PRESS RELEASE

Senate GOP Fights for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Responsible Spending During Budget Debate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2025

Contact

joshua.bly@coleg.gov

303-866-2723

DENVER – Today, the FY 2025-26 state budget was passed in the Senate.

During an extended debate that stretched into the afternoon, the Senate Republicans fought for responsible spending and stood up for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Crafting this year’s legislative budget was particularly challenging due to a $1.2 billion budget deficit created by the Democrats’ excessive multi-year overspending.

In total, the Senate Republicans offered 47 impactful amendments to the budget, 6 of which were successfully adopted. 

Below is a comprehensive list of every budget amendment offered by the Colorado Senate Republican Caucus during this year’s budget debate:

Amendment:StatusRepublican Senator:Description:
J.059Adopted by COW Amendment S.004ListonWill reappropriate funds from prison inmate recreation and leisure programs to Colorado Springs’ National Cybersecurity Center
J.048AdoptedFrizellGives critically important funding to the Address Confidentiality Program, which protects the location of victims of assault.
J.067AdoptedB Pelton*Critically restores for occupational, physical, and speech therapies in HCPF.
J.064Adopted by COW Amendment S.002FrizellMakes a necessary trim to HPCF’s recovery audit contractor program.
J.071AdoptedSimpson*Gives critical funds to the Primary Care Fund in HCPF.
J.066AdoptedPelton RGives existing funds to the La Junta hospital maternity program
J.068Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould have given existing funds to the La Junta hospital maternity program.
J.017Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould cut unnecessary funding from the Division of Animal Welfare
J.002Killed By DemocratsBrightCuts funding for gender procedures for prison inmates.
J.001Killed By DemocratsBrightTrimmed funding currently used to give prisoners unlimited phone use.
J.003Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have trimmed pay increases for prison inmates.
J.004Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have reduced costly contract services in the Department of Corrections education subprogram,
J.039Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut unnecessary funding to the ineffective “Office of Saving People Money on Health Care,” which has substantially failed at bringing down costs for Coloradans.
J.030Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould have trimmed funding from the unnecessary Office of Climate Preparedness.
J.037Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould have cut funding from the useless Streamlined SolarPermitting Program.
J.035Killed By DemocratsPelton BEliminates the Lt. Governor’s completely unnecessary and excessive second salary.
J.029Killed By DemocratsRichWould have cut funding to the Colorado Promotion program, which has failed to deliver any substantial benefit to Colorado business.
J.041Killed By DemocratsRichWould have cut half of the funding for the Colorado Promotion program.
J.044Killed By DemocratsRichWould have cut 10% of the funding for the Colorado Promotion program.
J.028Killed By DemocratsRichWould have trimmed funding from the Council of Creative Industries, an unnecessary office.
J.007Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have cut mismanaged funding to the Governor’s Office of Information Technology Office.
J.015Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut excessive and unnecessary funding for HCPF equity office.
J.061Killed By DemocratsListonWould have taken extra money from HCPF Returned Mail Processing and given it to the National Cybersecurity Center in Colorado Springs.
J.062Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould have cut excessive spending in DHE.
J.058Killed By DemocratsListonWould have reappropriated funds from the DHS and given them to the National Cybersecurity Center in Colorado Springs.
J.050Killed By DemocratsListonWould have transferred funds from the Environmental Justice Office to the National Cybersecurity Center in Colorado Springs.
J.005Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut excessive and unnecessary funding DHS’s equity office.
J.026Killed By DemocratsPelton BWould have cut funding from the Public Defender’s Office currently used to pay lobbyists.
J.016Killed By DemocratsPelton RCuts unnecessary funding from the ineffective Office of Just Transition.
J.036Killed By DemocratsPelton BWould have cut legislators’ salary increases.
J.006Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut completely unnecessary funding to the Statewide Equity Office.
J.020Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have cut excessive funding to the Office of Health Equity
J.021Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have cut funding to the unnecessary Health Disparities and Community Grant Program.
J.010Killed By DemocratsPelton RWould have cut funding to unnecessary Environmental Justice ombudsperson.
J.008Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have cut funding to the unnecessary Office of Environmental Justice.
J.065Killed By DemocratsCarsonWould have reappropriated funds from the Emergency Stockpile Rotation Cash Fund and given it to the more useful controlled maintenance fund.
J.024Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut funding that gives some, but not all, Colorado politicians police security.
J.009Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have unnecessary funding from DORA’s unnecessary Equity Office.
J.031Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have trimmed funding from the unnecessary Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board.
J.032Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have inserted language prohibiting the Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board from using their funds to set an upper payment limit for rare disease or plasma drive treatment
J.051Killed By DemocratsBrightWould have cut unnecessary funding from DOR’s unnecessary Equity Office.
J.047Killed By DemocratsFrizellWould have cut funding from the firearms dealers division.
J.012Killed By DemocratsPelton BTrimmed excess funding from CDPHE.
J.013Killed By DemocratsPelton BWould have reduced CDPHE’s funding to pre-pandemic levels.
J.027Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have cut excessive pay increases for state employees.
J.063Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have reduced the state’s costly share of health benefits.
J.045Killed By DemocratsLundeenWould have cut the compensation increases for state employees.

* = bipartisan amendment

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If any media outlet requires photographs of any of our Senators, they are invited to use anything contained on our Flickr account with attribution to “Colorado Senate Republicans.”

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