Colorado House Speaker KC Becker announced Tuesday that she had appointed Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, to the legislature’s powerful Joint Budget Committee. McCluskie will replace former Rep. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, who resigned from the House last week due to his election to the state Senate.
The six members of the Joint Budget Committee are responsible for authoring the state’s “Long Bill,” which outlines Colorado’s annual budget and spending priorities for the year with the goal of achieving a constitutionally mandated balanced budget.
“I am excited, thrilled and honored,” McCluskie said Tuesday afternoon. “This is an opportunity for me to represent the interest of the entire state as we continue to work on a budget that provides resources to the things we value most.”
McCluskie said she would “bring Western Slope values to the table” in focusing on the health care, education and environment priorities on which she campaigned.
“Certainly, the needs of our state are vast, and being a member of the Joint Budget Committee gives me an opportunity to learn a lot more about our department operations and services,” McCluskie said.