April 3, 2020
The Honorable Michael Bennet
United States Senator
The Honorable Cory Gardner
United States Senator
The Honorable Scott Tipton
Member of Congress
Honorable Joe Neguse
Member of Congress
The Honorable Diana DeGette
Member of Congress
The Honorable Doug Lamborn
Member of Congress
The Honorable Ken Buck
Member of Congress
The Honorable Jason Crow
Member of Congress
The Honorable Ed Perlmultter
Member of Congress
Dear Members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation,
We write with appreciation for your work thus far to put us on the path towards relief for Colorado families, businesses, and workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. As you look toward the Phase 4 stimulus package, we stand united as state and local partners on the front lines of this crisis, urging you to include at least $500 billion in direct, robust and immediate State and local aid. Absent this assistance, the State of Colorado and local governments who are directly helping Colorado's communities respond and recover from the impacts of this public health crisis, will face an unmitigated economic crisis.
Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, H.R. 748, $150 billion was provided in funding for state, tribal and local governments (Title VI, section 601) to address costs connected to coronavirus. This funding will be critical to helping the State avoid deeper cuts to its budget, and provide immediate relief to eligible localities, with populations that exceed 500,000. Unfortunately, this is far from sufficient to meet the needs of our State, local governments, fire districts and other special districts, who are struggling to treat and respond to the pandemic. Additionally, states and local governments face an expected significant loss in property and sales tax revenue, hitting state and local budgets hard, because of the mitigation steps necessary to slow the speed of the virus. We urge you to provide at least $500 billion to assist State and local governments with assurance that a portion of the funding will flow to local governments, including those with populations below 500,000, who are responsible for responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of ensuring Phase 4 includes robust budget relief for state and local governments. We appreciate your hard work and attention as we move toward considering and securing the next economic stimulus package.
Sincerely,
Jared Polis
Governor
Kevin Bommer
CML, Executive Director
Ann Terry
SDAC, Executive Director
John Swartout
CCI, Executive Director
John Messner
CCAT, Co-Chair
Guyleen Castriotta
CCAT, Co-Chair