Polis shares priorities for new budget

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Governor Jared Polis is sharing his top priorities as the legislature gets ready to put together a new budget.

He shared his supplemental budget amendments to his balanced budget proposal Tuesday in Denver.

The governor says the overarching theme for his plans is to make Colorado more affordable, safer, and better prepared for a rainy day. He said he wants to do that by providing another $200 million to Coloradans in tax relief and also wants to provide $15 million to the budget to help make zoning laws easier to navigate.

With lagging test scores in math becoming a growing problem in the state, Polis wants to allocate $15 million to help buy new teaching materials to help make STEM education a top priority in K-through-12 schools.

Finally, the governor is asking that money be used to help keep our state parks funded and renewable energy flowing, adding that reducing admissions and keeping green spaces green is essential to preserving the Centennial State.