Joint Budget Committee trims ProStart line, recognizes CBMS development shortfall and advances capital, IT and DOC changes

The Joint Budget Committee voted on March 25 to reduce a recent one‑time increase to the hospitality education ProStart grant and to accept staff technical corrections that increase the recognized fiscal impact of a healthcare IT comeback for CBMS development.

Chair opened the session and staff moved through the committee’s “periwinkle” comeback packet. Miss Kanagaraja (JBC staff) told the committee the Hospitality Education Grant (ProStart) had been annualized on the floor last year from $420,000 to $500,000 and recommended reversing the annualization error. Representative Serota said she appreciated program beneficiaries but called the grant a “nice to have” in a year of broader cuts. Madam Vice Chair moved the staff recommendation to annualize the line to roughly last year’s level and the motion passed unanimously, 6–0.

Tom Dermody (JBC staff) notified members of a technical omission in comeback 34 for Health Care Policy and Financing: roughly $1.9 million in reappropriated funds from the Department of Human Services for CBMS development were not clearly itemized in the comeback materials. Dermody said roughly $919,000 of that total is general fund when prorated by department and recommended the committee recognize the additional reappropriated funds so the comeback can be implemented as approved. Senator Kirkmeyer and other members pressed staff for more detail about CBMS spending over recent years; Dermody agreed to draft an RFI and asked the Joint Technology Committee to undertake a deep dive into CBMS expenditures to reduce future surprises. The committee adopted the staff technical recommendation (motion passed unanimously).

On capital spending, Andrea Ewell (JBC staff) presented the CDC capital list and the committee prioritized controlled maintenance Level 1 projects and the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center fire protection replacement over some other listed items. The committee approved a transfer into the capital construction bill sufficient to fund the selected controlled maintenance projects and a standard $500,000 general‑fund‑exempt transfer for transportation projects; that motion also passed 6–0.

The committee also finalized IT capital priorities. Scott Thompson (JBC staff) reviewed the IT projects and noted the payroll modernization and court management system among priority items. The panel approved the cash‑funded IT projects and the general‑fund IT list; the general‑fund IT motion passed 5–1 (Representative Taggart objected). The Corrections pharmacy IT project was added to the IT capital package after staff noted the funding would be shifted from DOC operating to IT capital; later committee calculation updates increased the additional general‑fund cost estimate for that pharmacy project by roughly $650,000.

During debate on corrections policy, staff described an amendment path for a bill that would allow temporary use of Centennial South “C Tower” beds while the Sterling Access Controls Project proceeds in phases. Mr. Brackie (JBC staff) told the panel there is limited in‑system capacity to house 250–300 inmates during the Sterling work and recommended language that requires state facilities be used first “to the extent practicable” and that any authority to use C Tower expire on 06/30/2027 unless the department returns for an extension. The committee voted to give staff authority to amend the C Tower language as discussed and asked staff to consult DOC about potential transportation cost impacts before introduction on Monday.

What’s next: staff will draft the technical amendments and the amended C Tower language and return any requested RFI results on CBMS and DOC transportation estimates. Committee members flagged additional follow‑up steps including a JTC review of CBMS spending and a review of the DOC pharmacy capital plan.