The Colorado Senate on Thursday gave bipartisan approval to next year’s budget. The $27 billion package will soon head back to budget writers to iron out differences.
It heads back to the House first, then will go to the evenly divided bipartisan Joint Budget Committee.
One big decision the committee will face will be over $367,000 for the state’s Air Pollution Control Division. Republicans have refused to provide any funding that goes toward implementation of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
But for the most part, debate has been civil. In spite of a tight budget year, the package includes increased funding for K-12 classrooms and transportation – and avoids cuts in higher education that would have caused tuition spikes.
