Concerning the support of Coloradans with disabilities, and, in connection therewith, creating the Colorado disability funding authority and making and reducing appropriations.
HB26-1382 restructures Colorado’s disability-support funding and grantmaking system. It relocates the existing disability support fund, clarifies that the fund is subject to annual appropriation, and creates a new Colorado Disability Funding Authority as a special purpose authority beginning in 2027. The bill transfers $21 million from the fund to the general fund in 2026 and directs an additional warrant payment to the new authority, while also shifting some 2026-27 funding to vocational rehabilitation.
The bill also changes how Colorado finances disability-related license plate programs. It replaces the current $25 annual fee for retired-style license plates with a combination of one-time and annual donations and fees, with the donation portion going to the new authority and the fee portion going to the disability support fund. It preserves and relocates the state’s unique vehicle registration number sales program, authorizes the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office to contract with third parties to run that marketplace, and specifies that those sales are treated as property sales for state fiscal purposes.
Beginning July 1, 2027, the new authority takes over many of the committee’s grantmaking functions, including programs that help individuals obtain disability benefits, pilot innovative disability-related projects, and, when funding allows, support disabled-parking education. The authority is governed by a 13-member board appointed by the governor, with a majority of members required to be people with disabilities, immediate family members of people with disabilities, or caregivers. The bill also requires annual financial and performance reporting to the Joint Budget Committee and allows state audit review.
In state-law terms, the bill repeals the existing Colorado disability funding committee on July 1, 2027, moves and renumbers several statutory provisions, and updates related statutes governing special purpose authorities, property sales, license plates, personalized plates, and disabled parking enforcement. It also repeals the disabled parking education and enforcement fund and related citation revenue transfer provisions, while making conforming appropriation changes for the 2026-27 budget year.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill’s progress is supportive and implementation-focused: it passed through appropriations and was ultimately signed by the governor. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented floor or committee debate in the supplied materials. The main policy tension apparent from the text is fiscal and structural: the bill diverts a substantial amount of existing fund balance to the general fund, while simultaneously creating a new independent authority and shifting responsibility away from the existing committee and office structure.
The bill substantially revises Article 88 of Title 8 and related motor vehicle and fiscal statutes. It creates the Colorado Disability Funding Authority as a special purpose authority, transfers grantmaking and program administration responsibilities from the existing Colorado disability funding committee to that authority beginning in 2027, and repeals the committee and several related provisions on a delayed schedule. It also changes the funding stream for retired-style license plates, reworks the unique registration-number sales program, repeals the disabled parking education/enforcement fund and citation revenue transfer, and makes targeted appropriations and fund transfers affecting the disability support fund, vocational rehabilitation, and DRIVES maintenance.
The bill appears to have been generally favorable and noncontroversial in the available record, as reflected by its movement through appropriations and final gubernatorial signature. The text emphasizes continuity of disability-related services while creating a new governance structure and dedicated funding mechanism. Because no transcripts or vote tallies were provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or divided sentiment in the supplied materials.
The main points of potential contention are fiscal and governance-related. The bill redirects $21 million from the disability support fund to the general fund and changes the retired-style plate fee structure, which could draw concern from disability advocates or fund users worried about reduced resources. It also replaces a committee housed within state government with an independent authority board, which may raise questions about accountability, appointment power, and the transition of responsibilities. Another possible area of concern is the repeal of the disabled parking education and enforcement fund and the shift away from citation-based revenue, which could affect enforcement and education efforts.