The Colorado Capitol will return to a bustle Thursday as lawmakers flock back months early for a special session on the budget that no one wanted.

The bills they pass in the coming days could determine the fate of certain state tax breaks and how much the state dips into its reserves — as well as the need for spending cuts for programs. The federal tax-and-spending bill signed by President Donald Trump last month blew an estimated $783 million hole in the state budget for the current fiscal year, spurring Gov. Jared Polis to call the special session and sending the Democratic majority into a scramble to rebalance the books and shore up state services.

Republicans, who have framed the problem as one of too much state spending by Democrats, are being pulled along. They have hailed the fede

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