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State lawmakers had to find more than $1 billion in savings in order to balance the state budget this session.

The cuts will enable the state to absorb the rising costs of Medicaid and fully fund K-12 for another year. But they didn鈥檛 eliminate the state鈥檚 structural deficit, which will require ongoing cuts for years to come.

Most of the cuts have barely made a dent in the state鈥檚 $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won鈥檛 have to cut this week from the big expense 鈥� Medicaid providers, education and the state workforce. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with Colorado Sun reporter Brian Eason and then read The Colorado Sun story at the link below.

Most of the cuts have barely made a dent in the state鈥檚 $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won鈥檛 have to cut this week from the big programs 鈥� Medicaid providers, education and the state workforce.

A board established by the legislature was supposed to hire a judicial discipline ombudsman by March 2024. The board never met, and it鈥檚 not clear why.

House Bill 1272 would rewrite the so-called construction defect liability rules for condos sold for up to $1.2 million. The measure鈥檚 sponsors are hoping to find a sweet spot where everyone is a little unhappy.

How did state finances end up in such bad shape, and how far will lawmakers go to get back in balance?

If the Joint Budget Committee 鈥� and the rest of the state legislature 鈥� doesn鈥檛 fund the raises, it would force the union back to the bargaining table

This week, Colorado Democrats introduced legislation to become one of the first states in the country to allow religious institutions to build housing on their land 鈥� whether it鈥檚 zoned for residential construction or not.

The effort got a boost last week from an outgoing Federal Trade Commission official, who sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis urging the state to target so-called 鈥渏unk fees.鈥�