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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’t eliminate the state’s structural deficit, which will require ongoing cuts for years to come.

Most of the cuts have barely made a dent in the state’s $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won’t have to cut this week from the big expense — 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’s $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won’t have to cut this week from the big programs — Medicaid providers, education and the state workforce.

With less than 60 days left to go and plenty of big, controversial bills still in play, it’s crunch time for state lawmakers.

The legislature planned to ax the Colorado Youth Advisory Council to save $50,000 annually amid a tight state budget.

Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers want to cap state insurance payments to hospitals, but providers say they're already operating in the red.

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 — and the rest of the state legislature — doesn’t fund the raises, it would force the union back to the bargaining table

The SMART Act was meant to increase oversight, accountability and transparency for state departments, but some lawmakers say it’s often a lost opportunity.