Budget key in legislative agenda

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 9, 2005 | by KYLE HENLEY THE GAZETTE

DENVER - Jobs, the economy, a balanced budget and lower health care costs are top priorities for the Legislature's new Democratic leaders when the 65th Colorado General Assembly begins Wednesday.

Democrats, who control the House and Senate for the first time in 44 years, say voters tossed out the GOP because Republicans got sidetracked on social issues and didn't address basic concerns.

"I think the biggest difference Coloradans can expect to see is a Legislature that solves problems," said House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver. "We haven't seen that in a while.

"We've been distracted by other issues. Our first order of business is to get Colorado's fiscal house in order."

The state faces a $234 million shortfall for the 2005-06 budget year even though the recession is over and tax revenues are pouring in.

Other issues -- expanding health care access, saving the higher education system, protecting natural resources and more -- hinge on balancing the immediate budget and finding a longterm solution to conflicting constitutional measures that cause the financial crisis.

Democrats have controlled various legislative bodies at different times -- the House in 1975-76, the Senate as recently as 2001-02 -- but this is the first time since 1960 they've controlled both chambers.

"I'm pleased it happened again," said Allen Dines, a Democrat who represented Denver in 1960. He served 10 years in the House and eight in the Senate.

"I think the state needs a bipartisan approach to things," the 83- year-old said from his vacation home in Florida (he lives in Denver during the summer). "If that doesn't come willingly, then there has to be a change of parties, and that's what we have now."

Dines doesn't remember much about the issues of four decades ago. But he has some advice for today's Democratic leaders: "Be smart, be active, and that will do the most good."

Democrats will have to be smart to avoid legislative gridlock and sidestep the veto pen of Republican Gov. Bill Owens.

Democrats have a one-vote majority in the 35-member Senate, and a 35-30 advantage in the House.

As with the beginning of most legislative sessions, regardless of which party is in power, the talk is of bipartisanship. But Republicans say Democrats will face a harsh reality once the exuberance wears off.

"I think, generally, the citizens of Colorado are not going to see much difference," said House Minority Leader Joe Stengel, R- Littleton. "Some of these things are harder than you think. I don't think we are going to see anything earthshattering."

El Paso County residents will notice a distinct change under the new leadership. Eleven of 12 members of the county's delegation are Republicans. Many would have been in leadership positions if the GOP retained control of the House and Senate.

"Obviously, it is going to have a significant impact," said Rep. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. "Leadership sets the tone, and we are now playing by somebody else's tune."

It's going to put a lot of pressure on Rep. Michael Merrifield, D- Manitou Springs.

Republicans made sure that Merrifield, in his second term, hasn't passed a bill in two years. Now, he is essentially the most powerful member of the El Paso County delegation.

"It is certainly going to bode well for my House district, but I definitely believe it is going to bode well for El Paso County," he said. "In general, the Democrats are more open to working in partnership with the other party. There is an opportunity to get things done that might not have been there in the past."

The immediate budget shortfall primarily threatens the state's $1.6 billion-a-year higher education system. After years of budget cuts, it's one of the last places lawmakers can scavenge for cash to make ends meet.

Some lawmakers are talking about letting tuition soar, privatizing some colleges and eliminating subsidies for Colorado students.

"We've cut $200 million in the last three years," said Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver. "If we don't make a change... there will be no more money going to higher education by the end of the decade."

Fixing the higher education problem involves doing more than plugging a one-year hole in the budget. This year's problem is largely the result of conflicting measures in the state constitution.

The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR, approved in 1992, caps the amount of money government can keep and spend each year. Amendment 23, passed in 2000, requires the state to increase education funding each year for kindergarten through 12th grade at a rate equal to inflation plus 1 percent.

The measures simultaneously require the state to keep less and spend more, putting pressure on other parts of the budget caught between TABOR caps and ever-growing K-12 education spending.

In addition, TABOR shrinks government funding during a recession - - lawmakers faced $1 billion shortfalls two years in a row.

Many Republicans and Democrats agree the solution may be to ask voters for permission to keep tax surpluses in exchange for a tax cut. But details have not been worked out.