SB 25-210
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
SB 25-210: REPEAL DOC APPROPRIATION REQUIREMENT
Prime Sponsors:
Sen. Amabile; Kirkmeyer
Rep. Bird; Sirota
Published for: Senate Appropriations
Drafting number: LLS 25-0957
Fiscal Analyst:
Aaron Carpenter, 303-866-4918
aaron.carpenter@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: March 31, 2025
Fiscal note status: This fiscal note reflects the introduced bill, which was recommended by the Joint
Budget Committee as part of the FY 2025-26 Long Bill budget package.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill removes the requirement that the General Assembly include a five-year appropriation
for bills that increase periods of imprisonment in the Department of Corrections.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
State Expenditures
Appropriations. No appropriation is required.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures $0 $0
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
Page 2
March 31. 2025 SB 25-210
Summary of Legislation
From 1994 to 2022, state law required the General Assembly to consider the need to
appropriate funds to the Department of Corrections (DOC) to cover increased operating, capital
construction, and parole costs for five fiscal years when legislation is estimated to increase
periods of imprisonment in state correctional facilities. In 2022, the General Assembly
suspended that requirement for three years until July 1, 2025. This bill permanently repeals this
requirement.
State Expenditure
The bill does not directly impact state expenditures; total annual appropriations to the DOC are
based on the annual prison population forecast and adjusted through the annual budget
process. By removing the requirement that the General Assembly appropriate five years of funds
for bills that increase incarceration, the bill will shift the timing of appropriations and the change
the process for adjusting annual appropriations to the DOC based on the actual prison
population. This process will minimally reduce workload for the DOC and Joint Budget
Committee Staff, who will no longer be required to adjust annual appropriations to account for
five-year appropriations made in prior years. No change in appropriations is required.
The requirement that LCS provide estimates of the long-term fiscal impacts for any bill which
may result in a net increase or decrease in periods of imprisonment is not repealed, and
workload for LCS—as well as the DOC and the Department of Public Safety, which provide
average length of stay data to LCS—remains unchanged.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect 90 days following adjournment of the General Assembly sine die, assuming
no referendum petition is filed.
State and Local Government Contacts
Joint Budget Committee Staff
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.