After several long days debating the 2008-2009 state budget, I am happy with what we accomplished in the Senate to ensure a balanced budget that truly helps the citizens of Colorado.

 The budget bill came over from the House of Representatives in almost identical form to what had been proposed by the Joint Budget Committee. Only four of the more than 70 proposed amendments had been adopted by the House. After the budget was approved in the House it was introduced in the Senate last Monday. On Monday and Tuesday both the Democrats and Republicans met in their respective caucuses to go through the proposed budget bill to determine what amendments they would propose to the bill on second reading on the floor of the Senate.

As caucus chair, my role was to lead the debate on the budget and any proposed amendments. On Wednesday we debated the amendments all day and into the evening on the floor of the Senate. Like the House we only passed a few amendments that were small adjustments to the overall budget. This is not too surprising.

Given the number of mandated programs there is little flexibility in the budget. In addition, the bi-partisan Joint Budget Committee works for months on the discretionary items. I feel good about the budget we passed. It is fiscally responsible and reflects solid investments in education, economic development and health care. Below I’ve highlighted some significant budget items:

Our children are our future and in recognition of that we made additional investments on their behalf. We were able to eliminate the waiting list for soon to be preschoolers, provide 50,000 more children with health care, and provide $7.2 million more in grant funding for college-bound students.

We also provided additional funds for disabled persons, some of whom had been on a waiting list for services for years. The number of disabled persons on that waiting list was actually larger than the number actually receiving services.

Medicaid reimbursement provider rates have been so low in the past that many doctors were not willing to accept Medicaid patients. In an effort to provide qualifying patients with the services they need we increased provider rates by $43 million. This will allow more Medicaid patients access to doctors.

I understand that our plans to make Colorado a better place to live cannot be accomplished unless we give our children the right tools they need to succeed. This year’s budget invests in our education so that every child can receive a solid start in schools that keep them safe, healthy and ready to compete in the 21st century economy from the time they enter preschool until they graduate college. The budget provides 22,000 additional full-day kindergarten slots. We also added 70 new school counselors to work with those students through graduation. In higher education, $63 million was made available to keep college within reach of every Coloradan who wants to attend, $10 million in need-based aid and $53 million to expand the College Opportunity Fund to more than 30,000 students.

In addition to investing in tomorrow’s workforce we also need to invest in the technologies that will lead us into the 21st century. We worked to invest in our economy by creating incentives that would lure new companies to our state. Some major renewable energy companies have already announced plans to relocate to Colorado. Many of these companies bring with them high-paying jobs and will promote many other spin-off businesses. Our goal is to be prepared for a growing global economy that cuts red tape for businesses, streamlines systems and invests in new technologies.

Recognizing that few of these businesses will be moving to Southwest Colorado we must not forget our more traditional industries of agriculture and tourism. I will continue to promote both and not let my colleagues forget either. 

Democrat Jim Isgar is the state senator for District 6. He sits on the committees of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy as its chair, Finance and Legislative Audit.