DENVER (AP) -- Education cuts and other cost-saving measures have been debated around the Colorado Legislature all year. The true test of how lawmakers balance the books comes when the Senate takes up a $7 billion general fund plan Friday.
The budget includes a raft of cuts including less money for K-12 schools and colleges. The spending plan also calls for the closure of a state prison in Bent County and eliminating several hundred state jobs across departments. It also calls for the merger of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks.
The appropriately nicknamed "Long Bill" has dominated debate around the Capitol all session. The Senate planned to spend two days debating and voting on it. Then the measure goes to the House.
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