State lawmakers announced plans Monday to restore funding to several programs that were cut during the state’s budget crisis earlier this decade.
The modest budget boost of $136 million – thanks to voter approval of Referendum C last November – would have a far-reaching impact on an array of programs for students, the elderly and the disabled.
The Joint Budget Committee is dividing the amount into thirds – $45.33 million – for each of Referendum C’s key funding areas: health care, higher education and public schools.
The committee, which has made its recommendations to the full legislature, touted the plan with a parade of supporters who would benefit.
Andy Metoya, an 87-year-old stroke survivor, said his assisted-living center in Lakewood depends on state funding to have people there to cook healthy meals and to help him get on the elevator.
Jean Brock, a developmentally disabled woman who lives on her own, said the funding will ensure that she will have somebody to help her run errands, go to the doctor or visit museums.
Stephen Jordan, president of Metropolitan State College in Denver, said he will be able to hire more full-time professors.
“This is the beginning of restoration,” said Rep. Tom Plant, D-Nederland, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee. “We see this as the beginning of going down a road of trying to restore these services to the state.”
The JBC has forwarded its recommendations to the full legislature for its review, which is expected as soon as this week.
The state’s entire general-fund budget is more than $6 billion. According to legislative forecasts, Referendum C provides $644.3 million in extra tax money this year.
But because of another state law that limits how much the budget can grow, only $136 million can go into general-fund programs such as those serving Metoya, Brock and the students at Metro State.
The amount may seem relatively small, but it could have a profound impact on the lives of Coloradans, Plant said. For example, the state plans to eliminate the waiting list for families who need help with developmentally disabled children.
“This year, for the first time since I’ve been here, we’ve completely eliminated the early-intervention wait list for children,” Plant said. “Six hundred thirteen children in the state of Colorado will get services that they couldn’t get before.”
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
