Want to tell the state legislature how to spend your tax money? Here’s your chance.

At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the six-member Joint Budget Committee will hear remote public testimony on Colorado’s state budget, including ideas for fiscal year 2020-2021 stimulus proposals and FY 2021-2022 budget requests. The hearing is scheduled to run until 5 p.m.

Taxpayers always had the right to tell lawmakers what they think of how their money is being spent, but that right has usually been reserved to emails or phone calls. Public testimony has been available only after the budget is already written and in appropriation committee hearings in March and April.

This is a chance for the public to provide input on the state’s budget for 2021-22 while it is being crafted by the JBC. The state budget is expected to be introduced in late March or early April and must be approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor before June 30. Lawmakers and the governor try to finish it by June 1 to allow school boards time to finalize their budgets for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. 

The General Assembly is required by the state Constitution to pass a balanced budget. 

“The legislature is able to deliver real results for our constituents when everyone has the chance to make their voice heard,” said JBC Chair Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City. “The JBC is excited to hold this public hearing once again to give Coloradans from across the state the ability to weigh in on budget priorities and share what matters most to them as we recover from the pandemic and repair our economy.

“Citizen input is invaluable to the work we do, and we want to make sure the public has a seat at the table as we craft our budget. We encourage all to take part in this opportunity and share their vision for how we can rebuild Colorado together.”

The JBC held its first, and to date, only public hearing on the state budget in 2019, but the witness list was primarily made up of those from the education community, who testified in support of full-day kindergarten (a top priority that year for Gov. Jared Polis) and for cutting the state’s debt to K-12 education.

Lawmakers are hoping that members of the public will sign up (link here for the hearing) to offer either remote testimony or submit written comments. The link also includes information on how to testify in front of the JBC.

No budget idea is off-limits. However, witnesses are limited to three minutes each for their oral testimony. If you have trouble signing up, call 303-866-3521 or send an email to committees.lcs.ga@state.co.us. For questions about the JBC or the hearing, call 303-866-2061. To listen to the hearing, click here.

A primer on how the state budget is crafted can be found here.

RELATED: Joint Budget Committee holds first-ever public hearing on budget development

“The JBC wants to hear from you!” said JBC Vice Chair Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “On Wednesday, Coloradans can share their ideas and priorities as we work to craft a balanced budget that helps our state recover as fast as possible and build back stronger.

“We’re committed to fostering a budget process that considers voices from across our state and is as open and transparent as possible during this pandemic. This is a great opportunity for Coloradans to share their vision for how we can create jobs, support students and teachers, and ensure no one is left behind as our state recovers.”

To date, the General Assembly has passed two sets of stimulus bills intended to help Coloradans recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic. In November, Polis, in submitting his 2021-22 budget request, also suggested another package of stimulus ideas, with spending at $1.3 billion. 

Related: Governor presents his 2021-22 budget to lawmakers, but the state faces troubling days ahead

In December, updated revenue forecasts projected the General Assembly will have about $3.75 billion in one-time-only money to spend in fiscal year 2021-22, but the funds can’t be used for new programs that would require funding past 2021-22.

Related: December revenue forecast shows short-term weakness in state economy but better days ahead