Colorado’s Civil Rights Division may be in jeopardy

The state’s Civil Rights Division “may be in jeopardy” due to funding woes, a top official told a legislative panel Wednesday. In a hearing at the Capitol before the Joint Budget Committee, Barbara Kelley, head of the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, pointed to the same strapped state budget that has bedeviled other state agencies of late, but she also noted the division–which investigates discrimination claims in housing and the workplace–is particularly vulnerable.

The Civil Rights Division is unique in Kelley’s department in that it receives both state tax revenue and federal funds rather than revenue from user fees, which fund much of the rest of her agency. The division, says Kelley, has done its part to help the administration of Gov. Bill Ritter balance the state’s budget for the last three years; the resulting cuts have affected its ability to qualify for federal money. She said the latest round of cuts in state funding to the Civil Rights Division “has reached a point of jeopardizing federal funds the division receives.”

Kelley told the panel that federal funds are based on the quantity of timely, successful investigations into cases of housing and employment discrimination. With fewer investigations completed due to declining state funding, she said, “we don’t have the ability to increase our portion of federal funds.” - More -