state budget
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Insights: Where does Colorado go next on transportation? The ballot or to gridlock
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It’s a long road from November to April, and the journey of a thousand political statements began on the first day of this month when Gov. John Hickenlooper rolled out his annual budget request. He sent a message, now I’m sending one, too. We’re headed for gridlock in every meaning of the word. The governor’s…
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Colorado governor’s budget relies on legislature to find more transportation money
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On paper, Gov. John Hickenlooper touts an 11 percent increase in transportation funding from legislation that passed last session, but the draft of his next budget request released to reporters Wednesday doesn’t go further than money lawmakers already have approved. Republicans want to see more “skin in the game” from the state budget before asking…
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Noonan: Three strong candidates for CD7 can set a vision for Dems across the nation
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The 2018 election will scramble the political scene in Colorado. Two Democratic U.S. representatives are vying for governor. Three prominent state Democratic legislators from Jefferson and Adams counties will go after the open 7th Congressional District seat vacated by US Rep. Ed Perlmutter. Brittany Pettersen will leave her House District 28 seat in Lakewood. Andy…
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Hamner: 2017 legislative session was a productive one for Colorado
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With the 2017 session of the Colorado General Assembly behind us, I am enjoying being back in my district and having some time to reflect back on the legislative session. From Jan. 11 to May 10, my colleagues and I worked very hard to find compromise on some very important issues, and as a result,…
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Robinson: Haphazardly throwing money at education not the solution
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I was pleased to read Paula Noonan’s education piece, as it provides an excellent illustration of the origin of Colorado’s budget problems. While Ms. Noonan rattles off the shortcomings in Colorado’s educational performance with ease, she is decidedly more vague about her prescription for success. Her solution? Spend another billion dollars a year. An answer…
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Hickenlooper signs ‘Long Bill,’ applauds bipartisan collaboration on state budget
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Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed the upcoming year’s budget, known as the Long Appropriations Bill, praising legislators on both sides of the aisle for coming together to avert “draconian” cuts while safeguarding spending on health care and schools. Senate Bill 254 sets a $28.7 billion budget for the state for the 2017-18 fiscal year,…
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Noonan: Late session bill dance frustrates citizens and reduces oversight
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The last full week of the 2017 General Assembly had 220 bills still unfinished, with three bills introduced within five days of the end of session. Five big bills, two negotiated for wins and three up in the air, were on the docket. SB17-267, the Sustainability of Rural Colorado bill, initially received support for its…
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New plan unveiled to raise money for critical Colorado state services with days left in legislature
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Despite a dramatic back-and-forth Monday over a plan to free money for critical state services, legislative leaders say they are close to a compromise. The proposal would create a 20-year bond program to direct $1.8 billion towards critical infrastructure, including roads and highways. The first iteration of the legislation started with a $1.35 billion bond program. Lawmakers…
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Noonan: More school funding not enough to achieve significant proficiency improvements
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The state boosted its per pupil funding for public school students by 2.8 percent out of the General Fund to $6,585,800,182 for 2017-2018. That number works out to $6,546.20 per student, according to Senate Bill 17-296. Adding other sources, the Colorado Department of Education estimates that the average per pupil funding for next year will…
