DENVER-
Republicans charged Friday that Democrats withdrew a proposal to privatize the Colorado Lottery under pressure from Gov. Bill Ritter, claiming he saw it as a rival to his plan to bring in more property taxes to pay for education.
GOP Sen. Josh Penry of Fruita said his co-sponsor on the lottery plan, Democratic Sen. Chris Romer of Denver, was under “tremendous pressure” to back away from the idea.
Both Romer and Ritter’s spokesman denied the claim.
Romer said he withdrew the plan because he learned late Thursday that legislative lawyers would require that it be labeled as a debt obligation on the ballot, a decision he disagrees with.
Romer said he hopes to revive the plan with Penry later. He said citizens’ groups could still try to get the measure on the ballot, or they could try again next year.
Penry opposes Ritter’s plan to freeze property tax rates in school districts with higher property values, a move which would bring in about $53 million more in property taxes for the state in the first year. Romer said he supports it.
Penry and Romer had said privatizing the lottery would have raised an estimated $2.2 to $2.6 billion.
