Budget cuts, police policy top Colorado’s legislative session

DENVER — Colorado lawmakers wound down a shortened 2020 session Saturday having drastically cut education funding because of the coronavirus pandemic’s revenue impact, allocating $70 million in federal aid to struggling business and residents, and passing a sweeping police transparency bill.

Bills to increase child vaccination rates, and reduce business tax breaks and exemptions to fund schools were making their way through the Democratled General Assembly’s two chambers.

After a 10-week hiatus forced by the coronavirus, lawmakers approved a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 that cut $3.3 billion from the $13 billion general fund. The budget cuts K-12 funding by $621 million and $598 million from higher education. It eliminates a $225 million payment into the state employee retirement fund. At Republicans’ insistence, $162 million in property tax credits for seniors were preserved.

Lawmakers passed or advanced bills to help residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing from the $70 million in federal relief at legislators’ disposal, the bills address mental health and substance abuse treatment, small-business grants, rent and mortgage assistance, a fund to prevent utility shutoffs and a new publicprivate fund to support loans to small businesses.

Bills to extend unemployment insurance benefits to workers whose hours are cut by the pandemic and to expand sick leave eligibility were on track to reach the governor’s desk.

Gov. Jared Polis has embraced a police accountability and transparency bill that drew bipartisan support and endorsements from Colorado police, sheriffs and district attorneys’ associations. It addresses use of force practices, mandates use of body cameras starting in 2023, requires public release of body cam footage in instances of misconduct complaints and removes, in some instances, officers’ qualified immunity from civil lawsuits.

The Senate sent the bill to the governor Saturday. Speakers addressed the pain underlying the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd — protests that, in Denver, damaged Colorado’s Capitol building and exposed lawmakers to tear gas.

“What we do here will not bring back George Floyd,” said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert. “If this effort has any effect on changing the hearts and minds of people in this nation, then we’ve done good work.”