Legislative efforts resulted in a significant amount of good work in the 120-day session of the General Assembly that ended May 5. We balanced a $14.2 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 - despite little change in the economy and the growing demands of Medicaid and public school funding. This represents a 4.4 percent increase over the current fiscal year. Overall, the budget maintains essential government services for our most vulnerable citizens. It includes a 2.8 percent increase mandated under Amendment 23 for K-12 public schools, more guards at state prisons, and additional money for Medicaid.
Improvements in the accessibility and affordability of healthcare were made. We passed laws making health savings accounts available. These accounts reduce costs and return control of healthcare to the patient. Through compromise and negotiation, we were able to fix problems with the troubled CAPCO program. As a result, we were able to redirect $50 million to CoverColorado, which makes health insurance available to those who could not otherwise obtain affordable coverage due to pre-existing conditions. We also redirected $50 million to job-creating economic development.
Higher education will benefit from the passage of the College Opportunity Fund. Under this legislation, every graduate of a Colorado high school will be given a voucher to pay for part of the cost of attending a Colorado college or university. The stipend each student receives reflects the state’s subsidy to higher education. The student would be expected to pay tuition over and above the stipend. More significantly is the potential it provides for each institution to take the responsibility for its own budget and governance.
Landmark charter school legislation passed this session will make it more difficult for local school boards to arbitrarily block the creation of new charter schools by allowing parents to charter through a State Charter School Institute. A courageous African-American Democrat from northeast Denver sponsored this important measure.
Other highlights of the 2004 session include the protection of private property rights by enacting legislation that reigns in condemnation powers of local governments to help preserve individual property rights. HB 04-1203 was negotiated with builders and developers of urban renewal projects to stop abuses of condemnation while allowing worthwhile urban renewal to proceed.
Tourism and economic development received new funding and both together will generate more revenue for Colorado. Fifty million new dollars will go to highways as a result of passing stricter DUI laws.
A bi-partisan House passed four bills to address the problems created by the relationship between TABOR and Amendment 23. We sent all of them to the Senate and not a single bill was approved. The differences between House and Senate positions on any one of the bills introduced could have been negotiated in a conference committee. Instead, the 17 Senate Democrats voted as a block against each bill and left us with nothing to send to the voters this November. The TABOR/23 issue was touted as the most important task facing the General Assembly this year and we failed to fulfill our responsibility to the citizens of Colorado.
The 2005 session will see new members and new leadership in the General Assembly. Some of the same bills will be introduced. Those of us who believe in personal responsibility and limited government will do our best to keep the heavy hand of the General Assembly away from your families and businesses.