In Re INTERROGATORIES SUBMITTED BY the GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON HOUSE BILL 04-1098

88 P.3d 1196, 2004 Colo. LEXIS 310, 2004 WL 828996
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 19, 2004
Docket04SA64
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 88 P.3d 1196 (In Re INTERROGATORIES SUBMITTED BY the GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON HOUSE BILL 04-1098) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re INTERROGATORIES SUBMITTED BY the GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON HOUSE BILL 04-1098, 88 P.3d 1196, 2004 Colo. LEXIS 310, 2004 WL 828996 (Colo. 2004).

Opinions

Justice RICE

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Pursuant to section 3 of Article VI of the Colorado Constitution, the General Assembly has submitted to this court two interrogatories regarding House Bill 04-1098. The interrogatories are:

Interrogatory No. One:

Do the elements specified in House Bill 04-1098 that define “custodial moneys” comport with principles of separation of powers under Article III of the state constitution, the legislative power of appropriation under sections 32 and 33 of Article V of the state constitution, and the precedent of the Supreme Court construing such powers?

Interrogatory No. Two:

Can House Bill 04-1098 constitutionally exclude from the definition of “custodial moneys” any moneys granted by the federal government to Colorado for the support of general or essential state government services of the type for which expenditures are made in the most recently approved annual general appropriation act, including but not limited to additional payments received by the state under the “Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003”?

We decline to answer the first interrogatory because the nature of federal grant moneys, and specifically whether they constitute custodial funds, must be determined on a case-by-case basis with due consideration given to all of the relevant circumstances. As such, we cannot determine at this time whether the definition of “custodial moneys” as provided in House Bill 04-1098 will be adequate for evaluating future grant moneys, which may be disbursed in a manner not yet addressed by this court.

We answer the second interrogatory in the affirmative. Moneys granted by the federal government to Colorado for the support of general or essential state government services, such as those allocated under the federal Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (the “Jobs Act” or the “Act”), 42 U.S.C. § 801 et seq. (2004), are not custodial funds. Thus, the General Assembly constitutionally excluded such funds from the definition of “custodial moneys” in House Bill 04-1098.

I. Facts

On May 28, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Jobs Act. In addition to providing various tax cuts and credits, [1198]*1198the Act allocated ten billion dollars in fiscal relief to the states. 42 U.S.C. § 801(a). The Act sets forth certain minimal restrictions on the use of those state relief funds in section 801, requiring that the funds be used only to “provide essential government services” or to cover the costs of unfunded federal mandates. Id. § 801(d)(1).1 The Act further provides that “[a] State may only use funds provided under a payment made under this section for types of expenditures permitted under the most recently approved budget for the State.” Id. § 801(d)(2). Finally, the Act requires each state to certify to the Secretary of the Treasury that the “State’s proposed uses of the funds are consistent with subsection (d).” Id. § 801(e). Beyond these limited requirements, the Act provides no guidance as to how each state should spend the money allotted, nor as to what appropriations process should be followed in making such decisions.

Pursuant to the Act, on June 12, 2003, Governor Owens signed and filed with the Treasury Secretary the required certification form, which set forth the state’s intent to comply with the very broad requirements listed above in terms mirroring the language of the Jobs Act. Subsequently, the federal government disbursed to Colorado $73.2 million on June 23, 2003, and $73.2 million again on October 7, 2003. Throughout the summer of 2003, Governor Owens communicated, through both press releases and letters from Dr. Nancy McCallin, the Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, to Senator Dave Owen, Chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, his intent to set aside the majority of the funds as a reserve for “future budget shortfalls.” Additionally, over this period, the Governor allocated approximately $36.4 million of the funds to various programs with budget shortfalls and certain one-time capital projects.

In September 2003, Senator Owen sent a letter to Dr. McCallin expressing the General Assembly’s concern that the funds received pursuant to the Act were subject to the General Assembly’s plenary power of appropriation and questioning whether the Governor had any legal basis for spending the funds. In support of the Assembly’s position, Senator Owen cited a legal opinion provided to the General Assembly by the Office of Legislative Legal Services. The opinion stated that the “extensive flexibility given the state to allocate the funds for a broad, rather than particularized purpose,” precluded a finding that the funds were custodial in nature. Thus, because the Governor may exercise control only over “custodial funds,”2 the legal opinion concluded that the Governor had no authority to spend the funds provided under the Jobs Act.

In response to Senator Owen’s letter, the Governor requested an opinion from the Attorney General regarding the Governor’s authority to spend the funds received under the Act. The Attorney General found that because the “Act specifies the purpose the State is directed to accomplish and places some restrictions on the use of the federal funds,” the funds received under the Act are in fact custodial in nature. Consequently, the Attorney General concluded that the funds “can be expended based on the Governor’s directive,” rather than through the legislative appropriation process.

In January 2004, due to this conflict regarding the Jobs Act funds, members of the Joint Budget Committee introduced House [1199]*1199Bill 04-1098, defining “custodial moneys,” which are exempt from the General Assembly’s appropriation power, and expressly excluding certain types of revenue from the definition of “custodial moneys.”3 Specifically, House Bill 04-1098 defines “custodial moneys” as:

[M]oneys received by the Governor or by a department or agency of the state of Colorado: (I) That originated from a source other than the state; (II) That are awarded or otherwise provided to the state for a particular purpose, including, but not limited to, a specified program or function; (III) That contain restrictions on or defined standards for the use of the moneys or the use of which is subject to the approval of an authority or government other than the state, including, but not limited to, the federal government; and (IV) For which the state is acting as a custodian or trustee to carry out the particular purpose, program, or function for which the moneys have been provided.

H.B. 04-1098 at § (3)(a).

Additionally, the Bill excludes from the definition of “custodial moneys” the following:

Moneys granted by the federal government to the state that are subject to allocation by the state for the support of general or essential state government services of the type for which expenditures are made in the most recently approved annual general appropriation act, including, but not limited to, federal relief payments under the federal “Jobs and Growth Tax Reconciliation Act of 2003”, as amended, (P.L. No.

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Bluebook (online)
88 P.3d 1196, 2004 Colo. LEXIS 310, 2004 WL 828996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-interrogatories-submitted-by-the-general-assembly-on-house-bill-colo-2004.