HB22-1329 (McCluskie/Hanson) The Long Bill FY 2022-23
Summary
The annual budget bill, also referred to as the “Long Bill,” funds programs and services throughout the State of Colorado. The Long Bill will appropriate more than $36 billion for the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.
The annual Long Bill is the culmination of months of hearings and discussions held by the Joint Budget Committee (JBC). The JBC is a bipartisan committee made up of three Senators and three Representatives, and those members are charged with setting the State’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The JBC hears from each branch of government, each state agency, and other advocates and special interests to determine what should be funded for the next year. After numerous discussions and decisions, the JBC introduces the Long Bill – which is House Bill 1329 this year. Once it is introduced, each chamber of the legislature gets to debate the Long Bill and offer amendments to fund or cut resources for programs and services. After two weeks of debate, both the House and Senate recently passed the Long Bill. Several amendments were added in both chambers, and now the JBC must reconvene to reconcile the differences and send a finalized Long Bill to the Governor to be signed into law.
Position
The Children’s Campaign is in a “Support” position on the Long Bill. After advocating for amendments to be added for additional funding for legal aid for families who are going through the eviction process, $500,000 for the Eviction Legal Defense Fund was added to the state budget. The state budget also provides supplemental funding to continue the Health eMoms survey in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment until the next budget year and provides funding for our Medicaid Department to support stakeholder engagement in their maternity care programs.
Current Status
The “Long Bill” has been signed by the Governor.
Previous Status
April 8, 2022
HB22-1329 has recently passed both the House and Senate. The JBC will now meet to reconcile differences in amendments that were added in both chambers.
