This memorandum presents the 2023 Legislative Council Staff forecast for the state public institutions of higher education.  The forecast provides projections of resident and nonresident full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment and College Opportunity Fund (COF) FTE enrollment for the...

Legislative Council Staff economic outlook presentation to the Joint Budget Committee.

Colorado receives annual payments from tobacco manufacturers as part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).  In April 2022, the state received $88.2 million, which was used to determine distributions to MSA-funded programs for the current FY 2022-23.  This document presents a forecast...

The instream flow (ISF) program was created by legislation in 1973, which authorized the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to appropriate or acquire water rights of natural streams and lakes to preserve the natural environment without diverting the water.  The ISF program recognized the...

Each year, the General Assembly is tasked with balancing constitutional, statutory, and federal requirements with a host of other considerations, such as competing policy priorities, caseload pressures, and the health of the state’s economy, in order to create a budget. This document is intended...

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law,...

The Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy (committee) is charged with reviewing the state’s current tax policy and the evaluations of tax expenditures that are statutorily completed by the Office of the State Auditor.  The committee is also charged with oversight of the Task...

This memorandum summarizes the primary funding changes for school finance that were enacted during the 2022 legislative session.  Several bills enacted substantively impacted the financing of public schools in Colorado.

The Colorado Constitution limits the amount of revenue, from most sources, that the state government and local governments are permitted to retain and spend or save.  Revenue collected in excess of the constitutional revenue limit, or TABOR limit, must be refunded to taxpayers unless voters...

This memorandum highlights regional and sectoral differences in Colorado’s labor market and employment recovery from the pandemic‑induced recession, including in labor force, job openings, and employment. 

Focus Colorado presents forecasts for the economy and state government revenue through FY 2019-20. Implications of the forecast for the state's General Fund budget and spending limit are described in the report's highlights and executive summary sections. The report is based on current law,...

This memorandum provides information on state government enterprises under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, also known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).  From FY 1993-94 through FY 2022-23, 33 state government entities had received enterprise status for at least one...