Gov. Bill Ritter said Monday that the biggest success of his first legislative session was passage of proposals to promote renewable energy development.
The biggest disappointment, he said, was the partisan split over his education funding plan, which will keep some property tax rates from going down.
Ritter said he regretted that “Republicans in the Senate locked down on that issue because it really became a partisan fight that in many respects I wish we had avoided.”
Republicans insist the rate freeze was nothing more than a tax hike, and they have vowed to make the issue a major theme of campaigns next year.
“All it does is raise your local property tax and the local schools get the exact same amount of money that they get today,” House Minority Leader Mike May said. “… There is no guarantee whatsoever that a penny of that money will be spent on schools.”
The governor said he was proud, however, of how much has been accomplished to promote alternative energies like wind and solar power since he took office in January.
Even May gave the governor credit on that front.
“We were pleased to work with him on it,” he said.
More than 20 bills dealing with renewable energy were passed in the legislative session that ended Friday, including proposals by Ritter and Democratic legislative leaders to require that investor-owned utilities produce at least 20 percent of their energy from alternative sources by 2020.
Other proposals will allow utilities to more quickly recover the costs of building new lines to carry that power, and let customers who generate excess wind power get credits on their bills.
Ritter credited support for such proposals in part for helping the state win new wind and solar plants this year.
In a briefing Monday with the Capitol press corps, Ritter declined to say how he would act on the estimated 50 to 100 bills that will be making their way to his desk in the next few days.
Among some of the proposals he is being pushed to veto are a bill that would make it easier to get a Colorado driver’s license and another intended to reduce health insurance premiums for small businesses by prohibiting insurers from using employee health and claim histories in setting rates.
“We are not going to prejudge anything right now,” Ritter said, noting he has 30 days to make final decisions on legislation still pending.
To date, Ritter has signed 224 bills and vetoed two.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch contributed to this report.
