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As the Colorado General Assembly returns to work on Tuesday, the No. 1 priority for Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers will be passing an economic stimulus package to help lift the state out of the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n
But the question of how big the package should be and how fast the Legislature should move to pass it remain sticking points. That\u2019s not to mention questions about where the money should be spent.<\/p>\n
Polis wants lawmakers to act fast and allocate at least $1 billion to the recovery in a way that \u201cbuilds Colorado back stronger\u201d through \u201cshovel-ready\u201d infrastructure projects. That includes repairs to the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, building new wildlife migration corridors and expanding rural broadband access.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,\u201d said Polis, a Democrat, promising that thousands of jobs would be created.<\/p>\n
On the flip side are lawmakers who are anxious about how much money will actually be available to spend. They are advocating for more of a wait-and-see approach, anticipating that a congressional aid bill could change their plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeasure twice, cut once,\u201d is state Sen. Chris Hansen\u2019s mantra when it comes to how the Denver Democrat and state budget writer views the stimulus package.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Republicans are questioning whether the state should instead prioritize restoring the massive funding cuts that were made when the pandemic began.<\/p>\n
The back and forth echoes the yearslong tug of war between the governor and Democratic budget writers that began almost the moment Polis assumed office. The governor has pushed for his expensive policies while members of the Joint Budget Committee have at times resisted, noting the broad priorities of the 100 members of the General Assembly and fretting about the details.<\/p>\n
There is arguably more at stake this time. Colorado\u2019s unemployment rate is higher than the national average, with thousands still out of work. State leaders are anxious to return to the state to its position as one of the nation\u2019s best economies.<\/p>\n
The JBC already rebuffed an effort by Polis to fast-track the stimulus package through the supplemental budget process, instead pushing the proposal through the full Legislature.<\/p>\n
Stimulus funding will come from taxes generated by a better-than-expected state economy. The Legislature thought the state would be worse off during this fiscal year and cut way back on spending as a result.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers want to wait until the state\u2019s next budget forecast in March before finalizing how much money is in the package. Polis agrees that doing so makes sense.<\/p>\n
Both sides say there will be hundreds of millions more to spend. However, there may not be the \u201cbillion-dollar-plus amount\u201d that Polis hopes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the total number is still to be decided,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat. \u201cIt really is going to depend on the information we get from JBC. I think it\u2019s going to be significant, but we don\u2019t have a hard-and-fast number, necessarily, that we are working off of.\u201d<\/p>\n
House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver, is also wary of future deficits. Spending too much now instead of saving the money could put the General Assembly in a bind down the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the balance that it\u2019s important for the Legislature to strike is how to help Coloradans most in need while at the same time being prudent enough that we are not putting at risk future budget years,\u201d Garnett said.<\/p>\n
Sen. Bob Rankin, a Carbondale Republican who sits on the JBC, also questions why much of the revenue isn\u2019t being used to backfill the billions of dollars in cuts that were made as the pandemic began. Those very cuts made the money available for stimulus spending possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to think about what this really is,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s money that came from cash funds and (the Public Employees Retirement Association) and other places. Maybe we should repay those funds before we start spending stimulus money here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe should do restoration before we do stimulus.\u201d<\/p>\n