Current Legislative Action Report
(2020 Legislative Letter #7)
Next Steps for the General Assembly & the Joint Budget Committee
The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council met on Wednesday April 8 to discuss the session schedule. Speaker Becker identified May 18 as the target date for reconvening the General Assembly, while emphasizing this date is subject to change depending on the status of the COVID-19 crisis in Colorado and the risks to public safety. Priorities for the remainder of the session will be passage of the state budget and the school finance act.
The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) will meet on May 4 to review possible revenue scenarios and staff from the Legislative Council Service and the Office of State Planning & Budgeting will provide an updated economic forecast to the JBC on May 12. This update will take into account the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and will provide the JBC with the most current information as they work to revise the state budget. [READ MORE]
We Need to Sign Petitions Online
The League of Women Voters of Colorado envisions a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.
But in this time of COVID-19 and social distancing, canvassing with a paper petition is next to impossible, not to mention inadvisable. The Colorado Sun reports the clock is ticking for citizen ballot measures, but petitioning is halted due to the coronavirus.
Here is a partial list of affected initiatives, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website:
#104 Approval Voting
#105 Election Day as State Holiday
#122 Limits on Local Housing Growth
#200 Expungement of Eligible Criminal Records
#271 Policy Changes Pertaining to State Income Taxes
Do we really have to have people run around collecting signatures? Is this left over from olden times and no longer necessary? Social distancing is teaching us to do things remotely – work at home, shop, play games with friends, ZOOM meetings, etc. We can also learn to sign a petition for a candidate or initiative remotely! [READ MORE]
Federal Public Health Agencies Fight COVID-19
COVID-19 information overload?
For those who are finding themselves overwhelmed by print and broadcast media, press conferences with a rotating cast of faces from an alphabet soup of government sources, ”talking heads,” and late-night comedians— maybe this will help.
The lead federal health agency is the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). Many of the leaders and experts that we have been hearing from (and about) are from agencies of DHHS. It is their mission to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health and social services. This article describes just a few of the dozens of federal public health offices and agencies: NIH, CDC, FDA, Surgeon General, and CMS. It does not describe efforts by the departments of Defense, Homeland Security (FEMA), Labor, or State.
https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/hhs-agencies-and-offices/index.html
[READ MORE]
Just Transition to Clean Energy
“Colorado’s power sector, and the nation’s, is moving away from coal as a fuel source based on consumer demand for cleaner power and the declining cost of natural gas and renewables. There is a scientific consensus that greenhouse gas emissions, which are primarily the result of fossil fuel combustion, must be reduced in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.” [2019 Just Transition Act]The League follows the fundamental principle of sustainability, a way of life that seeks a balance in meeting current environmental, economic, and human needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the same goal. The League supports state revenue from severance taxes for the impact of the extraction of non-renewable resources.
Colorado is encouraging transition to renewable energy, and away from fossil fuels, to mitigate climate change. Tax policy, including property tax exemptions and tax credits (e.g., electric vehicles), is a tool. Community Solar Gardens (CSG) are exempt from property taxes on the percentage of capacity that is attributed to residential, governmental, or non-profit subscribers, covering tax years 2015 through 2020. Currently, the total CSG capacity in Colorado is less than 2MW and is assessed locally.
The principal objective of SB20-168 Sustainable Severance & Property Tax Policies is to further encourage the development of CSG by extending the renewable energy property tax exemption until 2026. The exemption is currently due to expire in 2021. The initial loss of revenue to local jurisdictions due to extension of renewable energy tax exemptions will be recovered by discontinuing exemptions from severance tax on coal production.
Severance tax is imposed on extraction of metallic minerals, molybdenum, oil and gas, oil shale, and coal. [READ MORE]