Colorado’s financial progress is being jeopardized by new, unregulated high-cost loans, where individuals get short-term, small-dollar advances, borrowing against their future paycheck and leading to cycles of debt.
In 2022, Colorado voters passed Proposition 123, dedicating approximately $300 million annually from the state’s TABOR surplus to support several programs to address housing affordability. Learn more.
Limited funds. Many competing priorities. There are no good choices when proposing a budget that requires recession-level cuts to state services. An investment in one government service means a reduction elsewhere.
Stay up to date on important bills headed through the Colorado General Assembly during the 2025 session.
The reasons for Colorado’s budget crises are multifold. Yet, an undeniably significant portion of our challenges stem from growing Medicaid costs, particularly those attributable to a rapidly growing population of aging Coloradans.
Colorado voters favored increased spending, increased taxes, and exempting local tax revenue from TABOR, showing an overall readiness to move toward funding community priorities like education, transportation, child care, health care, and other crucial programs.
Current public funding levels fall significantly short in adequately supporting caregivers of older adults in Colorado. Investing in both paid and unpaid care will support older adults in need of care and support those who dedicate themselves to caregiving, creating a more sustainable and effective care ecosystem.
The Bell has developed a Home Care Cost Model for older adults, an important tool for researchers, advocates, and decision makers, as they strive to understand the implications of policy choices on the care economy, its workers, and the older Coloradans who rely upon it.
Several local governments are asking their voters to opt out of the revenue cap imposed by TABOR and redirect some of the funds from lodging taxes to address child care and affordable housing needs in these communities.
As more states have adopted voucher programs, spending for public schools has decreased, disproportionately hurting students in higher poverty areas.
