Gov. Ritter signs $18.2 billion budget

Good morning. Here's a look at news reports from around the state on issues of interest to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy for Friday, April 30, 2010.

FISCAL POLICY
The Associated Press via The Denver Post: Gov. Bill Ritter signs $18.2 billion budget
Gov. Bill Ritter signed an $18.2 billion budget into law Thursday, saying it contained tough cuts but the pain was spread across the board.
Also: Denver Business Journal: Ritter signs state budget bill

Boulder Daily Camera: Boulder Valley School District to reconsider classroom fees
School board president: 'How much private funding should we have for public schools?'

Pueblo Chieftain editorial: Kill this bill
The anti-business bias among Democrats at the Colorado Statehouse has been made evident once more with House passage of a bill to limit enterprise zone tax credits. The big loser collectively in Pueblo: Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mills and its employees.

Durango Herald: Senate panel OKs tuition-hike bill
Gov. Ritter warns that a crisis still exists in higher education.


ECONOMIC SELF SUFFICIENCY
The Denver Post: Executive director named for Denver's homelessness program
Amber Callender, Mayor John Hickenlooper's deputy director of legislative services, is becoming executive director of Denver's anti-homelessness program.


CONSUMER PROTECTION
Denver Daily News: Protesting for financial reform
“We are shortsighted and they counts on that, so just the fact that they caved (Wednesday) to move this to the Senate floor, they’re going to think…we’re not going to stay with it,” said T.A. Taylor-Hunt, director of Coloradans for Financial Reform. “But we have got to stay with this, because if we don’t…we could have a repeat of the overall economic crisis.”


GENERAL
Aurora Sentinel: For Aurora tea partiers, all politics is local
Excessive spending by Congress has riled up Aurora’s tea partiers, but the buck doesn’t stop at the federal level for this outspoken group — they’re also concerned about local government spending habits.


HEALTH POLICY
Longmont Times-Call: New law nets Longmont United Hospital $5.5M
Hospital rewarded for helping needy patients.