting the forecast is described throughout the report.

Each year, the General Assembly is tasked with balancing constitutional, statutory, and federal requirements with other legislative considerations, such as competing policy priorities, caseload pressures, and the health of the state’s economy, in order to create a budget.  The Colorado Constitution effectively requires that the state maintain a balanced budget, spending only what it has available to it each year in revenue or savings.