1.25 Billion Dollar Budget Increase

Among the budget highlights:

Three new driver's license stations would be opened in Jefferson, Larimer and Adams counties, costing $5.8 million and staffed with 53 new workers. To pick up the tab, the state would collect an additional $4.40 per driver's license and $25 per license plate.

Public schools would get an extra $313 million. The average funding per pupil statewide would rise from $6,359 to $6,650.

Medicaid - the state and federally funded health care program for the poor - would get a $64.7 million increase to cover higher medical costs and growth in the number of people getting aid. State officials project 383,784 Medicaid clients at an average per-capita cost of $5,530.

The state court system would get $6 million to pay for 113 additional probation officers and other staffers - one of several nods to Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's efforts to reduce the number of repeat offenders released from the state prison system.

The overcrowded prison system would receive $7.6 million to cover the costs of double-bunking male prisoners at four state- operated prisons and an additional $8.4 million to house inmates in private prisons and local jails.

State universities would have an extra $7.4 million for financial aid.

Democratic and Republican senators split into separate meetings Monday afternoon to begin discussing the spending plan.

In the Democrats' caucus, lawmakers raised concerns about whether the budget document properly shows the impact that Referendum C, a revenue-boosting measure approved by voters in 2005, is having.

Since Referendum C passed, the state has had an extra $3.28 billion to spend on programs, with education, colleges and universities, and Medicaid consuming most of the money.

Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, said the budget presentation fails to show how much extra money spills over into road-construction spending as a result of formulas built into the budget. The chart shows the state has spent $45 million on transportation.

In the Republican senators' meeting, lawmakers were grilling their JBC representative, Sen. Steve Johnson, R-Fort Collins, about prison spending and staffing levels. Sen. Ron May, R-Colorado Springs, wanted to know if 242 additional corrections workers will be working in a new prison slated to be constructed. Johnson pointed out the state cut 585 prison workers in 2003.

Denver Post