Economy

States debate painful cuts as autism treatment spending surges

‘We have to get this right.’
The Colorado State Capitol in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER — When Colorado Gov. Jared Polis slashed state spending by $105 million this summer to close a budget hole, he took aim at a fast-growing line item: behavioral therapy for children with autism and other disabilities.

The Democrat’s decision to cut spending on such therapy by $10 million has outraged parents and providers. They have sued to block the cuts and protested at the state capitol, arguing that Polis’s cuts could deny children life-changing treatment. 

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