The First Regular Session of Colorado’s 75th General Assembly has officially passed the halfway point and I am happy to share some updates on my time under the gold dome this year.
I have the honor to serve as the Assistant Minority Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus. One important area of focus again this session is making Colorado more affordable by repealing a variety of the newer enterprise fees added over the last couple of years. I continue to prioritize upholding rural values and improving the lives of constituents in Senate District 6.
Some of the important policies I am working on include: aligning and simplifying the administrative process around geothermal projects in the state (HB25-1165), creating more transparency in homeowners’ insurance policy and fire risks (HB25-1182), preserving access to rural independent pharmacies (HB25-1222), permitting for abandoned mine waste removal and improving water quality (SB25-054), and improving the rural district attorney fellowship program (SB25-067) to name a few.
I am proud to represent the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the only federally recognized tribes in Colorado. Through HJR 25-1003, leaders from both tribes made an address at the beginning of session recognizing the value in our collaboration as a state and sovereign Tribal Nations. Sponsoring the resolution, coupled with the honor of escorting the Chairman of both tribes onto the House floor, was a privilege I won’t forget.
The most important issue facing the General Assembly this year is the significant budgetary challenges. Soon we will have another quarterly economic forecast that will be the cornerstone of crafting the 2025-2026 state budget.
Previous forecasts indicate a significant budget shortfall challenge of hundreds of millions of dollars to over a billion-dollar deficit. The Joint Budget Committee Staff memo from Feb. 12, 2025 states, “The memo and the accompanying visuals seek to capture the magnitude of the projected shortfall for FY 2025-2026 and the impact of the “structural deficit’ on the State’s budget in FY 2025-2026 and beyond.”
The structural deficit is characterized by spending outpacing revenue. While total General Fund revenues (income and sales taxes) over the last six years have increased 38%, our commitments to Medicaid, education funding and the creation of hundreds of new programs and offices have simply outpaced revenue.
We must prioritize programs and demonstrate what we value most – assistance for the neediest in our communities along with adequate funding for education. All other programs need to be scrutinized for their necessity and effectiveness.
Thank you all for the support I have received during my legislative journey. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to represent rural Colorado, and would love to hear from you.
If you would like to reach me, my email is cleave.simpson.senate@coleg.gov and my office phone number is (303) 866-4875. I truly value your input and want to encourage my constituents to voice their opinions on issues facing Colorado.
Cleave Simpson (R-Alamosa) is the Colorado State Senator representing District 6 that includes Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan, and San Miguel counties.
