Joint Budget Committee closes FY25-26 long bill; approves multiple transfers, set-asides and bills

The Joint Budget Committee closed its FY 2025'26 long bill at the end of a full-day figure'setting session and approved a series of implementing bills, transfers and set'asides.

Key committee actions included a unanimous 6'0'00 vote to set aside $10,000,000 general fund (plus the normal reserve) for a combined Department of Youth Services (DYS) effort addressing diversion, deflection and detention; the committee said the money should support a single, more holistic strategy rather than separate, uncoordinated efforts. The committee also directed staff to draft legislation to transfer $4,000,000 general fund into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) cash fund and authorized staff to draft implementing language for that transfer.

The committee introduced or approved a slate of bill drafts and transfers that will run with or alongside the long bill, including:

- Tuition waiver for Colorado National Guard members (introduced; committee approved bill introduction 6'0'00). - Temporary inmate transfer (introduce/approve) to allow transfers between facilities for project work (introduced 6'0'00). - Repeal of certain rodent pest control statutes (introduced 6'0'00). - Transfer of $5,000,000 from general fund to the stationary sources control fund (introduced 6'0'00). - One'time transfer of $6,000,000 to the hazardous substance response fund (Superfund) (introduced 6'0'00; committee asked staff to draft bill). - A joint JBC transfer bill to move multiple cash funds to the general fund was introduced and approved in committee (JBC joint transfer bill, introduced 6'0'00). - A capital construction and IT capital transfer bill reflecting the committee's capital and IT lists (introduced 6'0'00). - Marijuana tax cash fund changes and related adjustments to statutory appropriations (introduced 6'0'00).

Policy and budget adjustments: the committee also adopted several net savings and policy adjustments during figure setting. Notable items included a reduction of $1,000,000 in the general fund appropriation to the Mobile Home Park Water Quality Fund (one-time), authorization for staff to draft legislation to address the water quality permit backlog, and direction to reduce SNAP outreach by $500,000. The committee approved a $4,249,700 reduction to peer support services funding and requested a departmental report (RFI) on peer services modalities and providers.

The committee also approved a $2,500,000 technical transfer from an energy-related cash fund to the decarbonization tax credit administration cash fund and asked staff and OLLS to work on statutory fixes so the mechanism does not produce unintended net losses in general fund in future low severance-tax years.

Before adjourning, the committee adopted an across'the'board instruction permitting JBC staff to make minor technical corrections to long'bill appropriations up to $5,000,000 of general fund changes to avoid repeated reopenings for technical fixes. The committee voted to close the long bill and recessed.