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Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REENGROSSED
This Version Includes All Amendments
Adopted in the House of Introduction
LLS NO. 26-0982.02 Jacob Baus x2173 HOUSE BILL 26-1359
House Committees Senate Committees
Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING CREDITING TO THE STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND MONEY101
RECEIVED FROM THE REMOVAL OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON102
PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS.103
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov/.)
Joint Budget Committee. Under current law, with certain
exceptions, royalties and other payments for the depletion or extraction
of a natural resource on public school lands is credited to the public
school fund, which is also known as the permanent fund.
The bill requires that:
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 11, 2026
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 9, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Sirota and Taggart, Brown,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Bridges and Kirkmeyer, Amabile
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
! For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, $25 million of this money
be credited to the state public school fund; and
! For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $45 million of this money
be credited to the state public school fund.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
finds and declares that:3
(a) The public school fund, commonly referred to as the4
permanent fund, is inviolate and the interest and income derived from the5
public school fund must only be used on the maintenance of public6
schools;7
(b) Revenue deposited into the public school fund from public8
school lands has been high in recent years: $117.1 million in state fiscal9
year 2022-23, $154.1 million in state fiscal year 2023-24, and $114.610
million in state fiscal year 2024-25;11
(c) Current projections anticipate that the amounts deposited into12
the public school fund from public school lands will exceed $100 million13
in state fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27;14
(d) Diverting revenue from public school lands to the state public15
school fund instead of the public school fund has occurred on a one-time16
basis in the past, most notably, in state fiscal year 2020-21 in response to17
the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; and18
(e) Diverting of a portion of this public school land revenue to the19
state public school fund must occur on a one-time basis only so that the20
value of the state's school lands and the public school fund, which are for21
the intergenerational support of public schools, are not significantly22
diminished.23
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SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 36-1-116, add1
(1)(c)(IV) and (1)(c)(V) as follows:2
36-1-116. Disposition of rentals, royalties, and timber sale3
proceeds.4
(1) (c) (IV) F OR THE 2025-26 STATE FISCAL YEAR , THE FIRST5
TWENTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS OF ROYALTIES AND OTHER PAYMENTS FOR6
THE DEPLETION OR EXTRACTION OF A NATURAL RESOURCE ON PUBLIC7
SCHOOL LANDS IN EXCESS OF THE MONEY CREDITED TO THE STATE LAND8
BOARD TRUST ADMINISTRATION FUND, PURSUANT TO SECTION 36-1-1459
(3); CREDITED TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION10
ASSISTANCE FUND CREATED IN SECTION 22-43.7-104 (1), PURSUANT TO11
SECTION 22-43.7-104 (2)(b)(I); AND CREDITED AS SPECIFIED IN12
SUBSECTION (1)(b)(II) OF THIS SECTION MUST BE TRANSFERRED TO THE13
STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND CREATED IN SECTION 22-54-114. ANY14
AMOUNT OF ROYALTIES AND OTHER PAYMENTS FOR THE DEPLETION OR15
EXTRACTION OF A NATURAL RESOURCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS IN16
EXCESS OF THE AMOUNTS DESCRIBED IN THIS SUBSECTION (1)(c)(IV) MUST17
BE CREDITED TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND AND BECOME PART OF THE18
PRINCIPAL OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND.19
(V) FOR THE 2026-27 STATE FISCAL YEAR, THE FIRST FORTY-FIVE20
MILLION DOLLARS OF ROYALTIES AND OTHER PAYMENTS FOR THE21
DEPLETION OR EXTRACTION OF A NATURAL RESOURCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL22
LANDS IN EXCESS OF THE MONEY CREDITED TO THE STATE LAND BOARD23
TRUST ADMINISTRATION FUND , PURSUANT TO SECTION 36-1-145 (3);24
CREDITED TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE25
FUND CREATED IN SECTION 22-43.7-104 (1), PURSUANT TO SECTION26
22-43.7-104 (2)(b)(I); AND CREDITED AS SPECIFIED IN SUBSECTION27
1359-3-
(1)(b)(II) OF THIS SECTION MUST BE TRANSFERRED TO THE STATE PUBLIC1
SCHOOL FUND CREATED IN SECTION 22-54-114. ANY AMOUNT OF2
ROYALTIES AND OTHER PAYMENTS FOR THE DEPLETION OR EXTRACTION OF3
A NATURAL RESOURCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS IN EXCESS OF THE4
AMOUNTS DESCRIBED IN THIS SUBSECTION (1)(c)(V) MUST BE CREDITED5
TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND AND BECOME PART OF THE PRINCIPAL OF THE6
PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND.7
SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,8
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate9
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for10
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state11
institutions.12
1359-4-