Colorado OSPB submits 1331 budget requests

Emily Viles | Jun 18, 2019 | Colorado

This month, the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) released their June 2019 1331 Requests. These requests act as emergency supplemental budget requests and are submitted to the Joint Budget Committee following the passage of the budget, when necessary.

The proposal also includes a Schedule 13, which breaks down each request by line item, for each request.

 

Get the latest state-specific policy intelligence for the health care sector delivered to your inbox.

 

There are six requests included in the proposal. Here are some of the new ones we think stand out:

OSPB is requesting a review of a package of school safety requests. The proposal requests $327,549 for the Colorado Department of Public Safety and $3 million for the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

During budget debates, Colorado school districts made it apparent that school safety was a priority and that additional resources were needed. This 1331 request would allow additional school safety measures to be implemented in the fall.

The $3 million for CDE would increase the number of school health professionals available to students. These include nurses, social workers, psychologists, and school counselors.

The additional funding will supplement the unmet need that was identified in the FY 2020 budget cycle considerations and would disperse this summer. An addition of 4.0 FTE would be required to staff these positions in each region.

The recommended ratio of staff to student is highlighted below:

The 1331 requests also seek funding to address a growing Hepatitis A outbreak in Southern Colorado.

During April and May, 24 cases of Hep A were identified, and 52 cases have been reported since October. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued a press release on the potential impact of the outbreak and its potential for growth. The department has taken a number of measures to address the issue since it began. You can read more about those measures, here.