The State of the State address is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Gov. Jared Polis is set to deliver his annual speech to a joint session of the Colorado legislature on Thursday as lawmakers grapple with a major budget gap as well as divisions with both Polis and the federal government.
Polis is term-limited, making this his eighth and final State of the State address. He was first elected governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. His rise in state politics coincided with the state’s distinctly blue shift. Along with Polis’ election, voters have delivered Democrats control of both chambers of the General Assembly during his time in office.
In his tenure, he oversaw the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivered free full-day kindergarten and partial preschool. He also worked with lawmakers to erase the so-called budget stabilization factor, or the budget maneuver that allowed the state to fund education below the level mandated by the Colorado Constitution.
But trifecta control of state government by his party hasn’t resulted in automatic smooth sailing for the governor. Most recently, he has tussled with his fellow Democrats on land-use measures and technology regulations.
The final legislative session of Polis’ tenure is likewise guaranteed to have its share of speed bumps.
The state again faces a deep budget deficit as ballooning Medicaid costs eat up an ever-growing share of state spending. Polis has proposed a slew of Medicaid cuts to try to bend the program toward fiscal sustainability, which could set off a battle with Coloradans who rely on the service — especially those with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Polis has also — again — sought to privatize Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s workers’ compensation insurer of last resort. That proposal appears dead on arrival in the legislature.
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And rumors that Polis may ease the sentence of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of felonies related to President Donald Trump’s election conspiracies, have many fellow Democrats on pins and needles.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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