Colorado Center on Law and Policy
May 12, 2008
“The challenges Colorado faces when it comes to health care, fiscal policy, and economic self-sufficiency are too great to resolve in one year,” said Maureen Stevenson Farrell, Executive Director at CCLP. “So while we recognize some of the progress made, we also know that a lot of work remains on key issues like the Earned Income Tax Credit and broader health care reform.”
Press Release: Legislative Review
KGNU Interview with Kathy White and Elisabeth Arenales
(Audio-click yellow tab at right, begin at 21:30 mark)
April 29, 2008
Carol Hedges, COFPI's Senior Fiscal Analyst, delivered testimony today in the House State Affairs Committee on Speaker Romanoff's TABOR reform proposa, HCR 1014.
Full Statement
Denver Post article
April 16, 2008
A Rocky Mountain News column outlined how a tax proposal currently under consideration in the legislature, H.B. 1380, would actually raise taxes on 70 percent of Colorado businesses. It's part of the plan to change corporate income tax reporter to the so-called "single sales factor," and as the column points out it would reward some companies and penalize others.
Full RMN column here
Full COFPI statement on legislation here
April 10, 2008
The House Finance Committee voted yesterday, by a 10-1 margin, to move forward with H.B. 1380, which would change the corporate income tax system to the so-called “Single Sales Factor.” In doing so, the Committee added two amendments to the legislation that would implement corporate reporting and accountability measures.
Full COFPI Statement
Denver Business Journal article
April 9, 2008
A groundbreaking national study, Pulling Apart: A state-by-state analysis of income trends, released today shows that the income gap in Colorado is rapidly growing. The study reveals larger gaps between high-income earners and low- and middle-income families now than in previous decades.
Press Release
Full Report and State Fact Sheets
Public News Service story (audio)
April 8, 2008
As the House Finance Committee prepares to hear H.B. 1380 tomorrow, a coalition of advocacy groups and labor unions is raising questions about the corporate tax system in Colorado. These questions include whether corporations are pulling their weight, and how is that impacting working families? An amendment will be offered on the bill that would help increase transparency on corporate taxes in Colorado, and ensure that policymakers and citizens alike have the necessary information to make good decisions when it comes to tax policies.
Full Release
April 3, 2008
Following
three hours of spirited debate last night, H.B. 1362 failed in the House Finance Committee by a vote of 4-7. The bill would have restored the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for two years, providing much needed tax relief to 264,000 low-income working Colorado households and pumping $52 million a year into local economies.
Press Release
Paycheck Away Coalition video shown at hearing
Colorado Springs Gazette story
March 19, 2008
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI) released a new report today, The 2008 Colorado Self-Sufficiency Study: A Family Needs Budget, detailing what it takes for families to make ends meet on a county-by-county basis. A broad coalition
of advocates, service providers, public officials, and other community members helped launch the report, as well as a newly created online tool called VisionKEI.
Executive Summary
Full Report
VisionKEI - interactive online Self-Sufficiency tool
Complete Self-Sufficiency Tables
9News Story (Video)
Denver Post article
Fort Collins Coloradoan article
March 14, 2008
Rep. John Kefalas and Sen. Betty Boyd introduced a bill (H.B. 1362) to restore the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which would provide direct relief to 264,000 tax-filers and pump $52 million into the Colorado economy. “The goal here, in my mind, is make an economy that works for everyone,” said House sponsor Rep. Kefalas. “The goal…is to make sure that folks who are playing by the rules, living paycheck to paycheck, that they have an opportunity to move toward self-sufficiency to get beyond poverty.”
Rocky Mountain News article
Association Press article
Channel 4 story (video)
Channel 9 story (video)
March 10, 2008
The Colorado Pay Equity Commission, a twelve-member group made up of representatives from business, labor, education, policy and advocacy organizations, released a comprehensive, detailed, and well-documented account of pay inequity in Colorado on Friday, March 7th. CCLP Health Policy Analyst Elizabeth Feder is a member of the Commission. The report, Fulfilling the Promise: Closing the Pay Gap for Women and Minorities in Colorado, examines the practices that have perpetuated the pay gap and offers recommendations to address the issue. Among the key findings were that the pay gap shows women still lag men by more than 20 percent.
Full Report here
March 5, 2008
"They're calling it a 'back door bureaucratic move' to cut critical health coverage. Public health advocates say the Bush administration has been bypassing Congress, making cuts, and restricting access to Medicaid and other health programs by issuing new federal rules."
Full Interview
Denver Post: Medicaid plans slammed - 3/5/08
Rocky Mountain News: Medicaid rules could slash funding to CO hospitals - 3/5/08
March 4, 2008
Over the past year, the Bush Administration has proposed or issued nine regulations that would cut critical health care services and cost Colorado as much as $200 million in federal funding in 2008. At a time when state budgets are already stretched too thin, and given Colorado’s funding restrictions, these funding cuts and shifts in costs are difficult, if not impossible for Colorado to absorb. These changes in federal regulations will have devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Fact Sheet
Denver Post: Medicaid reduction would hit state hard - 3/4/08
House Government Reform Committee report
Interactive Map showing state-by-state impact
March 3, 2008
"Colorado has a mixed story to tell about its five year recovery from the 2001 recession. Overall poverty rates have remained largely unchanged, but there has been a disturbing trend of increasing child poverty. Additionally, growing income inequality and soaring numbers of families without health insurance have offset positive developments in the recovery and indicate potential trouble ahead for the State of Working Colorado."
Executive Summary
Full Report
February 22, 2008
"The President’s budget proposal, unveiled earlier this month, is more of the same: more debt, more deficit spending, more cuts to vital public services, more strain on states and local governments, and most importantly, more strain on ordinary Coloradans." For full fact sheet click here.
February 13, 2008
Denver - The economic stimulus package President Bush is expected to sign this week will put some money in Coloradans' wallets - but some critics say that, at the same time, his proposed budget carries cuts that could offset that bonus.
Kathy White with the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute says there are billions of dollars in cuts to a number of vital services. "Everything from child care to police protection, a lot of the things that ordinary Coloradans make use of."
Full Interview Here
February 11, 2008
COFPI Senior Fiscal Analyst, Carol Hedges was a featured guest today on The Jay Marvin Show on AM760 Progressive Talk. She spoke with Jay about how the federal economic stimulus plan will cost Colorado between $68-109 million in lost state revenue.
Full Interview Here
Or Click Here and go to Jay Marvin Show, 2/11/08, Hour 3
February 1, 2008
CCLP Health Care Program Director and 208 Commission Member, Elisabeth Arenales, testified before the state legislature on January 31st, along with her colleagues on the commission. In what was described as a "bold yet realistic approach to health care reform in Colorado," the commission laid out a comprehensive set of recommendations to fulfill its charge of reducing both health care costs and the number of uninsured Coloradans.
Media Coverage
Commission Report
Commission Seb Site
January 29, 2008
"Exempla Healthcare has asked a judge to toss out a state attorney general's ruling that OKs the proposed Catholic takeover of two area hospitals. State lawmakers also have introduced two bills aimed at restricting similar hospital transactions and ensuring that all proceeds from such sales be spent on medical services."
Full article here
Updates on Exempla hospital sale here
January 29, 2008
Listen to reaction to the State of the Union address regarding federal fiscal policy. Click the above link, then click the yellow button to the right of the January 29th edition of "Morning Magazine." Fast forward to the 19-minute mark.
January 25, 2008
Channel 7 talked with Bell Policy Center President, Wade Buchanan, about the Looking Forward report and the state's numerous fiscal challenges. Looking Forward is a joint collaboration between the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, the Colorado Children's Campaign, and the Bell Policy Center.
Channel 7 Interview and Looking Forward news coverage
Full Report
Press Release
January 24, 2008
"Commission members Edie Sonn of Denver and Elisabeth Arenales, health care program director for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, discussed the proposed ideas for reform with The Tribune\'s editorial board on Wednesday. The commission, charged last year with coming up with ways to ensure all residents can have access to affordable health care, will make its final report to the Legislature on Jan. 31."
Full article here.
January 23, 2008
Listen to COFPI fiscal analyst Adela Flores-Brennan talk about legislation to restore the state Earned Income Tax Credit with KGNU.
Click the above link, then click the yellow button to the right of the January 23rd edition of "Morning Magazine." Fast forward to the 17-minute mark.
January 18, 2008
Check out the latest updates on the proposed sale of two Denver-area hospitals. The Community First Foundation and Sisters of Charity filed complaints to dismiss, followed by responses from Exempla supporting CCLP, Plaintiff's approach. To view latest court documents, click here and scroll down to bottom of the page.
January 17, 2008
Wondering what really goes into the state budget? Curious about how the budget process actually works? Then check out COFPI's 2008 Budget Primer.
January 14, 2008
CCLP Special Counsel Ed Kahn was awarded the Colorado Bar Association's Award of Merit at the annual Bar Fellows Dinner on January 11th. "Serving the public where and when one can is part of a lawyer’s professional responsibility, and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve in many meaningful matters,” said Ed Kahn. “I am pleased and humbled to receive this award."
CBA Press Release
Ed Kahn's Acceptance Remarks
January 9, 2008
As the 2008 legislative session begins today, the Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP) and the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI) are focusing on a variety of bills and issues that impact health care, state tax and budget policy, and self-sufficiency for lower-income families.
January 8, 2008
The Exempla Board has filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court to block the proposed sale of two area hospitals citing that terms of the deal are "unacceptable and wrong."
Rocky Mountain News: Exempla sues to block sale - 1/9/08
Denver Post: Exempla board sues to halt hospital sale - 1/9/08
Exempla complaint filed in Denver District Court - 1/8/08
January 7, 2008
CCLP Special Counsel Ed Kahn spoke with KGNU's Metro program today about the proposed sale of two Denver-area hospitals. CCLP and a coalition of community groups have filed a complaint to stop the sale, as it would restrict medical access in Boulder and Jefferson counties.
Listen to the full KGNU Metro interview here.
January 4, 2008
More than 150 advocates and experts attended this year's Budget Works conference, which held a terrific program of speakers and presentations featuring representatives from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Insitute, the Colorado Children's Campaign, and the Bell Policy Center, as well as political commentators and CCLP Board President Jean Dubofsky. For more information about the confernce, check out some of the materials here.
January 2, 2008
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a study over the holidays outlining how more than 36 million Americans live in poverty, nearly half of which live in extreme poverty - meaning an income less than half of the poverty line, or less than $10,000 a year for a family of four.
See the complete study here.
December 20, 2007
On Thursday, the state announced a settlement agreement on the lawsuit against the Colorado Benefits Management System, which has been plagued by problems.
"We're pleased that the case has been settled," said Ed Kahn, attorney for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, which represented the six clients who filed the suit about three and a half years ago. "We believe it gives us a mechanism to be an effective watchdog of the system."
Rocky Mountain News: Settlement reached over benefits management - 12/20/07
Denver Post: State agencies settle computer-benfits lawsuit - 12/20/07
CBMS Final Stipulation and Order of Settlement - 12/20/07
December 20, 2007
CCLP and a coalition of community groups worked together to file a complaint against the proposed sale of two Denver-area hospitals. "We're doing this because we want to preserve the broadest possible health-care opportunities and medical treatment for the people of Boulder and Jefferson counties who have been served with sound, broad medical practice for years," said Ed Kahn, special counsel at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, which assisted in the lawsuit. "They deserve to continue to have that opportunity."
Rocky Mountain News: Suit seeks to block sale of hospitals - 12/20/07
Boulder Daily Camera: Lawsuit aims to block sale of hospitals- 12/20/07
Complaint as Filed
December 18, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, the Bell Policy Center, and the Colorado Children's Campaign released a new report today that looks ahead at Colorado's fiscal prospects after Referendum C. This collaborative project, headed up by eight researchers from these three nonprofits, forecasts a six-year budget window with the goal of providing Coloradoans with good information so they can make sound decisions about tax and fiscal policy.
News Coverage
Press Release
Full Report
How Referendum C works
How the state budget works
December 18, 2007
"Some food-stamp applicants have been denied services altogether because their applications weren't processed quickly enough. On any given week, from 1,200 to 2,400 applicants for food stamps in the state's 10 largest counties had waited more than 30 days to get their applications filed. Applicants at the back of the line can wait weeks longer to collect benefits they're entitled to receive. Moreover, the state computer system has erroneously sent letters to scores of food-stamp applicants saying they had been rejected even though their applications were still active."
Rocky Mountain News editorial: Food stamp food fight - 12/18/2007
Rocky Mountain News: Food stamp applications mired in bureaucracy - 12/15/2007
December 12, 2007
CCLP is leading a coalition of advocacy groups and individuals objecting to the pending sale of two Denver-area hospitals. The sale would significantly divert charitable assets away from health care in the community and severely limit access to critical medical procedures in Jefferson and Boulder Counties. The coalition, led by CCLP Special Counsel Ed Kahn, submitted a letter to the Attorney General’s office on December 3 outlining the objections.
Rocky Mountain News: Talks aim for hospital compromise - 12/12/2007
Rocky Mountain News: Coalition says hospital deal violates law- 12/3/2007
Coalition letter to the Attorney General's Office - 12/3/2007
December 11, 2007
CCLP Health Care Program Director talks to KCFR's Colorado Matters about health care reform and Medicaid. Listen to the interview here.
November 15, 2007
The 2006 CCLP Annual Report is now available online! Check out the terrific work CCLP and COFPI are doing on health care, self-sufficiency, fiscal policy, and more. Also included are reflections from Board President, Jean Dubofsky, and Executive Director, Maureen Farrell-Stevenson, as well as a special tribute to Ed Kahn.
October 5, 2007
Read Maureen Farrell's statement on President Bush's veto of important SCHIP legislation. Also, check out other legislative facts and background information about the State Children's Health Insurance Program:
August 28, 2007
Listen to CCLP Health Care Director Elisabeth Arenales on CPR's Colorado Matters discuss how new ID requirements are pushing citizens off of Medicaid and wasting taxpayer dollars.
Full interview here.
August 28, 2007
The U.S. Census Bureau released new data today showing that nearly a half million Coloradans, or 10.6 percent, struggle with poverty and that the state's child poverty rate has increased to 15.3 percent. Statewide data also showed that median household income declined slightly from the previous year, and that 16.6 percent of Coloradans are uninsured, which is higher than the national rate.
Press Release
Colorado Poverty and Income Statistics 2006
August 1, 2007
See the below links for updates on the new rules related to State ID and Driver's License applications.
August 1, 2007
The new Lawful Presence Rule allows persons applying for public benefits to use an array of documents to prove lawful presence (citizenship or lawful immigrant status). It also allows applicants for public benefits to request Waivers if they do not have any of the required documents.
Lawful Presence Rule Summary and Fact Sheet
View Complete Department of Revenue Rule Here
State trails per capita U.S. average by $3.3 billion in critical areas
June 20, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI) released a new report, Aiming for the Middle, exploring how Colorado continues to fall behind other states in key areas of public investment such as K-12 education, health care, transportation and higher education.
May 31, 2007
The Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Colorado Covering Kids and Families, and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative cited new data from two surveys released today by the Colorado Health Institute as evidence of a growing problem in the state’s
health care system. See the Eligibility Technician survey here and the Outreach and
Enrollment Worker survey here. Read full press release here.
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