.png){kind=logo}
DENVER, CO — Joint Budget Committee Democrats today released the following statements on Governor Polis’s FY 2020-2021 Budget request:
“I appreciate Governor Polis’s FY 20-21 budget request, and I look forward to developing a responsible and balanced state budget that prioritizes education and transportation and continues lowering the cost of health care for all Coloradans,” said incoming JBC Chair Daneya Esgar (D-Pueblo). “The JBC will begin crafting the budget in the months ahead, and I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to balance our state’s competing priorities with the limited resources we have and pass a budget that supports Southern Colorado and the state as a whole.”
“Due to a strong economy, we were able to make historic investments in critical government services like education and transportation this year. However, due to the fiscal constraints imposed by TABOR, we will have to be more focused on cost savings next year,” said Dominick Moreno (D-Commerce City), vice-chair for the JBC in the upcoming session. “I am encouraged by some of the cost savings and efficiencies the Governor’s proposal identified to invest in roads and bridges and K-12 education, and I look forward to the next six months of hard work to ensure a balanced budget and continued investments that benefit the people of Colorado.”
“I am eager to start our work at the JBC to craft a balanced budget for Colorado,” said JBC member Chris Hansen (D-Denver). “The Governor’s proposal will help inform our ongoing discussions about how to responsibly invest in and manage our state’s energy, education, transportation and health care priorities.”
“I am pleased to see many important investments in this budget, especially for Southern and rural Colorado. The inclusion of substance abuse benefits for Medicaid recipients throughout the state is a crucial part of combatting a multifaceted problem and will build on the work my colleagues and I have worked tirelessly on for so many years,” said Senate President Leroy Garcia (D-Pueblo). “I am particularly excited about the proposal for Fischer’s Peak, the newest state park, in the heart of rural Colorado, which would drive tourism dollars to the local and regional economies. I know my colleagues on the JBC have a lot of work ahead of them to analyze today’s budget, and I look forward to supporting them in this important process.”
The release of the governor’s budget today begins the process for the JBC to craft the state’s budget. The JBC will begin hearing testimony from state agencies later this month as it works to write the state’s budget.
###