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Senate approves bill clarifying fiscal-year spending definitions tied to TABOR
Summary
Senators adopted Senate Bill 173 to clarify statutory definitions used in calculating state fiscal year spending under Article X, Section 20 (TABOR); opponents warned it erodes TABOR refunds.
Senator Mike Weissman moved Senate Bill 173, legislation to clarify statutory definitions of damage awards and property sales for purposes of calculating state fiscal year spending under Section 20 of Article X of the Colorado Constitution (TABOR).
Senator Weissman said his amendment L1 narrows the bill's language by changing "sales" to "merchandise sales" in two places to more precisely identify the sales counted toward fiscal-year spending calculations. He asked for a yes vote on the amendment and on the bill.
Several senators rose to oppose the measure on constitutional and fiscal grounds. Senator Kevin Priola (identified as Senator Bright in one exchange) and Senator Suzanne Frizzell said the bill "chips away" at TABOR and would divert funds that voters expect returned as refunds. Senator Rich and others argued that the legislature should not alter refund mechanics to retain more revenue for government programs. Senator Carson also said he would oppose the bill, citing fidelity to the TABOR provision.
Despite floor objections, the Senate adopted the amendment and then passed SB 173; the floor transcript records the final passage but the provided segments do not include a numeric roll-call tally in the excerpt.
