A plan to undo parts of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rightsor TABOR amendment — faces its first vote today in a House committee.
A parade of supporters, including higher-education chiefs and transportation lobbyists, spoke Tuesday in support of House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s bill.
The proposal would end TABOR refunds and give lawmakers more discretion over more tax dollars. Voters would still have to approve tax increases.
Many of the speakers criticized current budget rules as inflexible and Draconian.
“We see the real-world results of those consequences as Colorado continues to lag behind other states in education, health care, higher education and transportation,” said Carol Hedges, an senior analyst with the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute.
It’s unclear whether Romanoff has persuaded two-thirds of his chamber to back the idea, which would need voter approval in November.
Romanoff, D-Denver, has started filing paperwork to advance the measure as a ballot initiative.
Jessica Fender, The Denver Post
