Colorado senators on Friday gave final approval to several measures, while a proposal dealing with artificial intelligence regulation is mired in negotiations. 

The Senate panel in charge of hearing budget bills canceled its hearing on Senate Bill 4, the AI proposal from Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez.

Debate in the Senate began with Senate Bill 3, which modifies a ballot measure on what’ called the “Healthy Meals for All” program, under which all public school children in Colorado are eligible to get free lunches, regardless of income.

Already scheduled to appear on the November ballot this year, Democratic lawmakers want to tweak a proposal aimed at increasing people’s tax liability at the $300,000 income bracket in order to generate more money for the meals program. The tweak being contemplated in this week’s special session would allow for some of the revenue, if available, to be diverted to the federal food stamps program.

State analysts originally estimated that the student meals program would cost about $100 million a year, paid for by the tax paid by Coloradans with incomes above $300,000. 

But it has had more demand than funding.

Democrats have maintained that federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — Congress imposed work requirements to maintain eligibility, among other changes — will cost Colorado. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated the changes mandated under H.R. 1 would result in $300 million less for the program through 2034, and that as many as two million children would lose benefits. 

Previously, the federal government paid 100% of SNAP benefits, with states picking up only administrative costs.

The Colorado Fiscal Institute said Colorado would be on the hook to pay for 20% of SNAP benefits as a result of the federal changes. The formula for that change would result in Colorado paying about $259 million per year more for SNAP, increasing to more than $1 billion per year by 2034.

The Trump administration and its allies have argued that safety net programs are ripe with fraud and abuse, and that the federal policies aimed at rooting out bloat ensure that Americans most in need would get those benefits. 

Senate Bill 3 co-sponsor Sen. Katie Wallace, D-Longmont, told the Senate that as many as 300,000 Colorado families are at risk of losing benefits, half of them children, older adults or people with disabilities.

Senate Republicans at the state Capitol Friday insisted that the bill violates TABOR and argued against increasing people’s tax liabilities.

Children should be well fed and cared for, but she has issues with the bill, said Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock.

Voters were told in 2022 that a $95 million tax hike would pay for school meals for kids. That money turned out to be inadequate, Frizell said.

Is it making a meaningful difference the voters intended? she asked.  

If the bill gets added to the 2025 ballot measure, it would subvert the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, instead of sending it back to the people, she said. She called the proposal a way around TABOR requirements, which mandate voter approval for tax hikes.

Meanwhile, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, asked her Democratic colleagues to show her just where the SNAP cuts are coming from.  

SB 3, which won a 23-12 party-line vote from the Senate, now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 2 also won a party-line vote from the Senate, which did not debate the bill. That measure would allow the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for services previously covered under Medicaid.

Senate Bill 5 would take $264,268 from the state wolf reintroduction program and redirect it to the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise to cover subsidies for health insurance premiums for people who buy health insurance on the individual market and through the state’s health insurance exchange.

Those premiums are expected to increase by as much as 38% on the Western Slope, due to the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance paid for by the federal government. H.R. 1 did not extend those tax credits, although discussions are ongoing about continuing that extension.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, who has been a vocal critic of the wolf reintroduction program that has resulted in the slaughter of dozens of livestock by wolves in his district.

The bill faces a veto threat from Gov. Jared Polis.

Roberts said he agreed to an amendment that would ban Colorado Parks and Wildlife from using general fund — meaning taxpayer money — to bring in more wolves, but which would still allow for gifts or donations to pay for those costs.

Kirkmeyer, whose district includes the state’s largest agricultural county, Weld, said it’s great that the sponsors, which includes Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, are listening to their constituents, as well as hers.

SB 5 won a 32-3 bipartisan vote from the Senate and now heads to the House.

Senate Bill 1, which received the final vote of the day, modifies the governor’s responsibilities if or when he has to cut the state budget due to a steep revenue shortfall. The bill requires the governor to present his spending reduction plan to the Joint Budget Committee before implementing it.

An amendment added Friday changes the trigger for the spending reduction. As drafted, the bill set a threshold of 2% of the general fund reserve that would be needed to cover a shortfall; the amendment changed it to 3%.

The bill passed on a 19-16 vote, with four Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, voting against.

Polis is scheduled to meet with the Joint Budget Committee on Aug. 28 to present his spending reduction plan. Those cuts are expected to go into effect on Sept. 1.