FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2019
Contact: Cinamon Watson
303-949-7264
Brown: “After adjusting for inflation and population growth, the state of Colorado is spending more money per person than ever before”
Denver, CO – Today, the Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR) released the annual Colorado Budget Then & Now, a summary look at spending over the last 20 years.
For the third year in a row, the budget study offers a comprehensive view of how spending by the state has grown and changed over the past two decades. The study presents a “big picture” view of how spending by the state of Colorado has changed over the past 20 years.
“Leading into the 2020 legislative session, it is important to be aware of the history of spending and the entirety of the budget, along with a focus on singular issues,” said Chris Brown, CSPR Director of Policy and Research. “After adjusting for inflation and population growth, the state of Colorado is spending more money per person than ever before.”
Along with the release of the report, CSPR has release two animations that show the history of Colorado state spending between FY 2000 and FY 2020.
“Animated charts should prompt more questions about the details of “Why?” and help frame the perpetual debate that shapes the priorities of our state-government spending,” According to Brown, “Some departments have seen a significant shift in their relative share of the pie. From a decade ago, education has seen its share of General Fund appropriations decline by 13% of the total fund. Over that same period, Health Care Policy and Financing has seen its share of General Fund appropriations increase by an additional 9%.”
Read the full study here.
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Common Sense Policy Roundtable is a non-profit, free enterprise think tank dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado’s economy.