Editor\u2019s note: A previous version of this story inaccurately reported that the bill proposes withholding the entire allocation for the wolf program in 2025-26. It proposes reducing the $2.1 million general fund allocation by $264,268. <\/p>\n
Colorado lawmakers announced legislation on Tuesday that would pause wolf reintroduction as they seek ways to address the state\u2019s budget shortfall caused by congressional Republicans\u2019 federal tax law<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bill<\/a> \u2014 which proposes withholding $264,268 of the $2.1 million allocated in the 2025-26 budget for the wolf program \u2014 will be introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers during the special session starting on Thursday, Aug. 21.\u00a0The bill also prohibits Colorado Parks and Wildlife from using the dollars for acquiring or reintroducing wolves in the upcoming fiscal year. <\/p>\n \u201cThis bill is the right thing to do given our state\u2019s severe financial challenges that threaten the pocketbooks and health insurance costs of hardworking Coloradans,\u201d said Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat, in a news release. \u201cNow is not the time to be spending precious taxpayer dollars on new wolves \u2014 let\u2019s focus on lowering costs for Coloradans and balancing our budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Roberts is introducing the bill alongside Sen. Marc Catlin, a Montrose Republican, and Reps. Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat, and Matthew Martinez, a Monte Vista Democrat. The bill has additional support from bipartisan lawmakers, according to the release.<\/p>\n The proposed $264,268 reduction accounts for approximately 0.033% of the $780 million deficit lawmakers will seek to close from the 2025-26 budget as they head back Thursday for the special session<\/a>. The session was called to close the budget shortfall caused by the extension and expansion of corporate tax cuts passed in H.R. 1, previously designated the \u201cone, big beautiful bill.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Lawmakers will also seek to address a significant jump in health insurance premiums \u2014 up to 38% on the Western Slope \u2014 after Congress failed to extend subsidies created under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n \u201cPressing pause on future releases allows us to manage existing wolves effectively and focus on what matters most: lowering costs, protecting livelihoods, and making every taxpayer dollar count,\u201d Lukens said in the news release. \u201cRedirecting these limited resources will help us invest in critical priorities like making health insurance more affordable for hardworking Coloradans.\u201d<\/p>\n Colorado is two years into its wolf reintroduction, which was mandated by a ballot measure narrowly passed by voters in 2020<\/a>. Colorado Parks and Wildlife\u2019s wolf management plan<\/a> recommends the release of 30 to 50 wolves over three to five years to create a self-sustaining population of wolves. So far, it has released a total of 25 wolves in the first two years of releases. Parks and Wildlife has reported that it has begun planning for a third release season this winter<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 2025-26 budget passed by Colorado lawmakers earlier this year included $2.1 million allocated from the general fund to support the wolf program. The allocation came with a caveat in the form of a footnote<\/a>, which threatened a pause in future general fund dollars should Parks and Wildlife spend money on future wolf reintroductions before more preventative measures were implemented to prevent conflict between wolves and livestock.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n