The Colorado House of Representatives voted 45-19 on Friday to give final approval to the $16.5 billion state budget.
The state spending plan now goes to the Senate for what is expected to be a week-long review.
On Thursday, representatives spent nearly 12 hours debating 74 amendments that shifted spending priorities in the budget. Under the rules, any proposed increase in spending had to include proposed cuts to other programs.
The representatives approved 24 changes – valued at about $23 million.
Key amendments that were approved:
Several approved amendments – attached as footnotes to the budget – were instructions to state departments to provide certain reports.
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, sponsored an amendment that calls for a report on recidivism rates for juveniles based on the level of drug and alcohol treatment services they had received.
Another footnote instructed state health-care officials to demand that Medicaid be the payer of last resort. State health- care officials also are ordered to report on the impact of bills passed in 2004-05, including a report on an obesity program.
Most proposed amendments were rejected.
Rep. Mark Larson’s annual attempt to eliminate Medicaid funding for circumcision was voted down. This year, fellow lawmakers spared the Cortez Republican their usual jokes about cutting the budget.
Several Republican efforts to find funding to open more driver’s license offices were rebuffed, such as one measure that took money from workers who care for disabled children. Another measure called for studying whether a private contractor should be hired to run the driver’s license offices.
Several footnote requests also were dumped.
Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, wanted to require the State Patrol to submit a report on “mobility-impaired” drivers.
Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, and Rep. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, were not allowed to offer a footnote that directed the Division of Wildlife to make more deer and elk licenses. Such measures are not allowed on budget bills.
Rep. Alice Borodkin, D-Denver, failed to convince lawmakers to add a footnote that required the governor’s office to provide an accountability report on the Colorado Promotion program.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
