Steadman to return to JBC,GOP to lose a member of powerful panel

The membership of the legislature's powerful Joint Budget Committee for the 69th General Assembly is rapidly taking shape.

On Friday Senate Democrats announced that Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, will return as the second of two representatives of his caucus to the committee.

Steadman was the only member of the panel up for re-election on Tuesday. He easily defeated a Republican opponent to return for a second full term in the Senate.

Sens. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, who was also re-elected Tuesday, and Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, who did not face the electorate this month, will also return to the JBC.

Separately, House speaker-designate Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, announced Friday that Rep. Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, will join Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, on the panel.

Republicans will have to give up one of the seats they held on the JBC last session. Either Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, or Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, will leave the committee.

Republicans, as the minority party in the Senate and House, are entitled to two of the six seats on the JBC.

All of the members must sit on their respective chambers' appropriations committees, and two of the members must be the chairs of the Senate and House appropriations panels.

The JBC has statutory authority to craft a budget for the state government.

Ferrandino warns of huge higher education cuts

A member of the Joint Budget Committee warned a Greeley audience Saturday that Colorado could be facing drastic cuts in higher education funding within the next few years.

A report in Saturday's Greeley Tribune says that Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, told people attending an open forum at Evans Community College that the requirements of federal stimulus funding, which have protected the colleges' budgets during the last two years, are ending.

Gov. Bill Ritter's FY 2011 budget proposal would set higher education funding at $555 million. If that amount, or less, is adopted by the General Assembly, Colorado would rank last among the 50 states in the amount of money budgeted for colleges and universities.

Unlike other areas of the state budget, such as Medicaid and K-12 education, there is no law that mandates a minimum level of funding for higher education.

Hodge to chair JBC, says Greeley Tribune

Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, will be next chairperson of the Joint Budget Committee.

The Greeley Tribune reported the appointment in today's paper.

Hodge was chosen unanimously by the other members of the bipartisan panel, which writes the state's budget.

Other members of the JBC during the 68th General Assembly will include co-chair Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen; Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver; Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs; Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and newly-elected Rep. John Becker, R-Fort Morgan.

The majority party in both chambers chooses two members each of the committee, while the minority parties choose one member each.