NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - May 2008
May 19, 2008
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2008 Legislative Session Ends; Bold Changes Put on Hold
May 07, 2008
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EVENT INVITE: CCLP/COFPI Legislative Issue Briefing
May 01, 2008
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STATEMENT: COFPI testimony on TABOR reform proposal
April 29, 2008
Carol Hedges, Senior Fiscal Analyst at COFPI, delivered the following testimony on April 29 to the House State Affairs Committee on Speaker Romanoff\'s TABOR reform proposal.
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NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - April 2008
April 18, 2008
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Issue Brief: Long Bill Update - April 2008
April 17, 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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NEW REPORT: Income gap growing in Colorado
April 09, 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, authored by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), reveals larger gaps between high-income earners and low- and middle-income families now than in previous decades.
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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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ISSUE BRIEF: March 2008 Revenue Projections
March 28, 2008
On March 20, 2008, Legislative Council presented the quarterly revenue projections for March 2008. The big news is a decrease in projected General Fund revenues of $169.6 million for FY 2007-08 and $148.6 million for FY 2008-09.
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NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - March 2008
March 28, 2008
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REPORT: The 2008 Colorado Self-Sufficiency Standard - A Family Needs Budget
March 19, 2008
Do you know how much food prices in Colorado have increased in the last three years? What about health care costs? What's the highest everyday cost for an average family in Colorado—transportation? Health care? Child care? Housing?
Find out the answers to these questions and more from the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute\'s (COFPI)new report, The 2008 Colorado Self-Sufficiency Study: A Family Needs Budget.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The 2008 Colorado Self-Sufficiency Standard - A Family Needs Budget
March 19, 2008
More and more families are finding that they are unable to stretch their wages to meet these rising costs for basic yet vital necessities. It begs the question, what is an adequate income? And how does that standard vary among different families and communities in Colorado? This report addresses this fundamental question. What does it take to make ends meet?
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NEW REPORT: State of Working Colorado 2007
March 04, 2008
By 2006, Colorado had recovered the jobs lost during the 2001 recession and unemployment across the state was down. However, while Colorado median household income continued to hover above the national average, it has stagnated in recent years and has not recovered to its 2001 or pre-recession levels. 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.
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FACT SHEET: Feds cut critical health services with backdoor bureaucratic move; New regulations to cost Colorado $787 million over five years
March 03, 2008
Over the past year, the Bush Administration has proposed or issued nine Medicaid regulations that would cut critical health care services and cost Colorado as much as $200 million in federal funding. 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.
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State of Working Colorado 2007: Executive Summary
March 03, 2008
Wages and family income are stagnate or declining. Poverty rates have not declined, child poverty has actually increased, and the number of uninsured continues to grow. Every day costs like housing, food, transportation, and child care also continue to increase sharply. And working families in Colorado find it more and more difficult to make ends meet.
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NEWSLETTER: CCLP\'s Policy Matters - February 2008
February 25, 2008
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FACT SHEET: The President\'s FY 2009 Federal Budget Proposal
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.
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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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NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - January 2008
January 18, 2008
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2008 Budget Primer
January 17, 2008
Wondering what really goes into the state budget? Curious about how the budge process works? Questions about where the state invests tax dollars? Then check out COFPI\'s 2008 Budget Primer.
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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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CBMS Final Stipulation and Order of Settlement
December 20, 2007
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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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REPORT: Looking Forward - Colorado\'s fiscal prospects after Referendum C
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.
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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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Federal Budget Update - December Congressional Action
December 14, 2007
Congress is still in session and as the holidays and end of the congressional calendar rapidly approach, things are literally changing by the minute. Here is what\'s happening on issues of importance to CCLP and its partners and coalition members, as of Friday morning, December 14, 2007.
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NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - December 2007
December 14, 2007
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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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Budget Works 2008 Registration Form - Fax
December 11, 2007
To register for Budget Works 2008 by fax, please print off this email, fill out contact and payment information, and fax to 303-573-4947.
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Budget Works 2008 Registration Form - Email
December 11, 2007
To register for Budget Works 2008 via email, please open this document, fill out payment information in Microsoft Word, save document, and send as an attachement to ryoung@cclponline.org.
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Budget Works 2008 Agenda
December 11, 2007
Budget Works 2008 is Friday, January 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Colorado History Museum. See who\'s on deck to discuss what\'s next for Colorado\'s fiscal challenges and how to \"untangle the knot.\"
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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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NEWSLETTER: CCLP Policy Matters - November 2007
November 14, 2007
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SAVE THE DATE! Budget Works 2008
November 08, 2007
Budget Works 2008: Friday, January 4 from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Colorado History Museum.
Join COFPI for our annual budget event. Speakers will highlight the new challenges for state spending, what we can expect from the Feds, and how well Colorado tax system performs.
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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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Congressional SCHIP Update
September 24, 2007
An updated look on what\'s new in Congress on SCHIP Reauthorization, and what it means for Colorado children.
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Issue Brief: The Cost of Medicaid Citizen Documentation Requirements
September 24, 2007
An updated issue brief on the Medicaid Citizen Documention Requirements and the true cost in tax dollars.
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FACT SHEET: HB 1314-Spanish Version
September 04, 2007
Spanish-language version of CCLP\'s House Bill 1314 Fact Sheet on Department of Revenue ID requirements.
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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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Colorado Poverty and Income Statistics 2006
August 28, 2007
In its annual release of poverty and income statistics known as Poverty Day, the U.S. Census Bureau today released national and state by state data on overall, family, and child poverty, as well as median household income. Data comes from two survey instruments used by the Census, the Community Population Survey (CPS) and the American Community Survey (ACS). See the below tables for more detail, or go to www.census.gov for more information.
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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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FACT SHEET: House Farm Bill Update
August 08, 2007
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute\'s analysis of the House Farm Bill.
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FACT SHEET: House and Senate SCHIP Comparison
August 07, 2007
This is an updated comparison of the House and Senate SCHIP legislation.
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Priorities for the State Children\'s Health Insurance Program
August 02, 2007
SCHIP reauthorization is an important opportunity to make needed progress toward ensuring all of America's children have health care coverage.
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Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 Fact Sheet
August 02, 2007
The DRA's rigid new documentation requirements have increased administrative and fiscal burdens to state Medicaid programs, and added significant barriers to the application and recertification process for U.S. citizens.
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Food Stamp Reauthorization Priorities
August 02, 2007
Congress should continue its efforts to reduce unnecessary paperwork, streamline
eligibility rules where appropriate and invest in outreach and enrollment efforts for the Food Stamp Program. In Colorado, the Food Stamp application is 21 pages long.
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Top Five Myths about SCHIP
August 02, 2007
THE WEEK\'S TOP FIVE MYTHS REGARDING CONGRESSIONAL EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN CHILDREN\'S HEALTH COVERAGE
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SCHIP: Compare House and Senate Proposals
August 02, 2007
Compare both the House and Senator SCHIP proposals side by side.
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FACT SHEET: New Rules on State IDs and Driver\'s License Applications
July 30, 2007
This is a summary fact sheet about new Department of Revenue rules regarding State IDs and Driver\'s License Applications, effective in Colorado on August 1, 2007.
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New DMV Rules for Driver\'s License and ID Applications
July 30, 2007
These are the new DMV rules regarding State IDs and Driver\'s License Applications, effective in Colorado on August 1, 2007.
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FACT SHEET: Lawful Presence Rule Summary
July 30, 2007
This is a fact sheet regarding the new rules for proving Lawful Presence in Colorado.
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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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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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What\'s Not In Your Wallet: The Colorado EITC (House Districts)
May 23, 2007
A breakdown of how much local communities lose out each year the state EITC is suspended. Breakdown by Colorado State House district.
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What\'s Not in Your Wallet: The Colorado EITC By Senate District
May 23, 2007
A breakdown of how much each Colorado Senate district loses in economic activity each year the state EITC is suspended.
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THE GREAT DRAIN GAME: The EITC, Refund Anticipation Loans and How Coloradans Get Hurt at Tax Time
May 23, 2007
For thousands of Coloradans tax time brings a much needed boost in the form of an Earned Income Tax Credit. However, because of refund anticipation loans (RALs)Colorado taxpayers and communities are losing millions of dollars every year in EITC benefits.
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The Earned Income Tax Credit: Helping Striving Families Become Thriving Families
May 21, 2007
An overview of the importance of the earned income tax credit for working families and the need for a state EITC. Fact sheet includes the economic impact of the state EITC for all 64 Colorado counties.
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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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Restored, New and Increased Programs in the Colorado State Budget Following the 2001 Recession
May 17, 2007
This paper examines the extent to which the revenue that the State of Colorado was able to retain under Referendum C, passed by voters in November 2005, have been used to restore programs eliminated or reduced during the recent recession, in the first two years of the five-year time-out in Ref. C.
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Fiscal Bill Summary - Final
May 17, 2007
A summary of fiscal, tax and budget bills of the 2007 session and their status as of sine die.
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Food Stamp Erosion and What It Means for Colorado
May 16, 2007
The food stamp program is one of the most important initiatives that Congress will decide this year. This vital program is the first defense against hunger in Colorado and across the nation. Food stamps helps hundreds of Colorado families purchase nutritious food and stretch tight budgets, while helping local farmers sell product and Colorado\'s economies thrive. As Congress reauthorizes funding for the Food Stamp Program through the 2007 Farm Bill, it must stop food stamp erosion. Since the value of food stamps don\'t keep pace with rising costs, food stamps purchase less and less food each year. This brief outlines the impact of food stamp erosion on Colorado families, farmers and economies.
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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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Executive Summary: Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Colorado
May 10, 2007
The groundbreaking report is Colorado\'s first demographic study of the number of families that live below the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado. Comparing Census data to the Self Sufficiency Standard for Colorado, this report takes a detailed look at how many families work hard, but don\'t earn enough to meet their basic needs, where these families live, what they look like, their occupations, levels of education and work efforts.
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Spanish Executive Summary; Overlooked and Undercounted
May 10, 2007
The groundbreaking report is Colorado\'s first demographic study of the number of families that live below the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado. Comparing Census data to the Self Sufficiency Standard for Colorado, this report takes a detailed look at how many families work hard, but don\'t earn enough to meet their basic needs, where these families live, what they look like, their occupations, levels of education and work efforts.
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Measured Success - Missed Opportunities: A Wrap-up of the 2007 Legislative Session
May 04, 2007
A brief look at the bills CCLP and COFPI worked on this year and our assessment of the 2007 session. How did low-income families fare? Find out with this brief summary.
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