The Colorado legislative session ended last week, and it was a period of missed opportunities, says Colorado Public Radio.The two parties agreed on what the problems facing Coloradans were. The trouble is, they couldn’t agree on the solutions. The result: the state’s residents still face many issues going forward.
Housing costs continue to rise. The state’s transportation system barely has enough money to maintain roads. And there was a strong backlash against the way the state picks its presidential candidates. None of these problems was solved.
There was some good news, though. Lawmakers came together on a few other efforts to boost affordable housing. Bipartisan budget writers worked to avoid deep spending cuts to higher education. And in a tight budget year, legislators managed to find new funding for schools and roads. Still, all in all, the session was a flop, marked by division and partisanship.