DENVER (KDVR) — Relief is on the way for millions of Coloradans. Gov. Jared Polis and the state’s leading Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature unveiled a stimulus proposal for Colorado on Wednesday, called the Colorado Recovery Plan.
With Congress passing Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, an estimated 82 percent of people in the state are slated to get a relief check.
Before the state decides how we’ll use $6 billion from Uncle Sam, leaders are laying out ways the state can help hard-hit sectors of the community.
“Here in Colorado, we only get to spend money we have. Democrats, Republicans, it doesn’t matter. We have to balance the budget,” said Polis.
In a press conference Wednesday, Polis said Colorado’s state stimulus plan is the result of doing just that.
Last year, lawmakers slashed $3.5 billion from the budget once COVID-19 became prevalent. The state ended up with a billion dollars of extra revenue.
“Last fall during the special session, November into December, we saw great bipartisan cooperation as we found ways to spend about $300 million of that and that leaves the other $700 million,” said Douglas County Sen. Chris Holbert. “When we look at how we rebalance our budget and allocate those dollars, Senate Republicans are focused on three items: getting people back to work, getting people back to school, and roads and bridges.”
Republicans and Democrats alike were able to agree on those items, plus money to boost the state’s workforce, rural communities and affordable housing system in the plan.
With $6 billion on the way from Washington, some are asking if Colorado really needs all this money. Some members of Congress said, absolutely.
“When I was governor, I was so proud that we built up a reserve fund, a rainy-day fund for when things get bad. That’s been cut down to almost nothing. So, we have to help the state get back on its feet just like we have to help the business community,” said U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper.
Colorado lawmakers say they are reviewing the guidelines surrounding federal money before they begin allocating those dollars.
You can watch the press conference in the video above.