Chair and Professor of Economics Elissa Braunstein has been appointed to serve as Vice-Chair of the Economic Recovery and Relief Cash Fund Subpanel created by the Colorado Legislature. The subpanel was created to guide Colorado’s spending of $700 million in federal relief funds remaining from the American Rescue Plan Act.  

“The economy is getting better, but the still-fragile recovery is unequally distributed across different groups of Coloradoans, and it is important to invest these one-time funds in ways that support closing those gaps and make the future brighter for all Coloradoans,” said Braunstein. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve Colorado in this capacity.” 

The subpanel consists of five economists appointed by majority and minority leaders, Governor Jared Polis, and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Braunstein and chair Phyllis Resnick of Colorado Futures Center were both appointed by Democratic majority leaders Sen. Leroy Garcia and Rep. Alec Garnett. 

As Vice-Chair, Braunstein works with the team of economists to better understand who is being left behind as Colorado emerges from the pandemic. The Subpanel is tasked with cataloguing, explaining, and ranking the pandemic’s impacts on the Colorado economy, and making recommendations to state legislators on policies that will stimulate the economy, provide necessary relief for Coloradoans, and/or address emerging economic disparities resulting from the pandemic. Their report will go to the legislative task force to vote on and submit to the governor before next legislative session.