The Colorado legislature opened Wednesday, with fired-up majority Democrats vowing to make college more affordable, prescription drugs cheaper and renewable energy a Colorado trademark.
“The most important color this year is not red or blue. It’s green,” House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D- Denver, said in his first speech of the 120-day session. “That’s the color of a cleaner environment. And it’s the color of our new energy economy.”
Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Jefferson County, joined the call, announcing the creation of a select committee on the issue.
“There is a moral imperative for us to do our share in reducing our contribution to global warming as well as contribute another component to Colorado’s energy economy,” she said.
Today, Gov. Bill Ritter will lay out a similar agenda in an 11 a.m. State of the State speech.
While his speech will reiterate his campaign promise to reform health care and funding for higher education and transportation, those are longer-term goals.
“We should really look at this session as the opportunity to do renewable energy,” he said Wednesday.
His speech will lay out the same three goals as those cited by House and Senate leaders: requiring that transmission lines can carry wind power and increasing requirements on energy efficiency and alternative-power production.
“Our plan all along is that transportation, health care will be addressed in 2008,” he said.
Ritter also will announce plans to implement a prescription-drug plan that statehouse Democrats have been trying to pass for three years. Ritter said he will issue an executive order for Colorado to buy prescription drugs for Medicaid patients in bulk after he works out details to address concerns that the disabled will lose access to key drugs.
Minority leaders said they have many of the same concerns, just different solutions, including incentives such as tax credits rather than mandates.
“We must challenge ourselves to have the discipline and creativity we need to come up with a better answer than just more government,” said House Republican leader Mike May of Parker.
The opening of the session marked the first time since 1962 that Democrats control the House, Senate and Governor’s Mansion. Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, for one, was thrilled with the tick of election results read aloud in both chambers.
“I love that – Democrat, Democrat, Democrat,” she said.
In the 65-member House, which has the largest freshman class in history at 24, sippy cups sat atop desks and children perched on the laps of their newly elected parents.
Freshmen lawmakers had a dozen days of orientation. Still, some were trying to figure out the push-button bathroom codes and in-session protocol.
In the 35-member Senate, with nine new members, toddlers sat on the floor eating Rolos.
Rep. Edward Casso’s children, Cecelia, 8, and Aristotle, 5, held up their hands with their dad as he took his oath of office. And Harrison Rice, 6, son of freshman Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, wore a red tie and stood atop the desk of Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction.
“Let’s get going,” the elder Rice said with a pump of his arm after opening speeches.
Wednesday afternoon, senators began confirmation hearings, with committees approving the nominations of six of Ritter’s Cabinet members. The Senate may begin the final approval process today.
“My Republican freshmen class, they are all about ideas,” said Rep. Amy Stephens of Monument. “Today was about excitement, about apprehension.”
Despite big dreams, there is not much cash available this session, statehouse leaders said.
“If your proposal costs money and you know you can’t pay for it, I think it’s irresponsible to introduce it in the first place,” Romanoff said.
Staff writer Mark Couch contributed to this report.
Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com.
The trough is closed
A key theme of opening day of the 66th General Assembly was the lack of food. Because of Amendment 41, lobbyists can no longer give anything to elected officials. So instead of elaborate breakfast spreads and fancy lunches, the only food in sight was a few doughnuts and cookies.
At lunchtime, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald’s chief of staff, Mary Alice Mandarich, commented that she was going out to a “Dutch” meal. Senate President pro tem Peter Groff said he brought his own lunch and will be doing that a lot.
Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany told his colleagues that he was distributing copies of this month’s 5280 magazine cover story on the best cheap eats in Denver, “since you’ll be buying your own meals.”
GOP hangs in there
McElhany, before laying out his now truly minority party’s agenda, made it clear he understands how hard it will be to pass anything not supported by Democratic leaders and Gov. Bill Ritter. Quoting Bob Hope from an era long passed: “Republicans in Washington are like a bikini,” he said. “They are there, but there’s not enough of them to get the job done.”
Pioneer spirit
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff got in a jab about the ethics amendment during a history lesson on the second Territorial Legislature, which met in a log cabin. “Members were required to fetch their own wood and water – sort of a primitive preview of Amendment 41,” he said.
What I meant to say
Ritter issued his first official proclamation – and gaffe – Thursday morning. In declaring Cortlandt “Cort” Dietler a Citizen of the West, he pointed out the irony of signing a proclamation for a Republican on his first full day in office. He noted that it kept with the bipartisan theme of his inaugural speech, then said, “This symbolizes my efforts to be completely partisan.”
– Jeri Clausing and Jennifer Brown
New bills cover prescription-drug prices, eminent domain, immigration
A summary of new bills introduced Wednesday in the Colorado legislature:
The Associated Press
