There are just four legislative days left before the General Assembly must adjourn by its constitutional deadline of midnight May 11. It’s already been a remarkably productive session, but the ticking clock has sidelined some significant bills that have proved too complicated to be resolved in the frantic final days.
To their credit, the legislature’s leaders have wisely focused on the budget rescue package drafted by a bipartisan group including Gov. Bill Owens and Democratic leaders. The centerpiece of that package, Referendum C, will ask voters in November to release the “ratchet” in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights that will otherwise force massive cuts in future budgets. A companion, Referendum D, would allow the state to issue bonds for $1.3 billion in transportation projects as well as pay a lawsuit settlement over school renovation projects and strengthen police and fire pension plans.
Rather than complicate the campaign on behalf of Referendum C, the Colorado Economic Recovery Act, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said Thursday that he would urge abandoning Senate Bill 237, an 11th-hour proposal to earmark $15 million to subsidize health insurance for up to 3,000 workers in companies with 10 or fewer employees. Owens and business leaders believe opponents of Referendum C would cite that new program as a reason to oppose the fiscal rescue plan.
Senate Bill 230, which would strip the power of condemnation from private toll roads, is another late measure that will probably fade away in the legislature’s waning hours. Owens fears the bill could hinder efforts to bridge a massive shortfall in state transportation funding. Since the only private toll road plan now on the horizon, the so-called “super slab,” is years away from any potential condemnations, the legislature can revisit the issue next January.
In contrast, a partisan battle has erupted over Senate Bill 183, which overturns some air pollution rules adopted at the behest of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Doug Benevento, executive director of the Colorado Health Department, argues that the bill usurps executive branch powers and Owens has threatened to veto the measure if it passes – and call the legislators back into a special session if necessary to resolve the deadlock.
Several other bills – involving smoking rights and legal protections for gays – have captured public interest. The legislature is struggling with proposed statewide restrictions on smoking in public places and efforts to extend anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws to cover homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people. These issues could face final votes next week. No wonder lawmakers have given up talking about an early adjournment.
