Concerning funding for capital construction, and making supplemental appropriations in connection therewith.
Summary
HB26-1172 is a capital construction appropriations bill that makes supplemental funding adjustments for projects in Colorado’s state agencies and institutions of higher education. The bill revises prior-year capital construction appropriations and adds new or increased funding for several projects, including major maintenance and renewal work at Department of Corrections facilities and capital expansion projects at Community College of Denver and Colorado Mesa University.
Among the largest state-agency items are infrastructure repairs and replacements at correctional facilities, such as utility water line replacement at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, a kitchen renovation at Sterling Correctional Facility, water tank repair and replacement at the East Cañon City Prison Complex, sanitary sewer line replacement at Buena Vista Correctional Facility, and shower/drain and toilet room improvements at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility. In higher education, the bill increases funding for the Boulder Creek Building remodel and addition at Community College of Denver and for the Performing Arts Center expansion and renovation at Colorado Mesa University, with the latter also described as including additional maintenance.
Impact
The bill amends multiple prior capital construction appropriations in the Colorado Session Laws and updates affected totals for both state agencies and higher education institutions. It increases the overall capital construction appropriation and specifies funding sources including the Revenue Loss Restoration Cash Fund, institutional reserves and donations, the Highway Users Tax Fund, and other cash and federal sources. The bill primarily affects the Department of Corrections, Community College of Denver, and Colorado Mesa University, while also adjusting statewide capital construction totals and related footnotes governing availability of funds.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was noncontroversial and broadly supported as a routine appropriations measure. It moved through the Appropriations committees and was ultimately signed by the Governor, with no recorded votes or committee transcript excerpts indicating opposition. The bill’s focus on infrastructure repair, correctional facility maintenance, and higher education capital projects likely contributed to its generally favorable treatment.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided voting history or committee materials. The only potentially sensitive issue apparent from the text is the use of Revenue Loss Restoration Cash Fund money, including federal Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars, for capital projects, but there is no evidence in the record provided of dispute over that funding source or over the allocation among correctional and higher education projects.