The General Assembly convened on January 13, 2010 and it is expected to be a very tough session due to the budget shortfall. According to the Colorado Legislative Council Staff, as of December 2009, Colorado’s general fund is $600.6 million short of what was originally budgeted for FY09-10. In addition to programs and services cuts, there are tax exemptions that are being proposed to provide the state with revenue options. The next state budget revenue forecast will occur in March. For the 2010 session, CRHC is involved with legislation that will directly impact rural healthcare workforce. The Health Care Jobs in Rural and Underserved Colorado bill will be introduced and will rebrand the State Loan Repayment Program to the Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC). The bill will improve the ability of the state to administer the CHSC and will expand the professions currently eligible.

For current 2010 legislative session news and how you can get involved, please visit the CRHC website. Also, visit The Rural Voice (the CRHC Policy & Advocacy Blog) for links to relevant articles and news items of interest. Once there, you can sign up to receive regular email updates with new posts.