arveschoug bird

House Bill 11-1280
Testimony to the Senate Local Government Committee
Wade Buchanan, President
May 10, 2011

My name is Wade Buchanan and I am President of the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan public policy center and advocacy organization committed to making Colorado a state of opportunity for all. I am speaking today in opposition to HB 11-1280, which would reinstate the 6 percent annual growth formula for General Fund appropriations.

Three bills we think are important for Colorado's future went the wrong way in the legislature this week, one because it failed and two others because they passed.

Senate Bill 126 would have offered college tuition at an unsubsidized, in-state rate to qualifying Colorado high school graduates who are not documented citizens. We believe in education for all Coloradans, and we believe the bill was good education policy, good workforce development policy and good economic development policy.

Executive summary

This report projects the amount Colorado would need to spend to maintain state services at 2007 levels through fiscal year 2012-13 and the amount of revenues that will be generated to pay for them. The costs of services were estimated based on factors that drive the budget, such as the number of students in college, inflation rates and the number of prisoners. It updates our December 2007 Looking Forward report.