Legislative Update: Active Session Underway, CU's Priorities

This year, CU will work on several key areas:

Secure support for Gov. Hickenlooper’s budget request announced in November, which holds some good news for CU and higher education.
Lobby for support of the agreement around the new funding formula that was supported by all higher education leaders in December.
Focus on legislation that supports workforce needs, STEM education and university infrastructure.

Higher education highlights from the governor’s budget request:

A 10 percent operating increase for public higher education totaling $60.6 million;
An additional $15 million to help offset the impact of implementation of HB 1319 (for a total operating increase of $75.6 million);
$30 million for the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Fund, a fund created last year. Institutions must apply to access funds, which are awarded based on the quality of the proposals submitted by institutions. UCCS was one of this year’s recipients.
Continuation construction costs for the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building at CU-Boulder ($20.2 million) and the Visual and Performing Arts building at CU Colorado Springs (UCCS) ($9.6 million).