By Brian Eason | Colorado Sun
Colorado lawmakers on Monday gave final approval to a $43.9 billion spending plan that cuts funding for transportation projects, local governments and dozens of social programs in order to keep up with the rising costs of health care and education.
But as difficult as this year’s budget was, there was widespread acknowledgement that — one way or another — the state’s financial picture is only expected to get worse from here.
“Next year is going to be very bad,” said Sen. Jeff Bridges, the Greenwood Village Democrat who chairs the Joint Budget Committee. “The cuts will be much more deep and much more painful.”
The main budget bill passed the state House 43 to 21 and the Senate 24 to 11, with most Republicans opposed. From here it heads to Gov. Jared Polis, who is expected to sign it into law.
Lawmakers had to close a $1.2 billion shortfall to balance the budget — the equivalent of a 7% cut to the state’s $17 billion general fund for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which starts July 1. To do so, they cut government operations across the board, scaled back social programs and slashed funding for transportation projects and local agencies. But they were largely able to avoid deep cuts to three of the biggest spending areas: health care, K-12 and higher education.