House committee advances 48‑hour back‑to‑school sales‑tax holiday to appropriations

House Finance Committee — The committee voted to send House Bill 26‑1048, a proposed 48‑hour back‑to‑school sales‑tax holiday, to the Committee on Appropriations as amended. Sponsors said the measure would give families narrowly targeted relief timed before the school year and allow counties and municipalities to opt into the 48‑hour window.

Sponsor Emma Winter framed the bill as modest affordability relief, saying "we're talking about an affordability crisis... I think every dollar counts." The bill would exempt clothing priced $100 or less, school supplies $50 or less, and learning aids $30 or less, and it permits local governments to opt in for the same 48‑hour window.

Opposition testimony focused on the efficacy and distributional effect of tax holidays. Anderson Lohmer, an economics student testifying in opposition, told the committee that sales‑tax holidays tend to produce only trivial consumer savings and can be regressive. "On a $50 backpack, a family saved just a dollar and 45¢," he said, noting research that retailers sometimes capture a share of the intended tax break by raising pretax prices or reducing markdowns during holiday windows.

Sponsors offered two technical amendments during committee. Amendment L001 adjusted dates; amendment L004 added a TABOR‑trigger condition tying the state holiday to the March OSPB revenue forecast so the exemption would not go into effect unless the forecast showed sufficient surplus relative to the homestead exemption and the family affordability tax credit. Both amendments passed by voice vote.

Committee members who supported the bill said it is a modest, evaluable step toward affordability; one member opposed it on principle because it creates carve‑outs in the tax base. The vice chair moved the bill as amended to Appropriations; the roll call recorded 10 yes and 1 no (Rep. Marshall). The committee will next consider appropriations and any fiscal backfill required to implement the holiday at the state or local level.

What comes next: The bill advances to the Committee on Appropriations as amended; committee sponsors said they will monitor fiscal conditions and evaluate effectiveness if the holiday is triggered.