This memorandum provides an overview of the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government Act" (SMART Government Act).  The act requires executive agencies to annually present specific information to joint legislative committees during the first two weeks of the...

This memorandum provides an overview of the statewide ballot measure process; a summary of the measures approved or rejected by Colorado voters between 1880 and 2022; and links to additional resources at the offices of the Colorado Legislative Council Staff and the Colorado Secretary of State....

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...

Article V, Section 1 (7.5), Colorado Constitution, and Section 1-40-124.5, Colorado Revised Statutes, require the Legislative Council Staff to prepare a ballot information booklet prior to each election in which a statewide issue appears on the ballot.  The booklet's purpose is to provide voters...

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to higher education.  Specifically, bills related to scholarships, grants, and financial assistance; pathways to student success; degrees and workforce development; and administration and governance.

This memorandum examines technical debt and modernization, along with legislation that aims to address legacy technical solutions that serve government organizations and their constituents.

Legislative committees are a very important part of Colorado's legislative process. At a legislative committee hearing, citizens have an opportunity to express their views and have them incorporated into the official legislative record. In Colorado, every bill receives a public hearing by one of...

This memorandum provides an overview of the statewide ballot measure process; a summary of the measures approved or rejected by Colorado voters between 1880 and 2021; and links to additional resources at the offices of the Colorado Legislative Council Staff and the Colorado Secretary of State....

The state legislature established the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) in 1931 to provide a pension benefit to state and local government employees, predating the federal Social Security Act of 1935 by four years. PERA is a substitute for Social Security for most...

This memorandum summarizes the policies and procedures for committees meeting during the 2021 legislative interim.

This issue brief provides a summary of the federal legislation that was passed in response to the COVID‑19, or coronavirus, public health emergency.