Colorado lawmakers spent seven months painstakingly combing the state budget to trim millions in spending to balance the $44 billion spending bill.

The intrigue: Now, they must do it again — and this time they will need to cut billions more in short order.

Driving the news: President Trump's signature on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to force state lawmakers to return to the Capitol and effectively rewrite the budget because of the deep Medicaid and tax cuts in the federal reconciliation legislation.

• Some of the Medicaid provisions don't take effect until 2026, but lawmakers are eager to take action before returning to the state Capitol on Jan. 14, 2026.

What they're saying: "This bill will almost certainly force us into a special session to make deep cuts to Colorado's already tight budget," state Sen. Jeff Bridges, the top budget writer, said in a statement.

By the numbers: The governor's budget office estimates the Republican-led bill will lead to as much as $500 million in lost revenue for Colorado and cost about $500 million more to implement.

Inside the room: The full picture is still coming into focus, but Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic state lawmakers are already discussing how to absorb the hit, particularly the eligibility and financial limits on the state's Medicaid program, which serves 1.1 million adults and children.

The choices on the table are not easy.

• With less money, lawmakers may need to decide who gets coverage and who gets kicked off the rolls.

Others see this as an opportunity to re-examine all health care programs.

• Adam Fox, the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative's deputy director, said lawmakers must "rethink how we do health care."

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A lot of the pot that people purchase may not be as potent as labels claim, according to a new, first-of-its-kind study.

Why it matters: Consumers — especially medical patients and new users — rely on potency labels to dose safely. But the numbers on the package often don't match what's inside, eroding trust in the industry.

The big picture: A University of Colorado Boulder study published this month in Scientific Reports found that nearly half of cannabis flower products, like loose buds and pre-rolls, overstated their THC content.

• Some gaps were significant. One strain labeled 24% THC actually clocked in at just 16%. On average, however, the discrepancy between the advertised and actual THC content was about 2%.
• Labels on concentrates, like oils and waxes, were mostly accurate, with 96% matching their stated claims.

How it works: All cannabis products sold in Colorado must be lab-tested for potency by state-accredited facilities before hitting shelves.

• Flower is trickier to test than concentrates, the researchers noted, because the plant material is naturally variable.
• Concentrates, made from uniform oils, are more straightforward to analyze.

Yes, but: Research in other states has found that some labs inflate THC levels, possibly to boost sales from consumers seeking stronger products, which tend to be pricier.

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Colorado is missing out on about $71 million in federal education funding that was expected on July 1 but that's yet to be released by the Trump administration.

Why it matters: The Department of Education's funding delay deals a major blow to local summer school and after-school programs, as well as English-language instruction and other resources that aim to level the playing field for schoolchildren.

Catch up quick: The Education Department said in a last-minute notice that the funds would not be released while the programs were under review, according to the School Superintendents Association.

By the numbers: The funding at risk includes nearly $13 million in after-school and summer instruction in Colorado, per the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies.

• The money pays for programming in underserved and low-performing schools.
• The pause also affects about $26 million in educator development funds, $11 million in English language programming and $7 million for migrant education in Colorado.

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🚀 The Colorado Rockies' uniforms will now feature the logo of York Space Systems. It's the team's first uniform sponsor and the first aerospace company on an MLB jersey. (DBJ 🔑)

A Republican state lawmaker is denying allegations made by two women that he made unwanted sexual advances before he was elected. (Colorado Sun)

🐺 The Polis administration spent more than $3 million on the state's wolf reintroduction program in a single year, triple the projected costs. (Colorado Politics 🔑)

🏆 "The Holly," a documentary by Julian Rubinstein about Denver's gang violence and gentrification, won an Emmy for Outstanding Regional Documentary. (Denver Gazette 🔑)

🐻 The Giggling Grizzly bar in LoDo is closing after 30 years to make room for new development by Monfort Companies, the building's owner. (Westword)

You're not imagining it. Fireflies are having a good year.

Why it matters: Firefly populations have declined over the last 100 years.

The big picture: Mild, moist spring conditions were ideal for fireflies this year in much of the country, including Colorado, where they can be spotted in select areas along the Front Range.

Zoom in: Colorado is home to at least five species of the luminous insects — they emerge between late June and early July around the Front Range's wetlands, CPR reports.

• Populations in Boulder and Fort Collins were active from about mid-June until early this month, with "larger than usual activity levels," University of Colorado Boulder researcher Owen Martin tells us.
• Fireflies may still be spotted in the mountains, but it's harder to find them, Owen adds.

What's next: Scientists in Boulder are using photos of evening firefly activity to research their behavior.

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