Colorado Capitol Goldminer

Nuggets of truth from the Colorado State Capitol

Sharp, plain-English coverage of Colorado’s budget and new laws — led by Panning for Dollars: Joint Budget Committee (JBC) Watch.

Open JBC Watch Latest Gold Miner #26

Lead coverage

Panning for Dollars: Joint Budget Committee (JBC) Watch

What Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee is doing with the state budget.

Watch JBC hearings live Agendas & recordings

Now: Briefings & hearings · FY 2027–28

Key figures: Governor’s FY 2027–28 request

$18.9B

General Fund requested for FY 2027–28, up 2.6% from FY 2026–27

Source: Governor’s FY 2027–28 budget request (Nov. 2, 2026).

$1.6B

Projected FY 2027–28 shortfall the budget must close

Source: Colorado Politics (Nov. 2, 2026).

4.3%

Proposed cap on Medicaid growth (vs. about 15% on current trends)

Source: Governor’s FY 2027–28 budget request (Nov. 2, 2026).

13.05%

Proposed General Fund reserve, with a five-year path back to 15%

Source: Governor’s FY 2027–28 budget request (Nov. 2, 2026). The Governor presents to the JBC on Nov. 12; an updated request is due Jan. 2, 2027.

2027 JBC members

Sen. Judy AmabileSenate · D
Sen. Emily SirotaSenate · D
TBDSenate · R
TBDHouse
TBDHouse
TBDHouse

For the 2027 session. The Senate Republican seat and the three House seats are still to be named.

Upcoming (tentative)

Thu, Nov 12, 2026Organizational meeting; Gov. Polis FY 2027–28 budget request; staff overview
Fri, Nov 13Total compensation; MPRRAC; briefings — Local Affairs, DORA, Agriculture
Thu–Fri, Nov 19–20Dept. briefings continue (CDOT, Law, State, Personnel, CDHS, Education…)
Nov 23–27JBC does not meet (Thanksgiving week)

Source: 2026/2027 JBC Schedule (updated 10/26/26). Tentative — subject to change. LSB Hearing Room, Denver.

From Budget Bonanza (Gold Miner #22 · March 19, 2026): The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) received an updated economic forecast today, which is important in finalizing the Long Bill. The committee is currently facing the challenging task of identifying more than $1 billion in cuts to meet the state’s constitutionally required budget ba…

Full JBC Watch →

Latest from The Gold Miner

Issue #26 — May 15, 2026

Open full issue

May 15, 2026 · 76 Group

THE MOTHER LODE

A short, sweet, and rich summary of what’s happened at the Capitol

Happy SINE DIE! The final day of the legislature was Wednesday, May 13.…

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New Colorado laws

Fool’s Gold or Real Gold? Bills Under Fire

Real 2026 Digest enactments, filterable by who they affect.

Open tracker

employersMay 4, 2026

SB26-121

Agricultural overtime & wage-theft penalties (overtime starts Jan 1, 2027).

landlordsMar 26, 2026

HB26-1013

Ratio utility billing for landlords allocating charges to tenants.

driversOct 1, 2026

SB26-141

Optional collision-prevention fee at vehicle registration.

Source: 2026 Digest of Bills. Audience tags are editorial.

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