A variety of factors have strained the state鈥檚 finances as of late, and that meant state lawmakers had to find more than a billion dollars in savings in order to balance the state budget this session.
Many legislators described the process as painful, with big-ticket items up for cuts, including Medicaid and K-12 education. And the hand wringing over the toughest decisions, in the end, led to delays on finalizing the spending package, aka 鈥渢he long bill.鈥�
and discuss the powerful body tasked with deciding where to pull back spending, the Joint Budget Committee; what were the most difficult choices before them in this tight budget year; and what it all could mean for Coloradans.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is a big driver of the state鈥檚 fiscal problems. It caps how much Colorado can spend at inflation plus population growth. That means legislators have to curb spending this year, even though tax revenues 鈥� and expenses 鈥� are growing faster than that.
The group that bears primary responsibility for this task is the Joint Budget Committee. These six lawmakers -- four Democrats and two Republicans -- work in consultation with the governor鈥檚 office and their caucuses to write the long bill. Legislators will begin debating the measure on Monday, but in years past, they have made few changes.
One big question that鈥檚 troubled the JBC is what to do about the state鈥檚 free school meals program. Its cost has ballooned since being approved by the voters. The JBC ultimately decided to cut the program back to just $4 million, enough to keep it going until the fall, when they will ask voters to approve a funding mechanism that will give it more stability.
But the JBC has opted not to make large-scale cuts to Medicaid, one of the main drivers of the budget shortfall. Members view the choices that need to be made in that program as policy questions that are best debated by the entire legislature. Those choices will have to be made before the 2026-2027 budget is drafted.
But new budget pressures could arrive even sooner. President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration has already started to slash the money states get from the federal government. Depending on how far those cuts go, lawmakers could have to return to Denver for a special session that adjusts the budget.
Purplish鈥檚 producer is . This episode was edited by and sound designed and engineered by . Our theme music is by Brad Turner.
