This week as part of their Unite and Rise 8.5 initiative, the League of Women Voters Boulder County held a community conversation to discuss Colorado’s budget. Speaker Caitlin Schneider of the Colorado Fiscal Institute (CFI) described how the passage of HR1 (“the One Big Beautiful Bill”) is affecting Colorado’s state tax revenue, and why we should care. CFI defines itself as a statewide policy advocacy organization that uses the tools of research, legislative and ballot advocacy, strategic communication, and statewide education to advocate for tax and budget policies to drive forward a people-centered economy.
Schneider explained that Colorado’s tax code (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR), one of the strictest in the nation, is directly tied with the federal tax code. The passage of HR1 resulted in an increase in Colorado’s already-high budget deficit. Beyond just these immediate threats to its budget, Colorado may have to reckon with TABOR itself. CFI advocates for loosening the restrictions imposed on our tax code by TABOR.
The community conversation was hosted by the League of Women Voters. In April this year, the national League did something it had never done before — it declared that the United States is in a constitutional crisis. It launched a campaign called Unite and Rise 8.5, with the aim of getting 8.5 million voters to join together and fight back against the anti-democratic actions of the Trump administration, beginning at the local level by engaging people with talks like this one.
Peggy Leech, the co-events director for the League’s Boulder County chapter, said “it’s a people movement. Because we can’t count on our Congress, and we can’t count on our President, and we can’t count on our administration and our cabinet. We need the people to be protecting our democracy here.”
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Community Members Attended a Public Discussion About Colorado’s Budget Crisis. Here’s What They Learned. Abby O'Brien
