How to spend $34 billion

The first thing to know about the proposed budget for Colorado’s 2021-22 fiscal year is that it’s a whole lot bigger than anyone at the statehouse had planned for. At $34.1 billion, it’s close to $4 billion fatter than what the state is spending in the current fiscal year.

The budget, which will take effect July 1, has been workshopped for five months by the bipartisan Joint Budget Committee and began wending its way through the statehouse this week. On Thursday, the Senate weighed — and mostly rejected — dozens of amendments. It will pass the Senate on Friday and head to the House next week, then eventually to the governor’s desk.

Here’s a look at some of the most significant spending proposals in this year’s budget (the figures are subject to change in the coming days), which pays for every state department, and then some.

Department of Health Care Policy and Financing: $13.2 billion

This agency gets the biggest chunk of the budget every year, by far, as it houses Medicaid administration. Usually, Colorado splits the costs for the health care program that serves low-income adults with the federal government, but this year D.C. is kicking in a bit more — 56.2%.

Department of Education: $5.8 billion

The K-12 agency sees the most discretionary spending (that is, from the general fund) in the state. Between a $480 million contribution from the legislature and an additional $1 billion-plus from the Biden administration, lawmakers are planning for more per-pupil spending than they have been able to afford in a decade. The Senate also passed a bipartisan amendment to provide an extra 7% ($424) per student for those with the