Top o' the mornin'...er, evenin' to you! As someone with Irish ancestory, I'd like to wish you all a happy belated St. Patrick's Day. Ordinarily I would mark the occassion with a pint of Guiness at a local pub while watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Unfortunately, this year's holiday fell in line with the last days of finalizing the state budget. Instead of 'getting our green on,' the Joint Budget Committee spent Friday night budgeting the 'green' and figuring out how to responsibly spend our 'pot of gold.'

As I have mentioned in prior newsletters, the budget process starts in early November after the Governor submits his budget to the General Assembly. The JBC reviews the Governor's budget requests and conducts hearings with the departments to learn more. In February, we begin Figure Setting--the six week process where we vote on each line item and every budget request (known as a decision item). Last week was the final week of that process.

However, before the JBC closes out the budget, we wait to hear the March Economic and Revenue Forecast from our state economists. Last Thursday, Legislative Council Staff and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting presented their forecasts to the JBC, and they both came to a similar conclusion: "Risk of near-term recession remains elevated but the forecast anticipates a continued, yet slowing expansion." In budgeting terms, this means Colorado has enough "green" to cover expenses this year, but our "pot of gold" will likely start to shrink.

With any luck (Irish or otherwise), the JBC will finalize the budget this week. Then, our nonpartisan staff will plug in the final numbers and prepare the document for introduction in the Senate on Monday, March 27. At that point, we will review the budget with our colleagues and ask them for their approval. For now, I'll leave you with these words from an old Irish saying: “May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold—and at the end of your rainbows may you find a pot of gold.”

Hello! I’m Gabriel, a former Westminster High School teacher and current graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder. My graduate studies focus on media and public engagement with an emphasis on labor and politics.

This is the first session I’ve worked for Senator Zenzinger. I volunteered for her re-election campaign in 2020, and I have long respected her bipartisan work and leadership in the Colorado State Senate. I’m working with the Senator to further my master’s research into how the public interacts with state politics. It has been fascinating to see how the Senator communicates with her constituents and hear from local advocacy groups.

Outside of graduate school, I enjoy hiking, camping, off-roading, and getting breakfast at Breadwinners Cafe in Olde Town Arvada.

Select Energy Committee meets with Colorado utility companies: Members of the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates heard testimony last week from various Colorado utilities on how their decisions, investments, and business practices impact Coloradans’ energy bills. Those companies ranged from large providers, such as Xcel Energy, to smaller companies such as Black Hills Energy. They also heard testimony from various energy associations and cooperatives. If you are interested in this topic and would like a more in-depth analysis of the issues, I recommend signing up for Big Pivots, by local journalist Allen Best. The Committee’s next meeting will take place on Monday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. Learn more about the Committee’s work HERE.

Bee-friendlier webinar with pollinator experts on Monday: Join Environment Colorado on the first day of spring, Monday, March 20 at noon for a "Bee-friendlier this spring" webinar. Join bee expert, Stephen Buchmann, and special guest, the First Gentleman of Colorado, Marlon Reis, to learn about the marvels of bees, including their incredible abilities, sentient traits, and simple gardening tips you can do to help pollinators. Colorado hosts 946 native bee species, ranking 5th nationally for bee diversity. Unfortunately, bee die-offs are becoming too common--one recent report found the western bumble bee declined 72% in our region since 1998. To register for the event, click HERE.

JBC Recap for the week of March 13: On Monday, the JBC considered figure setting comebacks from JBC Staff, the Department of Law, Department of State, Department of Treasury, Judicial Department, independent agencies, and OSPB.

On Tuesday, the JBC considered potential legislation packet one and potential legislation packet two. Also, the committee considered staff comebacks, and a general fund overview of JBC actions to date. On Wednesday, the JBC finalized long bill footnotes and considered JBC Staff Comebacks and potential JBC Bill Drafts.

Thursday, the JBC received March Revenue Forecast Presentations from OSPB and LCS, and considered a potential JBC bill draft and JBC Staff Comebacks: LCS Presentation / LCS Full Report / Consumer Price Index, OSPB Presentation / OSPB Full Report / OSPB Supplemental Materials. The Committee also considered Long Bill Headnotes and JBC Staff Comeback Packet 5.

On Friday, the JBC met to continue finalizing the long bill. The Committee considered an overview of JBC Committee Actions to Date and Pending Items, discussed the Designation of State Emergency Reserve Assets for FY23-24, received an overview of JBC Action to Date Concerning Marijuana Tax Cash Fund, the Use of Revenue Loss Restoration Cash Fund and other ARPA Funds in FY2023-2024, Figure Setting Comeback Packet 6, and OSPB Comebacks.

Coming Up This Week: The JBC will next meet Monday, March 20 to continue finalizing the long bill. For more information, click HERE.

Colorado Newsline: Colorado lawmakers hear final state economic forecast ahead of budget bill

Greeley Tribune: Bank unrest clouds Colorado's budget-setting forecast

The Denver Post: Bank unrest clouds Colorado’s budget-setting forecast

Colorado Public Radio: Shrinking TABOR refunds and recession risks: What we just learned about Colorado’s economy

The Colorado Sun: Coloradans can expect more than $2.5 billion in tax refunds — as long as the economy doesn’t tank

Colorado Politics: With inflation, possibility of recession, economists see tight outlook for Colorado's state budget

Colorado Politics: Colorado Senate passes proposal to crack down on car theft

Vail Daily: Vail formalizes regional agreement for planning of Dowd Junction workforce housing

March 17, 2023 RELEASE: Senate Advances Zenzinger’s Bill to Save Educators Money, Address Teacher Shortage

March 16, 2023 JOINT RELEASE: Colorado Faces Tight Budget Conditions as Economy Continues to Grow

March 13, 2023 RELEASE: Zenzinger’s Bill to Save Educators Money, Address Teacher Shortage Passes Committee

March 13, 2023 RELEASE: Zenzinger’s Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Auto Theft, Improve Public Safety in Colorado Clears Senate

Mark your calendars now for next month's town hall meeting. Please plan to join us on Saturday, April 15 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm at the Indian Tree Golf Course Clubhouse, 7555 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003. The topic for April will be mental health. For more information, click HERE.

Below is a list of bills that I am sponsoring that have been introduced and are awaiting action from either the House or Senate. For a full list of bills, click HERE.

SB23-182 Temporary Suspension Of Medicaid Requirements: Concerning the temporary suspension of certain statutory requirements for medical assistance programs. The bill passed in the Senate on Second Reading unanimously.

SB23-049 Special Mobile Machinery Registration Exemption: Concerning the registration exemption for special mobile machinery, and, in connection therewith, eliminating the requirement that an owner of such machinery regularly have at least one thousand items of such machinery in the state to obtain a registration exempt certificate for the machinery. The bill passed out of the Senate unanimously.

SB23-094 School Transportation Task Force: Concerning the creation of a task force to report on measures to improve school transportation. The bill passed out of the Senate.

SB23-097 Motor Vehicle Theft And Unauthorized Use: Concerning the adoption of the 2023 recommendations of the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice regarding motor vehicle offenses committed by a person who is not the owner of the motor vehicle. The bill passed out of the Senate unanimously.

SB23-155 Sunset Continue Nursing Home Administrators: Concerning the continuation of the regulation of nursing home administrators, and, in connection therewith, implementing the recommendations in the 2022 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies. The bill passed out of the Senate unanimously.

HB23-1001 Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs: Concerning expanding financial assistance for educator programs. The bill passed out of the Senate.

In an effort to be transparent and accessible, here are the events and meetings that I have attended in the last week as your state senator: