Round-Up: Democratic leaders respond to budget proposal, and more
Top leaders in the Democratic controlled senate say parts of Governor John Hickenlooper’s budget are dead on arrival…and, Action 22, a group that represents 22 southern Colorado counties, opposes another element in the Governor’s proposed budget that would close a prison in Las Animas. The group says the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility is in an area in desperate need of jobs.
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Filed under: Andrea Chalfin,AP,Bente Birkeland,Capitol Coverage,Colorado,KRCC News,Round-Up — andrea @ 5:32 pm
Public schools will likely bear the biggest brunt of the cuts if the Governor’s budget is approved by the legislature. Those cuts come at a time when many traditionally under-performing Colorado schools are starting to win praise for turning things around. From Rocky Mountain Community Radio member station 
Governor John Hickenlooper released a budget plan for next year that met with Republican praise and Democratic concern. Hickenlooper is proposing the deepest cuts in state history for K-12 schools. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.
Governor John Hickenlooper released his budget today and is proposing the highest cuts to K-12 schools the state has ever seen…Crews are working on cleaning up a rockslide on U.S. 50 that occurred yesterday (see photo above)…and, Army leaders will gather at Fort Carson tomorrow for a symposium on rear detachments.
A measure that would make it tougher to change the state constitution cleared a senate committee yesterday. Supporters of the proposal say the constitution is already too complicated and initiatives cost millions of dollars to defeat and defend in court. But as Bente Birkeland reports, Libertarian and Tea Party groups say the measure infringes on the people’s rights to petition the government.
State lawmakers will get their first chance this week to shape the federal health care law for Colorado. The Affordable Care Act requires states to set up new “health insurance exchanges.” Exchanges are new marketplaces where coverage will be very cheap for people who don’t make much money. That’s what many in health care are hoping, anyway. This week legislative work begins on Colorado’s health insurance exchange. 
The job of balancing Colorado’s roughly 1.1 billion dollar budget shortfall largely falls on the shoulders of just six lawmakers. This bi-partisan group sits on the powerful joint budget committee that’s charged with writing the budget. Most of the members are new to the committee this year, and for the first time in several years it’s evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Bente Birkeland examines the committee’s large task ahead and the challenges members face.
A Democratic state senator is trying to expand Colorado’s hate crimes law to include the homeless. The measure cleared the senate judiciary committee yesterday on a party line vote. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.
Republicans and Democrats in the senate tangled over a state revenue forecast yesterday. The measure already cleared the Republican controlled house, but as Bente Birkeland reports, the debate highlights divisions between the parties and chambers.