H.R. 1 continues to wreak havoc on Colorado’s state budget, compounding long-standing structural problems that the state is long overdue to address. The governor’s budget frames this as a responsible step to solve the issue, but the cuts—however necessary—will make it harder for Colorado families already struggling with higher prices and economic uncertainty. At the end of the day, this proposal doesn’t address the underlying challenge: Colorado needs more revenue to fund the parts of the budget that keep growing in cost, like health care, and meaningful fiscal reform so the state can once again set priorities based on changing economic conditions and the needs of the people rather than outdated formulas.

Kathy White, executive director of the Colorado Fiscal Institute