Ag behavioral health group flags budget shortfall that could threaten $50,000 camp voucher program

At the March meeting of the Ag Behavioral Health Working Group, a staff member alerted participants that the Joint Budget Committee voted to remove a $50,000 voucher program that supports camp programming for ag and rural behavioral health.

The staff member said the removal came as the group tracked an expanding state budget deficit, which was discussed during the meeting as having grown from a roughly $1,200,000,000 shortfall to about $1,500,000,000 according to the latest forecast. "We got word that the ag and rural behavioral health program was being cut," the staff member said, and asked members to be prepared to speak up to restore funding as the long (budget) bill moves through the House and Senate.

Why it matters: the voucher funding supports short‑term camp and retreat programming used by rural communities and providers to reach agricultural workers and their families. Because the $50,000 is part of the broader budget long bill, it can be restored via an amendment on the House or Senate floor, the staff member said; working group members were asked to stand ready to contact legislators if requested.

Mental Health Colorado and other partners framed the request as part of a broader push to protect rural behavioral health services during a difficult budget cycle. "We knew it was gonna be bad coming into this session," a staff speaker said, noting the larger fiscal pressures facing the state. Wendy Buxton of Mental Health Colorado listed other bills the group is tracking that could affect rural services, including a mental‑health coaches training bill (referred to in the meeting as "senate bill 26‑60") and an adult access bill (described as "iMatters for adults").

The working group did not take a formal vote at the meeting; rather, organizers noted the need to coordinate potential advocacy and to provide talking points if the state budget process requires constituent engagement. Next steps stated at the meeting: leaders will monitor the budget committee actions, confirm whether an amendment can restore the $50,000 line item, and contact working group members if public comment or outreach to legislators is requested.