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Joint Budget Committee votes 6–0 to introduce Proposition 123 revenue bill (LOS 25911)
Summary
The committee approved introducing LOS 25911 to make portions of Proposition 123 spending subject to appropriation, allow potential appropriations for Fort Lyons and Ridgeview state homeless campuses, and clarify maintenance-of-effort rules; motion passed 6–0 and the bill will start in the Senate.
The Joint Budget Committee voted unanimously to introduce LOS 25911, a bill addressing the allocation and appropriation mechanics for Proposition 123 funds.
Miss Bickel presented the draft and reminded members that Proposition 123 revenues — currently estimated at about $130 million to $140 million annually for the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) — are continuously appropriated for housing-related activities. The bill would, among other things, make certain uses of DOLA’s portion of Prop 123 subject to annual appropriation (effective in fiscal year 2026–27), allow the General Assembly to appropriate funds for capital or operating purposes at two state homeless campuses (Fort Lyons and Ridgeview) if it chooses to do so, and clarify a maintenance-of-effort framework to ensure the voter intent that the new money "supplement, not supplant" existing affordable-housing effort.
Members debated whether the bill creates a statutory cap on state-facility spending; Miss Bickel said the draft does not impose a statutory percentage cap but that making funds subject to appropriation effectively establishes an annual cap through the appropriation process. Committee members also discussed a statutory 5% administration allowance and how unused administrative allocations could be appropriated in subsequent years; staff explained that the department and staff would track admin spending against receipts and the committee would have appropriation authority to allocate any carried-forward amounts.
The motion to introduce LOS 25911 passed without objection, 6–0. Committee members listed in the packet as sponsors are Senator Mabile and Senator Bridges in the Senate and Representative Byrd and Representative Serota in the House, with Senator Kirk Meyer and Representative Taggart noted as cosponsors. The bill will start in the Senate.
