SB 19-207: FY 2019-20 Long Bill (Sentate amendment J072)

Provides for the payment of expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, except as otherwise noted.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)  The amendment J072 called for $106 million to be found in the state budget and directed to increase spending on transportation.

CEA members along with parents and community allies have been advocating for the state to address the over half a billion dollars cut from public education funding by the budget stabilization factor. Despite these calls the major amendment in the Senate was to increase funding for transportation and to make no changes in funding to k-12 public funding from the budget proposed by then Governor Hickenlooper, made when the Senate had a Republican majority and the House a smaller Democrat majority. The critical failure to adequately address funding our schools while yet again carving out additional funding for transportation is why the passage of this 2nd reading amendment is the sole score for the long bill. As this vote was a 2nd reading and not recorded all Senators have received an "anti-public education" vote for this bill.

NOTE: As this vote was a 2nd reading and not recorded all Senators have received an "anti-public education" vote for this bill.