SB 25-119
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
SB 25-119: MEASURES TO MODIFY CDEC
Prime Sponsors:
Sen. Kirkmeyer
Rep. Garcia Sander; Hamrick
Published for: Senate Education
Drafting number: LLS 25-0324
Fiscal Analyst:
Shukria Maktabi, 303-866-4720
shukria.maktabi@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: February 21, 2025
Fiscal note status: This fiscal note is provided pursuant to Joint Rule 22 (b) (2) and reflects strike-below
Amendment L.003. This analysis is preliminary and will be updated as more information becomes
available.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill requires the Colorado Department of Early Childhood to grant providers and
administrative units administrative access to the unified application to help families enroll in the Universal
Preschool Program.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
State Expenditures School Districts
Appropriations. For FY 2025-26, the bill requires an appropriation of up to $1,528,709 to the Department
of Early Childhood.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures (General Fund) up to $1,528,709 $0
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
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February 21, 2025 SB 25-119
Summary of Legislation
The bill requires the Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) to provide administrative access to
the unified application for preschool providers and administrative units to allow them to assist
families in completing the Universal Preschool Program application and maintaining enrollment
in the program without the assistance of a local coordinating organization or CDEC.
State Expenditures
The bill increases one-time state expenditures in the Department of Early Childhood by up to
$1.5 million in FY 2025-26 only. These costs, paid from the General Fund, are summarized in
Table 2 and discussed below.
Table 2
State Expenditures
Department of Early Childhood
Cost Component
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
System Update up to $1,528,709 $0
Total Costs up to $1,528,709 $0
Department of Early Childhood
System Update
CDEC requires up to $1.5 million in one-time costs to update the unified application to grant
new access types to providers and administrative units. This includes costs to develop new
permission types and functionalities, create new provider profiles, and develop safeguards to
ensure confidentiality of information with the expanded access. Additionally, costs cover testing
and troubleshooting of the modified system.
This cost reflects a preliminary estimate that will be updated as more information becomes
available, including the necessary scope of system modifications and if more cost effective
routes to achieve the same outcome can be used.
School Districts
By allowing administrative access to the unified application, the bill affects school districts
participating in the Universal Preschool Program and serving as administrative units for special
education students in two main ways. First, school districts would have additional workload to
train staff and adjust procedures about the new access. Second, workload for application Page 3
February 21, 2025 SB 25-119
processing may decrease to the extent school district staff are able to accomplish enrollment
activities and assist families directly without having to contact local coordinating councils. This
workload will vary by school district/administrative unit.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect upon signature of the Governor, or upon becoming law without his
signature.
State Appropriations
For FY 2025-26, the bill requires a General Fund appropriation of up to $1,528,709 to the
Department of Early Childhood.
Departmental Difference
CDEC estimates that it also requires 4.0 FTE to support the changes to the application, including
2.0 FTE to ensure children are appropriately enrolled and coordinate with providers to verify
information, and 2.0 FTE to design training materials and support provider use of the application
system. The fiscal note assumes that existing staff can absorb these responsibilities, as they
already oversee enrollment processes and provide training and support to others who access
the system, such as local coordinating organizations.
State and Local Government Contacts
Counties
Early Childhood
Governor
Law
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.