Re: Schools, Prisons, Hospitals and the C&TSRR

Once again we are at the first step of a lengthy appropriation process. The fact that the C&TS appears to be a relatively high priority on the Governor's capital expenditures list is good.
Certainly there can be wrinkles along the way. The passage of the School Funding amendment which basically indexes state school funding to inflation plus an additional percentage could put a strain on state-funding of non-school needs. Highways have received the most media attention in this regard, but other state spending could come under the knife. Another variable is the fact that the Colorado legislature is now partisanly split. The House remains under Republican control (as is the Governorship), but the Senate will be controlled by the Democrats next year. This means that committee chairmanships in the Senate will be different, as will be the compostion of the Joint Budget Committee. How sympathetic to the C&TS those new members will be remains to be seen.
The implications of the TABOR amendment (yes, that horse we beat to death in this forum last year) has not gone away. Contrary to any popular belief, Colorado is not awash in a surplus that can be used for spending--it must be returned to the taxpayers. So, the C&TS will compete (hopefully as successfully as last year) for limited budget dollars in Colorado.
Don't put your letter-writing pens (or computers) away yet! It's deja vu all over again!