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Committee advances bill to transfer unused OEDIT funds to support SBDC and the general fund
Summary
The House Appropriations Committee moved HB 14‑16 to the Committee of the Whole after sponsors said it transfers $2.3 million in unused scholarship funds to the general fund and reallocates $1.2 million to support small businesses; state SBDC leaders and small-business clients testified in favor.
House Appropriations advanced House Bill 14‑16 to the Committee of the Whole after sponsors said the measure shifts existing Office of Economic Development and International Trade funds to support both budget balancing and small-business assistance without requesting new appropriations.
Representative Winn, a co-prime sponsor, told the committee the bill “transfers $2,300,000 in unused scholarship funds to the general fund to support budget balancing and reallocates $1,200,000 in existing unused funds to support small business facing economic challenges,” and that the net return to the general fund builds on prior returns to total about $5,600,000.
The bill drew supportive testimony from the Colorado Small Business Development Center. Hannah Krieger, state director of the Colorado SBDC, said the network helps entrepreneurs across the state and highlighted recent program metrics: “Colorado small businesses are the heartbeat of our economy with over 715,000 businesses employing about 1,100,000 Coloradans,” and she said the SBDC supported hundreds of business starts and job retention in 2024.
Krieger told the committee that the SBDC is facing a delay in its 2026 federal funds that has reduced capacity and that the transfers in HB 14‑16 will “address real time economic pressures providing small businesses with essential education in the form of long term strategic planning, financial management, and loan readiness.”
Anne Wintemute, co‑founder and CEO of Amy Says, described how SBDC support enabled her to scale a platform that provides services to survivors of domestic violence, saying scaling “is the difference between saving a life and missing the chance.” Chaffee County Commissioner P.T. Wood also testified in support, describing the SBDC’s value to rural businesses and urging a yes vote.
Sponsors asked for an I vote and the committee moved HB 14‑16 as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a 10–1 vote.
The committee did not adopt sponsor amendments during the hearing; the bill’s authors said the measure does not create new programs or request new appropriations and reallocates existing, unused funds. The Committee of the Whole will consider the bill next.
