The property-tax exemption for senior citizens is back after a three-year absence. Lawmakers eliminated the exemption when hard economic times hit the state and reduced revenues.

Lawmakers approved $25 million that will be spread among all state universities and colleges to catch up on enrollment increases that had not been funded by the state in recent years.

Lawmakers also gave community colleges permission to increase tuition by 2.5 percent. The Joint Budget Committee had limited those colleges to a 1 percent hike.

The Pueblo Chieftain greeted the news with a banner headline, "We're in the money," and a lengthy list of construction projects that will get funding because of this year's budget negotiations.

The Pueblo-area delegation includes Sen. Abel Tapia, vice chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, and Rep. Buffie McFadyen, vice chairwoman of the Capital Development Committee.

"I'd stand up tall and say we did very well in how we appropriated money to state agencies," Tapia said, noting that Pueblo is home to the state fairgrounds, the lottery, the state mental hospital and several other state services.

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, attempted without success to block funding that would benefit illegal immigrants. Brophy also wanted a study to show how much money is being spent on illegal immigrants in state prisons.

Officials in the Department of Public Safety had requested $1 million to add eight and reassign five State Patrol officers and troopers to its disaster-preparations office.

Larson figures that the state could have saved $273,000 next year if the state eliminated the "cosmetic surgery of circumcision" as a covered Medicaid benefit.

The road warriors wanted more. The anti-road crews wanted less. In the end, the state transportation department will get nearly $1 billion in the 2006-07 budget - mostly from gas-tax revenues.

Because of formulas in the state budgeting system, more money than previously expected is flowing into road spending. Current estimates show that the Colorado Department of Transportation will get $297.1 million in the current budget year.

Still, the Colorado Contractors Association is warning that future money for roads is being diverted by funding for programs in this year's budget.

For example, the contractors say that a bill to expand eligibility of a heat and rent rebate for the poor would cut $42 million from roads in the long run.

Several Republicans - most of them opponents of Referendum C - wanted to lock up the extra money that the state will collect because of the ballot measure.

Because of the improved economy, budget experts predict that in 2006-07, the state will collect $801 million in extra tax revenue, up from the $646 million that had been expected in November.

"Somebody asked me the other day, 'Whatever happened to the rainy-day fund?' I told them, 'I think it's been rain- delayed,"' said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma.

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