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This memorandum presents the 2026 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment for the current year (FY 2025-26) and budget year (FY 2026-27). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2025-26. 

This narrative describes the Legislative Department’s budget proposal for FY 2026-27.

This memorandum answers common questions about how revenue from the marijuana industry fits into Colorado’s state budget. Colorado collected $231.1 million from the marijuana industry in FY 2024-25 primarily from three distinct taxes: 

Fiscal Note Data Reports show the fiscal impact of all legislation currently pending before the General Assembly at the 2025 session, based on the most recent Legislative Council Staff fiscal note. Updated reports will be posted on this page approximately weekly during the legislative session. After session, final data will be posted. Fiscal data is provided in both a sortable Excel and a printable PDF format. Each report provides a summary of the impact of all pending bills together, and detailed information for individual bills by fiscal year.

This memorandum presents the 2025 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education. The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the current fiscal year (FY 2024-25) and budget year (FY 2025-26). The forecast also includes projected tuition revenue for FY 2024-25.

This packet includes fiscal notes for bills introduced with the FY 2025-26 Long Bill, including SB 25-207 through SB 25-270. Fiscal notes for these bills are also be available individually on each bill page on the General Assembly website.

This memo presents recent Legislative Council Staff (LCS) findings regarding the implications of the current-law calculation method for population growth used to determine the TABOR growth limit, which has the effect of not adjusting the TABOR limit for population growth or decline that the Census Bureau identifies in its revised estimates. The current population growth calculation method does not usually impact the TABOR limit.

This memorandum provides information on state government enterprises under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, also known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). From FY 1993-94 through FY 2023-24, over 30 state government entities had received enterprise status for at least one fiscal year. In FY 2022-23, the most recent year for which financial data are available, enterprise revenue totaled $23.3 billion.

Fiscal Note FAQ's

Fiscal Note Data Reports show the fiscal impact of all legislation currently pending before the General Assembly, based on the most recent published fiscal note.  Updated reports will be posted on this page approximately weekly during the legislative session.  After session, final data will be posted. 

The data reports are contained in an Excel spreadsheet with each report located on a separate tab.  Data in each report is in a sortable/filterable table.  Included reports include:

The purpose of this publication is to help readers understand how Colorado finances its public elementary and secondary schools.  The major focus is an explanation of the funding formula included in the Public School Finance Act of 1994, including amendments made to the act in 2019.  Several illustrations are provided to help readers calculate funding under the formula.  The booklet also describes several other provisions of law that relate to school district funding.  These provisions include a description of revenue that is earmarked for specific functions, other local

This packet includes fiscal notes for bills introduced with the FY 2024-25 Long Bill, including HB 24-1385 through HB 24-1428. Fiscal notes for these bills are also be available individually on each bill page on the General Assembly website.

Colorado receives annual payments from tobacco manufacturers as part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). In April 2023, the state received $93.1 million, which was used to determine distributions to MSA-funded programs for the current FY 2023-24.

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.

A dynamic model attempts to quantify the downstream effects of a policy change throughout the economy. Legislative Council Staff (LCS) does not conduct dynamic modeling, which means that fiscal notes and other analyses are limited to the scope of legislation's direct impacts and, in some cases, direct behavioral effects. This memorandum explains the difference between direct, behavioral, and dynamic effects of policy changes and current LCS practices in analyzing these impacts

A dynamic model attempts to quantify the downstream effects of a policy change throughout the economy. Legislative Council Staff (LCS) does not conduct dynamic modeling, which means that fiscal notes and other analyses are limited to the scope of legislation’s direct impacts and, in some cases, direct behavioral effects. This memorandum explains the difference between direct, behavioral, and dynamic effects of policy changes and current LCS practices in analyzing these impacts.

This memorandum summarizes the primary funding changes for school finance that were enacted during the 2023 legislative sessions.

This memorandum summarizes the primary funding changes for school finance that were enacted during the 2023 legislative sessions.

This memorandum describes the common policies for submitting a response to the Legislative Council Staff, and the standard costs to be used in estimating the fiscal impact of legislation considered during the 2023 legislative interim and the 2024 legislative session, and in any special session of the General Assembly after its publication.

Fiscal Note Data Reports show the fiscal impact of all legislation currently pending before the General Assembly, based on the most recent published fiscal note.  Updated reports will be posted on this page approximately weekly during the legislative session.  After session, final data will be posted. 

The data reports are contained in an Excel spreadsheet with each report located on a separate tab.  Data in each report is in a sortable/filterable table.  Included reports include:

This memorandum provides information about FY 2022-23 appropriations for state-funded behavioral health programs.  Information for this memorandum was taken from:

• the FY 2022-23 Long Bill, House Bill 22-1329;
• other bills that include funding for behavioral health programs;
• Joint Budget Committee (JBC) staff FY 2022-23 figure-setting documents and the JBC Appropriations Report FY 2022-23; and
• department staff.

Colorado receives annual payments from tobacco manufacturers as part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).  In April 2022, the state received $88.2 million, which was used to determine distributions to MSA-funded programs for the current FY 2022-23.  This document presents a forecast for annual receipts from the Tobacco MSA through FY 2024-25.  The state is expected to receive $92.3 million in 2023; the actual amount received in 2023 will determine disbursements to MSA‑funded programs in FY 2023-24.  Payments are expected to be $89.8 million in 2024 and

Pursuant to House Bill 19-1184, Legislative Council Staff will prepare demographic notes for up to 20 bills each session. This memorandum provides an overview of the demographic note process, including the process for requesting a demographic note, the content of a demographic note, and methodological considerations.

This memorandum describes the programs authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that may provide formula or competitive grants to Colorado.