The Colorado General Assembly just adjourned our annual 120-day legislative session. As we concluded our work, spirits were high as several major bipartisan efforts successfully passed, including a permanent solution for slowing the growth in property taxes, modernizing our school funding formula, protecting thousands of acres of wetlands, and so much more.
Further, the partisan rancor that often led headlines last year was significantly reduced this year, and Colorado will be better for it as we worked together to deliver much-needed solutions and progress on some of our state’s most pressing challenges. For me, responding to the needs of the rural and mountain communities I serve in the Senate had me working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle and always focusing on results — and we got a lot of good done.
Cost of living
Addressing the rising cost of living in Colorado was top of mind this session. To that end, we cut income taxes, reduced sales taxes and made it easier for working families, parents, educators, health care professionals, and many others to get ahead. This was done through a bill that will be the largest tax cut in Colorado history as well as several pieces of legislation to expand existing successful tax credits as well as create new ways to promote the workforce that Colorado needs.
Affordable housing and property tax relief
Affordable housing, and the impact of rising property taxes, have been one of the top issues before the legislature for several years. I was proud to introduce and help pass SB24-002, which authorizes counties and towns to establish property tax credits for homeowners who rent to long-term tenants or critical community services, such as child care.
I also supported bills that will help the state significantly expand the availability of affordable housing. Finally, we passed a bipartisan property tax bill. The legislation will provide over $1 billion in residential property tax relief, reduce commercial property tax rates, halt the growth of property tax rates in the future, and give local governments the certainty they need.
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Protecting water
We continued to make significant strides toward securing our water future. I worked to implement the recommendations of the Colorado River Drought Task Force with SB24-197 which will expand protections for agricultural water, increase streamflows, keep water in the Yampa River as energy companies explore new energy production, and increase funding to our tribal nations for water projects.
House Speaker Julie McCluskie and I worked to successfully restore environmental protections to Colorado’s wetlands, streams and rivers after they were stripped away by the U.S. Supreme Court last year.
I was proud to sponsor the annual water projects bill which includes millions of dollars to fund the Water Plan, conservation and infrastructure improvements, and $20 million to help the Colorado River District secure the Shoshone water right on the Western Slope. We also passed legislation to prohibit the use of nonfunctional, water-intensive turf grass in new development and added funding to the popular turf replacement program.
Investing in rural economies
Supporting small businesses and incentivizing new businesses in rural Colorado was a major priority of mine this year. Working with local stakeholders, we crafted SB24-190, a bill that will incentivize businesses to locate in coal transitioning communities, specifically Craig and Hayden, and use the rail line to move freight which will make mountain passenger rail more fiscally possible, bring new businesses and jobs into the region, and facilitate both tourism and local commuter traffic.
Additionally, I was excited to be the prime co-sponsor with Rep. Meghan Lukens of HB24-1001, which will extend the successful rural jump-start program that I helped expand several years ago.
I introduced SB24-194 which will allow fire and ambulance districts to utilize new funding sources to keep up with new construction and increased demand for their services. I also was a prime sponsor of SB24-221 which will increase funding for the rural health care workforce initiative and send much-needed dollars to rural hospitals.
Historic support for education
Finally, this year was transformative for Colorado’s students and schools. The 2024 state budget and the School Finance Act will provide historic funding for K-12 public schools and eliminate the Budget Stabilization Factor, which will increase average per-pupil funding by $780 next year. We also passed a landmark policy to overhaul Colorado’s public school financing formula which will direct more resources to support schools that need it most, like the rural schools in communities across the Western Slope.
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Now that the session has ended, I am grateful to be home with my family and am looking forward to connecting with folks as we unpack this past session and start to prepare for the next one. I will be holding town hall meetings in all 10 counties of Senate District 8 over the next month and hope to see you at one. You can contact me directly at SenatorDylanRoberts@gmail.com or 970-846-3054.
