Hello everyone,
We are less than a week away from the halfway point in the 2022 legislative session! Last week was a great week for CSPA priorities. On Tuesday, Governor Polis signed HB 1180, the Department of Public Safety supplemental bill. HB 1180 increases funding in the current year for comm officer salaries and Capitol Complex Executive Security Unit overtime.
On Wednesday, the Joint Budget Committee made decisions on the State Patrol budget for next year. The JBC approved all the State Patrol decision items with only minor changes. Specifically, the JBC approved the following: $4.5 million and 27.9 FTE for Capitol Complex Security Plus-up as requested by the department; $1.6 million for Increased Salary Base for Communications Officers as requested by the department; $1.3 million and 2.0 FTE for Central Evidence Facility Lease as requested by the department less centrally appropriated costs in the first year ($38,903) as is the JBC custom; $1.7 million for Communications Branch Technology & Equipment as requested by the department; and $523,022 and 7.0 FTE for State Patrol Administrative Staff as requested by the department less centrally appropriated costs in the first year ($133,215). While the JBC could go back and change these decisions, that is extremely unlikely. Thank you to all of you who contacted JBC members asking them to approve these decision items.
In other news, on Monday Nick Hinrichsen (D-Pueblo) was sworn in as the new Senator for Senate District 3 replacing former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Sen. Hinrichsen is an operations supervisor for Pueblo Transit and is married to former state Rep. Bri Buentello. As of Friday, there have been 425 bills introduced – 280 in the House and 145 in the Senate. Only 66 days until the General Assembly is required to adjourn sine die.
Bill Skewes
Lobbyist