Tempers flared at the Capitol on Wednesday when the top House Democrat accused Republicans of trying to engage in vote-trading on the state budget.
The Republicans wanted to delay a vote on the spending plan until Democrats agreed to establish a rainy-day fund.
But House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, rejected the Republicans’ call for a meeting on the issue as a possibly illegal attempt to trade votes.
Romanoff cited the state constitution and said, “I’ll provide a copy of the constitution to the minority caucus so that they can review the law on this subject.”
He further instructed his fellow members to avoid such tit-for-tat discussions on rainy-day funds and the budget.
“Their demand that we meet with them and reach an agreement before they agree to the budget is not something anyone in this assembly ought to do. In fact, doing so would subject a member of this legislature to criminal prosecution.”
The comment infuriated House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker.
“Mr. Speaker, that’s reprehensible and as I told one of the reporters out in the hall, ‘It’s bull…,”‘ May said in a meeting with his fellow Republicans that was broadcast over the Internet Wednesday afternoon.
The anger spilled into the hallway after each caucus concluded their discussions on the state budget.
After Romanoff told May that it would be improper to meet, May snapped, “Get out of my face” and walked away from Romanoff.
“Get out of your face?” Romanoff replied. “Is that really the attitude the minority leader should be displaying?”
Throughout the day, Republicans had been pushing to complete negotiations on creating a rainy-day fund. Top Democrats, including Romanoff, have endorsed creating such a backup account, but the details are in flux.
Some Republicans want to lock the fund into the state constitution so that lawmakers are restricted in how they can access the money.
Others suggested that the state should lock up some of the excess revenues generated by Referendum C, approved by voters in November. Those lawmakers, most of whom opposed the ballot measure letting the state keep more tax revenues, say the state should save any amount above the $3.7 billion that economists had predicted the state would collect if Referendum C passed.
Current economic forecasts project that the state could collect an extra $4.2 billion over the next five years.
In the upcoming year’s budget, state budget experts predict the state will collect $801 million, up from the $646 million that had been expected last November.
“I don’t think the people of Colorado want us to turn around and spend all that money that came in,” said Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial.
That view was not unanimous among Republicans. Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, pointed out that the voters’ guide explained to voters “the exact amount of spending increase could be higher or lower” than $3.7 billion.
Ultimately, all House Republicans supported a request for a meeting on rainy-day funds so that a discussion could occur before the “cart got ahead of the horse” by approving the state budget.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
