DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and governors from Utah, Arizona and Nevada sent a letter to U.S. senators asking for federal COVID-19 relief legislation that is fair to all states on Friday.
The four western governors are concerned that the state and local aid formula may not be equitable for all states. The governors say the current formula would disadvantage states with low tax rates and less business shutdowns compared to other states.
“Colorado is focused on building back stronger than before and we need a federal stimulus package that does not disadvantage low-tax states,” said Polis. “All states and local governments are on the frontlines of the response to this once in a century pandemic, and we need Washington to provide a relief package that is fair and helps us respond swiftly to the unique challenges created by this crisis.”
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said the current bill being proposed is not a good indicator of COVID-19’s economic impact and will create an unfair distribution of federal funds across the states.
“I am glad to join Governor Polis and other Western governors in strongly encouraging leaders to revise the revenue formula to be either a straight-forward proportional distribution by population or other indicator that reflects economic loss irrespective of a state’s tax and spending policies,” Sisolak said.