The Senate Minority Caucus reviewed the full package of FY2026 supplemental appropriations, with Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer presenting each bill and flagging three contested items for floor debate: the Healthcare Policy and Finance supplemental (which she refused to sponsor, citing a $38 million Medicaid provider rate cut paired with a $21 million increase in the covering-all-Coloradoans program that draws no federal match), the Public Health and Environment supplemental (opposed over FTE growth and improper use of general fund), and the Higher Education supplemental (opposed after the governor's post-special-session executive order cut $9 million). Amendments on multiple fronts must be filed by 4:00 p.m. the same day.
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Senator Kirkmeyer argued the governor improperly cut the 1.6% Medicaid provider rate increase two days after the special session while simultaneously increasing spending on the covering-all-Coloradoans program by $21 million — spending that draws no federal match — and refused to put her name on the Healthcare Policy and Finance supplemental. Senator Liston stated all three Republican Appropriations Committee members voted against the cuts, which passed 4–3. Senator Bright stated the tradeoff 'doesn't add up,' while Kirkmeyer characterized Democratic colleagues as unwilling to budge: 'this is one where they just don't want to budge and they think they're in the right on this, and I don't think they are.'
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“After we had the special session, which we all know was just about increasing people's taxes, especially on businesses. Two days after that, when I think, I guess the governor didn't think anybody was watching. Came in from the Joint Budget Committee to let us know that he cut Medicaid, not the federal government. He cut it and he reduced the 1.6% increase that I fought for last year in provider rates, which provides reimbursements to hospitals, doctors, clinics, et cetera.”
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Sign in to subscribeAM and we'll go ahead and call the roll. Senator R. Pelton. Here. Senator Liston. Here. Senator Catlin? Here. Senator Frazelle? Here. I'm sorry. Assistant Minority Leader Frazelle. Minority Whip Rich. Here. Senator B. Pelton is here. Minority Leader Simpson. Thank you. JVC member Kirkmeyer and Senator Bright? Here. And Zamora Wilson is excused. Mark Baisley is excused, and John Carson is excused. All right, Senator Kirkmeyer, let's get started. We wanted to do all the ones that were on Consent Agenda first, correct? Okay. Do you want to turn on your mic? Thank you. I guess. So you want to stop bossing me around, Senator Kirkmeyer, because I'm not sitting close enough to you, though. All right. So thank you, Mr. Chair. We had appropriations this morning, went through the supplementals. There were several that were put on consent. I thought I would just go through those quickly because I don't really feel like there's issues in those. And I don't think Senator Pelton and Senator Liston did either. Some of them are just, you know, and I'll go through them really pretty fast, but I'll just go through the. They're pretty quick. They're either decreases, they're not general…
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