Colorado’s $25B state budget passes House

(Hart Van Denburg/CPR News)

The state House voted 45 to 20 to pass the state budget Thursday. All the no votes came from Republicans, who are in the minority.

Democratic Rep. Millie Hamner wrapped up debate Wednesday night by telling her House colleagues that the bill was the result of months of bipartisan work by the Legislature’s budget committee.

The House passed a dozen amendments to the budget. They include $1.5 million to help keep Amtrak’s Southwest Chief train running in southeastern Colorado and another million to bolster the state’s film incentives.

House Democrats also reopened the contentious debate over a state program that provides long-lasting contraception to low-income women. They shifted some money in the budget to continue the program. That's a safeguard in case a separate bill to fund the program dies as expected in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The amended budget now goes to conference committee to work out differences with the Senate version. Funding for the contraception program could become a big sticking point.