Concerning the use of general fund money to support benefits provided to certain public safety personnel through a multiple employer health trust, and, in connection therewith, reducing an appropriation.
Summary
HB26-1397 changes how Colorado state money is used to support certain benefit programs for public safety personnel that are administered through a multiple employer health trust. The bill repeals several future-required general fund transfers and appropriations that current law had scheduled for firefighter-related benefits and for peace officer cardiovascular and other health screenings. In particular, it eliminates planned state funding increases for firefighter heart and circulatory malfunction benefits, volunteer and part-time firefighter health trust contributions, and peace officer screening reimbursements.
The bill also makes corresponding reductions to the 2026-27 long bill by decreasing appropriations for firefighter heart and circulatory malfunction benefits and for first responder employer health benefit trusts. It takes effect upon passage, with the appropriation adjustment section contingent on the 2026-27 annual appropriations act becoming law. In practical terms, the bill removes statutory mandates for future general fund support and gives the legislature more discretion over whether and how much to appropriate in later budget cycles.
Impact
HB26-1397 amends Colorado Revised Statutes sections governing firefighter benefits and peace officer health screening reimbursements by repealing scheduled general fund appropriations and transfers tied to multiple employer health trusts. It reduces or eliminates future statutory funding obligations for the Department of Local Affairs and the Division of Criminal Justice, and it adjusts the 2026-27 state budget to reflect lower appropriations for these programs. The bill affects firefighter, volunteer firefighter, part-time firefighter, and peace officer benefit funding, but it does not eliminate the underlying benefit programs themselves; rather, it removes the automatic state funding requirements that supported them.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was treated as a budgetary and appropriations measure rather than a highly ideological policy bill. Its final status as signed by the governor indicates it had sufficient support to pass both chambers and become law. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the overall sentiment can only be inferred from the bill’s advancement: it appears to have been accepted as a fiscal adjustment to existing benefit funding commitments for public safety personnel.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the reduction or repeal of state general fund support for benefit programs serving firefighters, volunteer firefighters, part-time firefighters, and peace officers. Supporters would view the bill as a budget correction that removes automatic future obligations and lowers appropriations, while opponents could argue that it shifts costs onto employers or threatens the affordability and stability of health and screening benefits for first responders. The bill’s structure suggests the debate centers on state fiscal responsibility versus maintaining public safety personnel benefits at current support levels.