Among the more than two dozen bills contemplated for Thursday’s special session of the Colorado General Assembly is a proposal to pause funding for the wolf reintroduction program run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The money — $264,268 — would be shifted to pay for the health insurance accountability enterprise to help cover subsidies for people on the individual market to purchase health insurance through the exchange, as well as for several other purposes.

The sponsor of the bill is Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Robert is a critic of the program that has resulted in 25 wolves being brought to Colorado.

Those wolves have slaughtered dozens of livestock over the past year: cattle, calves, sheep and working dogs — in Roberts’ district.

The measure has drawn bipartisan support in both chambers from both sides of the aisle. Joining Roberts on the bill are Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, Rep. Megan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, along with nine other cosponsors in the Senate and 16 members of the House.

In a statement Tuesday, the sponsors said the bill would provide a reasonable time-out on the program, “while the state continues to put in place supports for landowners and handles budget challenges.”

Democrats have blamed Colorado’s fiscal woes on the recently-signed congressional budget. More specifically, analysts said the federal budget failed to extend premium tax credits, which have subsidized insurance premiums. Republicans have maintained that, broadly speaking, Democrats, who are in charge of the state government, are to blame for the deficit that Colorado faces, arguing the dominant party has overspent and failed to heed warnings of a looming budget crisis.

The Western Slope has been hit particularly hard, both by the wolf program and, analysts said, by rising health insurance premiums. The Division of Insurance announced last month that health insurance premiums would increase in 2026 by 28% on average, but by 38% on the Western Slope.

Voters had approved the wolf program by a narrow margin, primarily based on support from Front Range voters, although the program called for the wolves to be placed west of the Continental Divide and not along the Front Range.

The cost of the wolf program was supposed to be around $800,000 per year; instead, it has taken $8 million of taxpayer money over the past five years, including $3.5 million in 2024-25, with conflict management and depredation reimbursement costs soaring. Claims for wolf depredations during 2024 topped more than $600,000, although the amount paid was less than that. 

The program is budgeted at about $2 million in 2025-26.

The bill proposed by lawmakers goes beyond just taking some of the funding.

Under the proposed legislation, the state wildlife agency would be prohibited from using its general fund support in 2025-26 “for the acquisition and reintroduction of gray wolves or from taking any action to acquire or reintroduce gray wolves during state fiscal year 2025-26.”

However, the agency can still use its appropriations for conflict management and to pay the claims submitted by ranchers for livestock losses due to wolves.

The state’s wolf depredation fund was set at $350,000. However, claims have far exceeded the original budget. Claims that went over the $350,000 budget were paid from other CPW sources.

“By not bringing in new wolves into the state, Colorado can focus on managing the existing wolves more effectively and save significant financial resources,” the statement said.

Roberts added that, as a lawmaker who represents many rural and mountain communities affected by both wolf reintroduction and high health insurance prices, “I know personally that my constituents would like our state to focus on lowering health insurance costs, managing our budget challenges, and getting proper management of our existing wolves under control. Now is not the time to be spending precious taxpayer dollars on new wolves — let’s focus on lowering costs for Coloradans and balancing our budget.” 

Catlin added, “Western Slope families and CPW field staff are carrying the daily impacts of wolf reintroduction. Pressing pause on future releases gives the state the space to fix what isn’t working, fully fund landowner support, and carefully steward scarce dollars during a budget crunch. That’s the responsible way to honor the will of the voters while recognizing the realities on the range. This bill doesn’t end reintroduction, it ensures CPW can repair its programs while we work to stabilize the state’s budget.”

Rural families, ranchers, and landowners are dealing with the daily realities of wolf reintroduction, Lukens said.

“We must ensure the existing programs are strong and working as intended. Pressing pause on future releases allows us to manage existing wolves effectively and focus on what matters most: lowering costs, protecting livelihoods, and making every taxpayer dollar count. Redirecting these limited resources will help us invest in critical priorities like making health insurance more affordable for hardworking Coloradans,” Lukens said.

Martinez said the wolf program has stressed rural families and local budgets.

“Taking a pause on new wolf reintroductions will allow us to save taxpayer money and focus our attention on lowering health insurance costs and addressing our budget challenges,” Martinez said. “Additionally, with threats to SNAP and Medicaid, hitting the pause button on this program is the pragmatic solution to help balance the budget and provide relief to our communities.”

A major fight over the bill is expected.

House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, whose district also includes the counties where wolves have killed livestock, is not listed as a sponsor.

Lawmakers during this week’s special session will be looking for about $800 million in budget cuts for the 2025-26 current year’s budget. The Polis administration has said it would tap the state’s general fund reserve for up to half of those cuts, although that money must be restored in the next fiscal year.

A ballot measure proposed for the 2026 general election, which would put an end to the wolf program upon voter approval, has struggled to raise money for the effort. Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy has secured about $39,000 this year. Petitions are due to the Secretary of State on Aug. 27.

Patrick Davis of Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy told Colorado Politics his group will support the Roberts bill.

“It’s an answer for what we’ve been saying and hearing for the past eight months,” he said.

Taxpayers are up in arms, he said, adding, “We can’t afford this program, and the state has proven they can’t manage the wolves they have. Let’s not bring any more in.”