Colorado Senate approves $FY2026 budget, clears large consent calendar; nursing facility fee bill passes after debate

The Colorado Senate on April 3 passed the Joint Budget Committee’s spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and adopted dozens of bills on the consent calendar after a full floor session that included extended speeches from budget negotiators and debate on smaller, contested measures.

Senators passed Senate Bill 206 — the general appropriations/budget bill — on third reading after several budget leaders spoke to the chamber about the fiscal choices behind the plan. Senate Bill 270, relating to fees collected from nursing facilities and administered by the Colorado Health Care Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise, drew a divided vote after floor debate about taxes and state spending. The chamber then moved through a long consent calendar that included education, corrections, housing and health items; many items passed with unanimous or near‑unanimous tallies.

Why it matters: SB 206 is the legislature’s primary spending bill and sets the state’s priorities for K–12 and higher education, Medicaid provider rates, public safety and other programs. Passage of the budget and the accompanying appropriations and transfers will determine how state agencies implement services and which programs receive one‑time or ongoing funding. The nursing facility fee measure was contested because several senators characterized it as a potential tax or fee increase and debated its timing and fairness to taxpayers.

What happened on the floor

Budget (Senate Bill 206) Senate leaders framed SB 206 as a response to a structural shortfall they said required difficult choices. Senator Bridges, who led…