Concerning the transfer of money from the limited gaming fund to other cash funds.
Summary
HB26-1370 changes how the state distributes a portion of limited gaming revenues. Under current law, the state treasurer transfers $15 million each year from the limited gaming fund to the Colorado travel and tourism promotion fund. Beginning with the 2025-26 state fiscal year, this bill reduces that annual transfer to $14 million and directs the remaining $1 million to a new annual transfer into the museum and preservation operations account within the state historical fund.
The bill amends two sections of Colorado law to implement that change. It updates the limited gaming fund transfer statute to split the annual payment between tourism promotion and historical preservation, and it updates the state historical fund statute to recognize the new gaming-revenue transfer as a source of money for the museum and preservation operations account. The money in that account remains subject to annual appropriation by the General Assembly for museum and preservation purposes.
Impact
The bill reallocates $1 million per year of limited gaming revenue away from the Colorado travel and tourism promotion fund and into the museum and preservation operations account in the state historical fund, starting in fiscal year 2025-26. This changes the distribution formula in Colorado Revised Statutes sections 44-30-701 and 44-30-1201, but does not create a new tax or alter gaming regulation itself. The practical effect is to slightly reduce tourism promotion funding while increasing support for museum and preservation operations under the Colorado Historical Society/state historical fund structure.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was noncontroversial and budget-oriented, with no recorded committee testimony or vote details indicating significant opposition. Its final status as signed by the governor suggests it had enough support to move through the appropriations process and become law. The measure appears to have been treated as a targeted fiscal adjustment rather than a major policy dispute.
Contention
The main policy tradeoff is between two public uses of limited gaming revenue: tourism promotion versus museum and historic preservation funding. Supporters would likely favor the reallocation as a modest investment in cultural and preservation operations, while any opposition would likely come from stakeholders concerned about reducing the annual transfer to the travel and tourism promotion fund. No specific objections, amendments, or recorded vote splits are provided in the available context.