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Media Center
Health Care Commission Coverage
January 31, 2008
Association Press -Ritter's health care panel pitches plan
Greeley Tribune - Legislators get serious about reform of health care
Pueblo Chieftain - Panel airs dramatic health care reform plans
Fort Collins Coloradoan - Health care commission gives suggestions
Durango Herald - Group presents long-awaited health care plan
Grand Junction Sentinel - Require insurance, panel says
January 9, 2008
COFPI Senior Fiscal Analyst Carol Hedges traveled to Atlanta, GA to deliver a speech on TABOR and other tax and fiscal challenges to conference titled, "Tax Reform: A Reality Check."
Full speech Looking Forward News Coverage
December 19, 2007
Denver Business Journal - Study Says State Needs More Money
Denver Post - Budget options slim after TABOR timeout
Grand Junction Sentinel - Report: State services to be static
Rocky Mountain News - Colorado has exhausted Ref C's financial bounce
Durango Herald - Report: State needs more tax money
Pueblo Chieftain - Tax hike needed to fix state's fiscal woes
Denver Daily News -
Ref. C is not enough? Opponents: taxes are not the answer
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2008 Legislative Session Ends; Bold Changes Put on Hold
May 07, 2008
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House Finance adds accountability, reporting measures to tax bill
April 10, 2008
The House Finance Committee voted last night, 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.
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RELEASE: Are CO corporations paying their fair share?
April 08, 2008
As the House Finance Committee prepares to hear H.B. 1380 on Wednesday, April 9, 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.
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RELEASE: House Finance Committee rejects H.B. 1362, the EITC bill
April 03, 2008
Following more than 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.
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ARTICLE: Health care commission ready to report to legislature
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. After months of meetings throughout the state, the group will present five recommendations to the Legislature that could require from $389 million to $1.1 billion extra in annual state health care funding. At present, the state puts roughly $3 billion a year into health care.
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Ed Kahn honored with CBA\'s Award of Merit
January 14, 2008
The Colorado Bar Association honored CCLP Special Counsel with the Award of Merit on January 11, 2008.
\"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.\"
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CCLP, COFPI Outline Legislative Priorities
January 09, 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.
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Settlement reached over state\'s benefits management system
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.\"
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CCLP, Coalition Files Suit to Stop Hospital Sale
December 20, 2007
\"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.\"
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EDITORIAL: Food stamp food fight
December 18, 2007
As the Rocky\'s Myung Oak Kim reported Saturday, 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.
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Rocky Mountain News: Food Stamp applications mired in bureaucracy
December 17, 2007
It shouldn\'t take more than 30 days to process a food stamp application - and no more than seven days for emergency cases, federal rules say.
Tell that to Margaret Stearns and more than 1,000 local residents who\'ve been waiting for months because of bureaucratic snags.
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Rocky Mountain News - Talks aim for hospital compromise
December 12, 2007
Lawyers are negotiating ways to provide reproductive services at two metro area hospitals despite restrictions imposed by the hospitals\' pending Catholic takeover.
The proposed transaction, expected to be completed in January, has come under growing opposition from doctors and patient advocacy groups because Catholic regulations would ban certain medical procedures. Organizations, including the board of Exempla, which manages the hospitals, have asked state Attorney General John Suthers to block the sale.
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Coalition Letter to Attorney General on Proposed Hospital Sale
December 04, 2007
A letter from a coalition of advocacy groups, led by CCLP, to the Colorado Attorney General\'s Office regarding the proposed sale of two Denver-area hospitals.
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Rocky Mountain News: Coalition Says Hospital Deal Violates Law
December 03, 2007
\"A coalition of advocacy groups contends that the pending sale of two metro-area hospitals to a Catholic organization would violate state law.
In a letter to state Attorney General John Suthers on Monday, the Colorado Center on Law & Policy said that the Catholic takeover would be illegal because donor money would be spent on operations it was not meant for. The coalition also asked Suthers to step aside until a court considers the issue.
Doctors groups at both hospitals and the board of Exempla, which operates both facilities, have urged Suthers\' office not to approve the sale. They argue that the Catholic takeover would hurt medical care, particularly at Lutheran, because patients have no other nearby hospital where they could receive services prohibited by the religious directives.\"
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2006 CCLP Annual Report
November 15, 2007
\"Our successes have created an organizational
momentum that we will continue to build
upon during the upcoming year. Likewise,
we will continue building strong partnerships
with an outstanding array of nonprofits,
advocacy groups, service providers, and
other organizations that are all pulling
in the same direction to make Colorado
a better place.\"
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RELEASE: House Passes New SCHIP Bill
October 25, 2007
The U.S. House of Representatives voted today on a new compromise that would reauthorize the State Children\'s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and help provide health insurance to four million low-income children who otherwise would not be covered. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 265 to 142, nearly a veto-proof margin.
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STATEMENT: President Bush\'s veto of SCHIP legislation
October 05, 2007
The latest U.S. Census data shows that the number of uninsured children in this country has increased by more than a million in the past two years. At 17 percent, Colorado has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the country, and according to 2005 data, we have the seventh highest rate of uninsured kids. This veto discounts entirely the needs of our nation\'s children, despite all the evidence and facts about the impact of failing to support this legislation.
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RELEASE: New Census Data: Child Poverty Increases Sharply, Uninsured Rates Remain High in Colorado
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.
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U.S. Law Week Article: Local Immigration Laws Violate Due Process
August 09, 2007
A U.S. Law Week article addresses a ruling stating that some local immigration laws that bar \'Illegal Aliens\' from jobs or housing are preempted by existing law and violate due process.
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Delta Daily Writer Article: Delta hosts forum to battle poverty issues
July 20, 2007
Poverty is no stranger to many towns and cities in Colorado, including Delta and Montrose.
Alarming statistics and persisting problems have prompted nine non-profit organizations, different in name but with a similar goal, to find ways to help those who struggle financially.
The Paycheck Away Project, a statewide initiative aimed at battling poverty, which almost always leads to homelessness, hunger and lack of proper health care, jump-started its first meeting in Delta Thursday evening.
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Denver Post Column: Share the wealth stirs anew in Colorado
June 29, 2007
That about sums up the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute\'s report, \"Aiming for the Middle.\" It concludes Colorado would need to spend $3.3 billion just to reach the national average expenditure levels in key areas like elementary and secondary schools, health care, Medicaid, higher education and highways.
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Colorado Springs Gazette Article: State lags nation in spending in key areas
June 22, 2007
Colorado must spend billions more each year on education, transportation and health care just to reach the average per-capita allocations of other states in those areas, according to a report put out by a private organization this week.
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, which works toward financial polices that benefit especially low- and moderate-income populations, did not offer specific solutions on how to fix the problem. But the report, Aiming for the Middle, declared that it is time for public discussion about the state\'s spending choices.
Colorado is a wonderful and amazing place in so many ways, yet we continue to lag behind other states when it comes to investing in our future, senior fiscal policy analyst Carol Hedges said in a statement.
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Aiming for the Middle - Executive Summary
June 20, 2007
In this report, Aiming for the Middle, we document how much Colorado is lagging behind most other states in funding public services and what it would cost just to get to the middle of states in essential measures such as public education, higher education, health care, and transportation.
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Aiming for the Middle - Full Report
June 20, 2007
Colorado currently invests a relatively small amount in public structures that support our economy and our way of life. We have survived and thrived despite our neglect of our school, university, health care and transportation systems, but increasingly we are warned that if we are to maintain our quality of life, we must change our course. Our neighbors and competitors are making the investments today that will reap the benefits tomorrow. We are not.
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REPORT: Colorado falling behind in critical public investments
June 20, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI) released a new report today 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. The report, Aiming for the Middle, details how much it would cost to elevate Colorado from its currently poor state rankings to the middle of the pack in these aforementioned areas.
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ARTICLE: Food stamp test leaves city exec hungry, tired
June 11, 2007
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Denver Post Editorial: Living on $3 a day for food
June 08, 2007
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that 35 million U.S. residents couldn\'t reliably put food on the table. That\'s an abominable statistic for a country of such wealth and education. We urge members of Congress to seriously consider the measure - even if they never have to try to subsist on ramen noodles.
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Denver Post Article: 21 meals on $25 a week?
June 07, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute and the Colorado Anti-Hunger Network set up the 2007 Food Stamp Challenge in honor of National Hunger Awareness Day, which was Tuesday. State Rep. John Kefalas of Fort Collins, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Human Services Manager Roxane White were among those who participated.
In Colorado, 251,000 people receive food stamps; according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 220,000 households in Colorado live with hunger or the threat of hunger. Federal statistics show 80 percent of food-stamp benefits go to households with children.
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Food for thought: Can you eat on $3 a day?
June 04, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI) and the Colorado Anti-Hunger Network (CAN) are challenging all Coloradans to join the Mayor Hickenlooper, state legislators, local officials, and public personalities in the 2007 Food Stamp Challenge. The challenge consists of eating on a food stamp budget for one week, beginning on National Hunger Awareness Day, Tuesday, June 5th.
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RELEASE: New surveys show Medicaid ID requirements cost more than they save
May 31, 2007
Three Colorado nonprofit organizations are advocating changes to the Citizen Documentation requirements in a new federal Medicaid law—the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA)—calling the requirements a huge burden on the state, counties, and citizens in need of critical services. 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.
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Op-Ed: The numbers do not lie, Colorado families are struggling financially
May 27, 2007
Kathy White penned this op-ed for the May 27th Denver Post. The column highlights the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute\'s latest report about how many Colorado families struggle to make ends meet.
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Alamosa Valley Courier Op-Ed: The Farm Bill is about more than farming
May 23, 2007
This Alamosa Valley Courier op-ed stresses the importance of the Food Stamp Program, which is part of the Farm Bill legislation being considered in Congress. More than 251,000 Coloradans rely on food stamps for basic nutrition. Food stamps also have a significant economic impact, as every $5 of food stamps spent will generate $9 in economic activity in your local grocery stores.
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Denver Post Editorial: Between a rock and welfare
May 17, 2007
Denver Post editorial touts new study from Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
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Denver Business Journal Op-Ed: Businesses Can Help Struggling Families
May 11, 2007
This op-ed, authored by a Mile High United Way board member, highlights the new report from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute and outlines how businesses can help families that struggle to make ends meet.
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Denver Post: Working Poor Seek Tax Credit from State
April 13, 2007
Denver Post article about the need for a state earned income tax credit.
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