Joint Budget Committee

Friday, February 20, 2026·3h 19m·▶ Watch / Listen

The JBC heard Director Harper's recommendation against sponsoring the governor's $300 million TABOR over-refund correction (Statewide R2), with multiple members raising legal and accounting objections; the committee will not run the bill. Harper also presented a budget stress test showing a structural gap of roughly $550–$700 million in FY 2026-27 growing to ~$800 million by FY 2028-29 under the baseline scenario.

Key Actions

·Statewide R2 – TABOR Over-Refund CorrectionNo Vote

+ 14 more actions

Controversies

Timing of common policy and compensation decisions in the budget process

Representative Rick Taggart argued the committee must 'tackle the common policies earlier and not wait till the very end' given the approximately $850 million gap and the need for departments to be partners in prioritizing essential programs. The Chair responded she did not believe she said common policy would be done at the very end, describing the budget items as 'puzzle pieces that we have to fit together,' and offered no commitment to moving up the timeline.

Notable Quotes

“So it means that because of our accounting rules, it is like what is being presented is false and we just have to live with the falsity of it because of the rules.”
Chair (unidentified by name) — The Chair pressed Director Harper on why the state cannot accrue the federal HR1 revenue impact back to FY 2024-25 — even if that arguably reflects what actually occurred — because doing so would have threatened the auditor's clean opinion on the TABOR certification. Harper responded that was 'a more blunt but potentially accurate encapsulation' of his position.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Jeff Bridges moved staff recommendation for Legislative Council and General Assembly (Tab 1 legislative branch long bill line items, including property tax study at $852,000 general fund and Blue Book at $3.1 million general fund)Passed

Unlock the full summary

Subscribe to see all key actions, controversies, quotes, and what's next.

TranscriptPreview

It's. Afternoon. The Joint Budget Committee will come to order. Director Harper, what shall we tackle first? Thank you, Madam Chair. CRAIG harper, JBC Staff I think let's get the easiest one out of the way first. I expect it to be very quick. We'll go behind tab one. Okay. This is the first round of actually it's my first round with you all. Maybe the second bounce of a ping pong ball as I bounce back and forth between you all and the executive committee. Been talking to them about employee compensation, common policies, and now I'm bringing their recommendations to you or their decisions to you for a variety of line items that will be in the long bill for the Legislative branch. As you all are aware, the vast majority of the legislative branch's funding is carried in a separate bill each year, the legislative appropriation bill. The long bill carries a very small number of appropriations in it and they're all included in this particular packet. They fall into two categories. One is studies that are required either by the Constitution or by statute. So every other year you do a school finance study, a school…

Subscribe to unlock the full transcript, summary, and search across all Colorado committee hearings.