Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed into law the $25 billion state budget for next fiscal year, but it’s the spending plan for the next year that concerns him.
The Democrat, surrounded in his office by a crowd of Republican and Democratic legislative leaders and budget writers, touted the bill as an example of how the two parties worked together to put more money into public schools, higher education and transportation.
“The fiscal year 2015-16 budget crafts a careful balance between the public needs that accompany a growing economy and the fiscal prudence ahead of looming challenges caused by our conflicting constitutional provisions,” Hickenlooper wrote in his transmittal letter.
Hickenlooper made no mention of the 15 footnotes in which he objected to lawmakers telling his agencies how to spend the money, saying in the letter that his administration will only comply “to the extent practicable and appropriate.” Unlike other budgets, however, he did not use his line-item veto to strike them.
