After a series of unprecedented events over the last few months, the Senate and House have agreed to a Fiscal Year 2021 budget that protects core services to the fullest extent possible amid the current economic downturn.

In February, the governor and the Board of Equalization projected that we would have about $85 million less to spend in 2021 than we did in 2020. Then, COVID-19 happened. Businesses and restaurants across the state closed and oil and gas prices dipped to historic lows. This series of events halted our economy and now instead of an $85 million budget hole, we’re left with a $1...