Legislative Republicans rapped ruling Democrats today for a "runaway train of spending" following the release of a new economic forecast that points to a $100 million shortfall--and likely cuts--in this year's state budget.

The troubling report from the legislature's nonpartisan office of Legislative Council also notes that some $230 million that was anticipated for highways when the budget was adopted by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly last spring has since evaporated. Given the ongoing economic downturn, that source of highway revenue is zeroed out in the latest forecast, with only about $28 million in leftover funding from last year that now is expected to spill over from the operating budget to highways.

"We tried and tried to get them to not spend every dime that was forecast," said Senate GOP leader Andy McElhany, of Colorado Springs. "We saw the gathering storm of recession, but they didn't see a cloud on the horizon."

Sen. Josh Penry, the GOP's Senate member on the Capital Development Committee, said there is no excuse for not trying to anticipate the nation's, and Colorado's, economic woes and the effect it all would have on state revenue.

"These forecasts must feel like the morning after a drinking binge for (Gov.) Bill Ritter and the legislative Democrats,"  said Penry, of Grand Junction.  "The Democrats showed zero fiscal discipline when they passed this budget and now they've got a budget covered in red ink to show for it."

"We started at the beginning of the session earlier this year to slow the runaway train of spending, but our efforts were repeatedly ignored, now we have the mess we all predicted," Brophy said.

House Republicans were equally vexed by what they said was a Democrat spending spree.

"Republicans spent hours upon hours warning about exactly this during last year's budget debates, and yet here we are, facing a budget shortfall with absolutely no plan from the governor," said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma.  "This is a failure to lead at the most basic level. Gov. Ritter appears to have no plan to address the state's most pressing issues, especially during a budget shortfall, and he has consistently ignored Republican efforts to put the budget in order." 

Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, another noted budget hawk, said Democrats painted too rosy a picture when they brushed aside GOP warnings in last spring's budget debate.

"Irresponsible assumptions during the legislative session by Democrat leadership have turned out to be a recipe for disaster," said McNulty. "Coloradans expect their state government to be responsible with their money, but even knowing about declining state revenues last March didn't stop the Democrats in the House and Senate from spending every red cent. Well, now we're really in the red, and I can only hope the governor will join us in promoting sound budget policies, before it's too late."