Senate Advances Bipartisan Budget Deal on Second Reading

March 27, 2019

Denver, CO – The Colorado State Senate today agreed upon a deal to advance SB19-207, also known as the FY 2019-2020 Long Bill (and more simply, the budget), on second reading. The bill will now be heard on third reading in the Senate.

“This is exactly how the Senate is supposed to function,” said Senate President Leroy Garcia (D-Pueblo). “I applaud legislators on both sides of the aisle for working to find common ground as we determine how to appropriate the money in Colorado’s budget. “

“This was a big moment for the Joint Budget Committee and the Senate,” said JBC Chair Senator Dominick Moreno (D-Commerce City). “While there is still a great deal of work to be done to balance the budget considering the amendments that were adopted, we are open to discussing ways to do so that incorporate some of the different priorities that we heard this afternoon.”

“After many months of hard work on this budget, I am proud that we were able to bring everyone together to have important conversations about how to make our legislative priorities a reality,” said JBC Member Senator Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada). “This just goes to show that when we stick to the process and work hard, we can pass a budget that’s good for our state in both the short and long term.”

“I’m proud that we advanced our state’s budget today and avoided the Republican obstructionist tactics that we’ve been subjected to over the past few weeks,” said Majority Leader Steve Fenberg.

The adopted bill contains eight amendments, including J.072, a compromise between Democrats and Republicans to increase transportation funding. The other amendments that passed include J.054, J.061, J.046, J.053, J.038, J.044, and J.062. To learn more about the long bill and the amendments that were adopted, please visit https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB19-207.

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