How budget cuts lead to lost jobs, our most popular research of 2011

It probably surprises no one that the Colorado Center on Law and Policy's research around jobs generated the most interest during 2011, as measured by visits to our website. The most popular publication of the year, released March 7, examined how cuts to the state budget would result in job losses. The paper, by Fiscal Policy Analyst Terry Scanlon of the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, led off this way:

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Hickenlooper's proposed budget cuts would costs thousands of jobs; solution can come from voters
The budget-balancing plan offered by Gov. John Hickenlooper last month relies heavily on cuts to public schools and will result in the loss of more than 3,600 jobs as services in education, mental health, prisons, health care and parks are scaled back. Most of the lost jobs will come out of classrooms and schools throughout the state as school districts cope with a nearly $500 decline in spending per student.

Colorado lawmakers have no option but to balance the state budget, and that will mean painful service reductions affecting every resident of the state. Voters, though, have the authority to consider all options for maintaining and increasing investment in their communities – including increased revenue.

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Read the full issue brief on our website.

The cost of making ends meet for Colorado families, our most popular research of 2011, second place

The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado is a signature product for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. It was the second-most popular research from CCLP during 2011, as measured by visits to our website. Released Oct. 28, the research shows many workers throughout Colorado have earnings that fall far short of what’s needed to meet basic family needs, even if their income is well above what the federal government classifies as poor. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011 offers a detailed accounting of the cost of living for different family types in each of the state’s 64 counties.

Read the full report on our website.

Legislative session saw advancements and setbacks for justice and economic security, our third-most popular research of 2011

The third-most popular research from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy during 2011, as measured by website visits, was our look back at the year's legislative session. Check it out on our website for a good reminder of progress during the past year and the challenges ahead.

State gets $26 million in Medicaid bonus funds

Read about it, and find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

The role of undocumented immigrant workers in Colorado's economy, our fourth-most popular research of 2011

The effects of undocumented immigrant workers on Colorado's economy were again a hot topic in 2011, generating the fourth-highest number of visits to our website among the Colorado Center on Law and Policy's research products during the past year. Here's how the paper starts off:

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Undocumented immigrant workers in Colorado play an important role in the state's economy
The number of undocumented immigrants in Colorado has increased enormously during the past 20 years. While that number has gone down since mid-decade, the issue of undocumented immigration continues to be controversial, as Colorado struggles with the effects of the worst recession since the Great Depression and the budget woes that have followed.


In that debate, some argue undocumented immigrants cost Colorado by taking jobs and enrolling in state programs. This analysis shows, however, that far from being an economic drain, undocumented immigrants who live and work in Colorado contribute significantly to the state’s economy.

For every job in the state occupied by an undocumented immigrant, another 0.8 jobs are created. And for every dollar of wages an undocumented immigrant worker collects, another 80 cents of wages are generated. Colorado lawmakers ought to keep those factors in mind as they consider immigration policy.

The latest data show unauthorized immigrants make up 5 percent of the state workforce and 3 percent of incomes. Working in the state, unauthorized immigrants create economic impact and jobs beyond their own employment as their earnings are re-spent, and their production spurs business-to-business activity.

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The paper was written by Alec Harris, a former policy analyst for the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, a project of CCLP. Read the full report on our website.

State board of education joins school-funding appeal

Read about the latest developments in the Lobato school-funding case, and find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

A study in public-policy tradeoffs, analysis of state budget our fifth-most popular research during 2011

Colorado continued to struggle with the disconnect between the revenue the state government collects and the services its residents need. A paper exploring those tradeoffs was the fifth-most popular reserach product issued by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy during 2011, as measured by website visits. It was written by Terry Scanlon, a fiscal policy analyst for the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, a project of CCLP.

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Proposed 2011-12 state budget contains deep cuts to services along with unwarranted tax giveaways
Public services across Colorado would be scaled back sharply under a plan to balance the state budget that legislative leaders proposed April 5. Some service reductions were inevitable, given restrictions on state lawmakers’ ability to raise revenue. But the plan cuts deeper than necessary because it also includes a number of measures that will reduce revenue that would otherwise be available to support services. The reductions will hurt vulnerable Coloradans as the resources available for child protection, health care, education and other services decline.

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Read the full report on our website.

Cost of living rises faster than family wages during past decade

The cost of paying basic family expenses rose 41 percent across Colorado from 2001 to 2011, while median family earnings rose only 13 percent, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011. The table below shows where the costs increased in Larimer County and statewide.

Learn more by checking out the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011, a measurement of the true cost of making ends meet for Colorado families.

High uninsured rates impact all Coloradans

Read the commentary in The Denver Post, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

State vows to appeal school finance ruling

Read about it, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Improving budget forecast spreads holiday cheer

Find the latest news about the state budget, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Western counties saw the sharpest increase in cost of basic expenses during past decade

The cost of basic family expenses rose sharply from 2001 to 2011 in several counties in western Colorado including Rio Blanco, Ouray, Hinsdale, Jackson and Lake counties, according to the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011. The map below shows how the cost of making ends meet has changed during the past decade for a family with one adult, one preschooler and one school-age child.

Learn more by checking out the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011, a measurement of the true cost of making ends meet for Colorado families.

Hickenlooper plans to restore cuts to education

Read about it, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Pain of Colorado poor likely to be felt in classrooms

Read about it, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Grant for insurance marketplace advances

Read about it, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Colorado ranked 13th for linking new jobs, incentives

The report examining job incentive programs was released in Colorado by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute and FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities. Read the joint news release. Find coverage from The Denver Business Journal, plus links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Homelessness stats contradict experience on Denver's streets

Read about it in The Denver Post, and find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Self-sufficiency wages are considerably higher than most other benchmarks

To put the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011 in context, it is useful to compare it to other commonly used measures of income adequacy. In the graph below, a comparison is made between the Logan County Self-Sufficiency Standard for one adult, one preschooler, and one school-age child and the following income benchmarks for three-person families:

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program), and WIC (Women, Infants and Children);
• The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for a family of three;
• The Colorado minimum wage; and
• The HUD median family income limits for a family of three in Logan County.

However, none of the benchmarks are as specific as the Self-Sufficiency Standard in terms of age and number of children and/or geographic location. Note that this set of benchmarks is not meant to show how a family would move from a lower income to economic self-sufficiency. Rather, the concept of self-sufficiency assumes a progression that takes place over time. As indicated in the fourth bar from the left the graph, the Self-Sufficiency Wage for this family type in Logan County is $36,931 per year.

Learn more by checking out the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011, a measurement of the true cost of making ends meet for Colorado families.

Federal budget fights cause frustration at hospitals

Read coverage from Colorado Public News, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

For some, family leave is a dream

Read Dottie Lamm's commentary in The Denver Post, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Lawmakers turn 2 thumbs way down on movie incentives

Good move. Read about it in the Denver Business Journal, and find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Mental-health care system better but far from good

Read coverage from The Denver Post and other news outlets, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Tax amnesty adds more than $11 million to public education

Read about it, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Self-sufficiency wages in Denver are similar to D.C. and Phoenix

While Denver and especially Grand Junction are less expensive than some other places with which they have been compared, families with one adult, one preschooler, and one school-age child in Denver require hourly wages that are over three times the (and in Grand Junction two and a half times) Colorado minimum wage of $7.36 per hour to meet their basic needs.

The graph below shows self-sufficiency wages for one adult, one preschooler and one school-age child in Denver, Grand Junction and other cities.

Learn more by checking out the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2011, a measurement of the true cost of making ends meet for Colorado families.

Budget battle brewing over taxes, Medicaid

Find the Colorado Center on Law and Policy's coverage of taxes and Medicaid on our website. Read the latest developments, plus find links to all the day's public-policy news, at the weekday Colorado news roundup.

Colorado economy: Slow and steady course

Find the Colorado Center on Law and Policy's coverage of jobs and economic security on our website. For the latest developments, plus links to all the day's public-policy news, check the weekday Colorado news roundup.