DENVER (AP) – Governor John Hickenlooper has presented his last budget request to lawmakers – one he says helps prepare the state for an eventual recession. Today, the term-limited Governor spoke to the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. The bipartisan panel will use the proposal in fashioning a state budget for fiscal years 2019-2020 during next year’s legislative session. The governor’s $33.4 billion request is nearly 5 percent above the current budget. It includes $13.2 billion in discretionary spending and would increase state reserves from 7.25 percent to 8 percent of that amount to prepare for an economic downturn. Hickenlooper calls the request “a responsible one in the sense of accommodating what we can’t see.” Hickenlooper’s final term is up in January when he will hand over the duties to his successor, Jared Polis.
