DENVER - On April 28, 2025, Governor Polis signed SB25-206, the 2025-2026 State Budget into law, prioritizing fiscal responsibility while increasing funding for education and public safety, and other major priorities like health care, economic development, and higher education.

“Despite the challenging budget environment facing our state, I’m proud of our work to deliver a balanced budget that prioritizes the issues that matter most to Coloradans. This collaborative process led to a budget that invests in education and public safety, while ensuring we protect reserves that help our state during uncertain economic times. I want to thank Mark Ferrandino, Director of our Office of State Planning and Budgeting, and the JBC members who worked so hard to pass this budget,” said Governor Jared Polis.

Fee Decreases: To help save Coloradans money, this budget reduces vehicle registration fees for two years by $3.70 for each vehicle.

Education: After fully funding Colorado’s schools in last year’s budget, this year Colorado is building on that work with an additional $150 million in FY 2025–26 to jumpstart the new, student-centered school finance formula. This budget also includes an additional $13.1 million to support special education funding across the state.

Public Safety: This budget provides $15 million ongoing for critical public safety communication infrastructure, supporting over 1,000 local, regional, state, tribal, and federal public safety entities. This budget also sets aside $10 million to address youth delinquency, specifically $3.3 million for grants from the Division of Criminal Justice to prevent at-risk youth from entering the criminal justice system. The budget also provides $2.4 million to invest in community corrections placement, increasing capacity. Additionally, this budget implements Colorado’s Proposition KK, designating $30.0M in spending authority to crime victims' services, $8 million for mental health services, and $1 million for school safety. This budget also sets aside funding to ensure that the families of fallen officers get the support they need after losing their loved one.

Fiscal Responsibility: This budget maintains Colorado’s fiscal reserves, helping the state weather the increased uncertainty due to federal funding freezes and tariffs.

Read the full transmittal letter.