Lawsuit against the State of Colorado regarding House Bill 24-1413
Through the County Attorney's Office and in alliance with several other counties, Mesa County is filing a lawsuit against the State of Colorado and Jared S. Polis, in his official capacity as Governor of Colorado, seeking:
- A declaration that transferring $25 million of local government severance tax funds to the State's General Fund pursuant to House Bill 24-1413, enacted into law on May 22, 2024, is unlawful and prohibited.
- An injunction against such transfer and future transfers.
The Colorado General Assembly recently enacted Colorado House Bill 24-1413, which provides for $25 million to be transferred from the local government severance tax fund established by C.R.S. § 39-29-110 to the State of Colorado’s General Fund in order to balance the State’s budget.
This transfer will deplete the local government severance tax fund. As a result, all Colorado communities and counties that contribute most to and are most impacted by the mineral extraction industry, such as Mesa County, will be deprived of critical funds on which they have come to rely heavily and on which they intended to rely, and their communities will face severe impacts as a result.
