BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: A Sunday column said that a measure would possibly be on the ballot in 2008 to “fix” the controversial Amendment 41, which limits the amount of gifts a public official can receive to $50. Why wait until 2008? Why not put it on the ballot this November?
A: The state constitution prohibits ballot measures during odd-numbered years that don’t deal directly with state funding issues. Until the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights was approved by voters in 1992, there were no statewide elections in odd-numbered years. As a result of TABOR, statewide ballot measures in odd-numbered years can deal only with tax- and spending-related issues. An Amendment 41 “fix” would fall under the category of non-TABOR-related. Referendum C, which unlocked TABOR revenue limits, was on the ballot in 2005 because it was a TABOR-related ballot measure.
