HB26-1408 • 2026

Processes to Determine State Budget Requests

Joint Budget Committee. The bill requires a state agency, defined as any department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution of higher education, agency, or other governmental unit

Budget Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rep. K. Brown, Rep. R. Taggart, Sen. J. Amabile, Sen. J. Bridges, Rep. E. Sirota, Sen. B. Kirkmeyer, Rep. B. Titone
Last action: 2026-04-14
Official status: Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how existing budget submission practices and timelines will be affected.

State Budget Request Processes

This bill requires state agencies to submit a base budget for the upcoming fiscal year by September 1st, starting in 2026.

What This Bill Does

Requires state agencies to submit their base budgets on or before September 1 of each year, beginning in 2026.
Defines 'base budget' as the total amount appropriated in the annual general appropriation act and other legislation enacted in the prior fiscal year plus out-year costs or savings and budget adjustments from prior years that were not included in appropriations.
Specifies that state agencies must use a format agreed upon by state agencies and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting for submitting base budgets.
Requires the director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting to provide information related to common policies to other branches of government before November 1 budget requests.

Who It Names or Affects

State agencies, including departments, commissions, councils, boards, bureaus, committees, institutions of higher education, and other governmental units.
The Office of State Planning and Budgeting
Departments, institutions, and agencies in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

Terms To Know

Base budget: The total amount appropriated in the annual general appropriation act and other legislation enacted in the prior fiscal year plus out-year costs or savings and budget adjustments from prior years that were not included in appropriations.
Out-year costs or savings: Costs or savings resulting from legislation adopted in prior years but not included in the previous state fiscal year's appropriations.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if a state agency fails to submit its base budget by the deadline.
It is unclear how this new process will affect existing budget submission practices and timelines.
The exact format for submitting base budgets has yet to be agreed upon.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.001

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for state agencies to submit additional budget proposals and information to the Joint Budget Committee.

State agencies must now submit a proposed budget assuming a current-services baseline, reflecting necessary appropriations for existing programs adjusted for inflation and other factors.
Agencies are required to provide a proposed budget with a five percent reduction in their base budget.
A new requirement is added for state agencies to submit a zero-base budget proposal detailing program objectives, needs, activities, performance measures, priorities, resource requirements, and potential accomplishments.

The amendment text does not specify the exact consequences or implementation details of these changes.

Bill History

2026-04-14 Senate
Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole
2026-04-13 Senate
Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Appropriations
2026-04-11 House
House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
2026-04-10 House
House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
2026-04-09 House
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments
2026-04-08 House
House Second Reading Special Order - Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
2026-04-06 House
House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole
2026-04-02 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Joint Budget Committee.
The bill requires a state agency, defined as any department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution of higher education, agency, or other governmental unit of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of state government that receives an appropriation or is otherwise included in the annual general appropriation act, to submit a base budget for the upcoming state fiscal year to the joint budget committee and the office of state planning and budgeting (office) on or before September 1 of each year, beginning in 2026. A base budget is defined as the total amount appropriated in the annual general appropriation act and other legislation enacted in the prior state fiscal year plus:
Out-year costs or savings from legislation adopted in prior years that were not included in the appropriations for the preceding state fiscal year; and
Budget adjustments from prior years that were not included in the appropriations for the preceding state fiscal year.
A state agency is required to submit its base budget using a format agreed upon by state agencies and the office, in coordination with joint budget committee staff.
The bill also requires the director of the office, in collaboration with the executive director of the department of personnel, to provide information related to the office's calculations for common policies, as annually submitted in the governor's November 1 budget request, to the departments, institutions, and agencies of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of state government as soon as practicable prior to the submission of the November 1 budget request.
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
REENGROSSED
This Version Includes All Amendments
Adopted in the House of Introduction
LLS NO. 26-0948.01 Rebecca Bayetti x4348 HOUSE BILL 26-1408
House Committees Senate Committees
Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCESSES FOR THE101
DETERMINATION OF BUDGET REQUESTS FOR THE UPCOMING102
STATE FISCAL YEAR.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. The bill requires a state agency, defined
as any department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee,
institution of higher education, agency, or other governmental unit of the
executive, legislative, or judicial branch of state government that receives
an appropriation or is otherwise included in the annual general
HOUSE
3rd Reading Unamended
April 11, 2026
HOUSE
2nd Reading Unamended
April 9, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Brown and Taggart, Sirota, Titone
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Amabile and Bridges, Kirkmeyer
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.
appropriation act, to submit a base budget for the upcoming state fiscal
year to the joint budget committee and the office of state planning and
budgeting (office) on or before September 1 of each year, beginning in
2026. A base budget is defined as the total amount appropriated in the
annual general appropriation act and other legislation enacted in the prior
state fiscal year plus:
! Out-year costs or savings from legislation adopted in prior
years that were not included in the appropriations for the
preceding state fiscal year; and
! Budget adjustments from prior years that were not included
in the appropriations for the preceding state fiscal year.
A state agency is required to submit its base budget using a format agreed
upon by state agencies and the office, in coordination with joint budget
committee staff.
The bill also requires the director of the office, in collaboration
with the executive director of the department of personnel, to provide
information related to the office's calculations for common policies, as
annually submitted in the governor's November 1 budget request, to the
departments, institutions, and agencies of the executive, judicial, and
legislative branches of state government as soon as practicable prior to
the submission of the November 1 budget request.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 2-3-208, amend (1)2
and (6); and add (1.5) as follows:3
2-3-208. Budget requests - base budget submissions -4
amendments - supplemental appropriation requests - deadlines -5
definitions.6
(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:7
(a) "BASE BUDGET" MEANS THE TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED IN8
THE ANNUAL GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT AND OTHER LEGISLATION9
ENACTED IN THE PRIOR STATE FISCAL YEAR PLUS: 10
(I) OUT-YEAR COSTS OR SAVINGS FROM LEGISLATION ADOPTED IN11
PRIOR YEARS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE12
PRECEDING STATE FISCAL YEAR; AND 13
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(II) BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS FROM PRIOR YEARS THAT WERE NOT1
INCLUDED IN THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE PRECEDING STATE FISCAL2
YEAR.3
(a) (b) "Budget request amendment" means any change to a4
budget request for the upcoming state fiscal year that a state agency5
submits to the joint budget committee.6
(b) (c) "State agency" means any department, commission,7
council, board, bureau, committee, institution of higher education,8
agency, or other governmental unit of the executive, legislative, or9
judicial branch of state government that receives an appropriation or is10
otherwise included in the annual general appropriation act.11
(1.5) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2026, AND ON OR BEFORE EACH12
SEPTEMBER 1 THEREAFTER , A STATE AGENCY SHALL SUBMIT ITS BASE13
BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING STATE FISCAL YEAR TO THE JOINT BUDGET14
COMMITTEE AND THE OFFICE OF ST ATE PLANNING AND BUDGETING IN A15
FORMAT AGREED UPON BY THE STATE AGENCIES AND THE OFFICE OF STATE16
PLANNING AND BUDGETING IN COORDINATION WITH JOINT BUDGET17
COMMITTEE STAFF.18
(6) For purposes of this section, the office of administrative19
services for independent agencies in the judicial department, created in20
section 13-100-103, is a state agency. Included agencies, as defined in21
section 13-100-102, are not state agencies for purposes of BASE BUDGET22
SUBMISSIONS OR budget request submissions.23
SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 13-100-104, amend24
(1) as follows:25
13-100-104. Budget requests and annual statewide26
compensation adjustments.27
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(1) (a) THE OFFICE SHALL SUBMIT A SINGLE, CONSOLIDATED BASE1
BUDGET, PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 2-3-208, THAT2
INCLUDES THE BASE BUDGET INFORMATION FROM EACH INCLUDED3
AGENCY, IF PROVIDED.4
(b) The office shall submit a single, consolidated budget request,5
pursuant to the requirements of section 2-3-208, that includes budget6
request amendments from each included agency, if provided.7
SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-37-302, add8
(3)(c) as follows:9
24-37-302. Responsibilities of the office of state planning and10
budgeting.11
(3) (c) A S SOON AS PRACTICABLE PRIOR TO THE SUBMISSION OF12
THE NOVEMBER 1 BUDGET REQUEST , THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF13
STATE PLANNING AND BUDGETING , IN COLLABORATION WITH THE14
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL , SHALL15
PROVIDE INFORMATION RELATED TO THE OFFICE 'S CALCULATIONS FOR16
COMMON POLICIES , AS ANNUALLY SUBMITTED IN THE GOVERNOR 'S17
NOVEMBER 1 BUDGET REQUEST , TO THE DEPARTMENTS , INSTITUTIONS,18
AND AGENCIES OF THE EXECUTIVE, JUDICIAL, AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES19
OF STATE GOVERNMENT.20
SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,21
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate22
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for23
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state24
institutions.25
1408-4-