March 25, 2013 03:14 PM UTC

Screwing Public Employees, Paying Private Prisons: Long Bill Time!

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Colorado economy continues on a path to recovery, with a larger-than-expected revenue projection of an additional $256 million for FY 2013-2014. But the question remains, as Colorado WINS Executive Director Scott Wasserman asked Eli Stokols of FOX 31 today:

“Can’t we have just one budget year in which public services and those who provide them are not used as a straw man for a partisan agenda?”

Judging by statements made during the recent figure setting for the 2013-2014 budget at the Joint Budget Committee, it appears the answer is "no." Republicans on the JBC say they are prepared to vote against the "Long Bill" General Fund budget–to oppose badly needed raises for state employees, and to protect for-profit prisons over state jobs. As FOX 31 continues, they are determined to plant the flag on this issue even though the fiscal picture is looking much better:

This year Democrats control both the state House and Senate, along with the governor’s mansion, and will be able to pass the budget it wants. In addition, they’ve got a lot more money in the bank, with next year’s general fund anticipated to be roughly $1 billion higher than the current fiscal year’s thanks to an increasingly optimistic revenue forecast. 

With that improved revenue forecast for 2012 and beyond, state employees are counting on a 2 percent across-the-board raise plus additional incentives for high-performing workers.

And as the state’s prison population declines, they are also asking the state to prioritize public facilities and close for-profit prison beds.

With regard to keeping private prison beds open, On March 14, after the discussion of the closure of 318 for-profit prison beds, Rep. Cheri Gerou told the JBC, “I know that I have at least two members of my caucus that will probably vote against the budget just on this basis, because it will directly impact their communities, and I think Sen. Lambert has a colleague in his caucus who will probably vote against the budget based on this.”

And after four years without a raise for all state workers, everyone from corrections officers to staff at state veterans’ homes, both Rep. Gerou and Sen. Kent Lambert stated on March 20 that applying a 2% across the board baseline pay increase would be the thing that makes Republicans vote against the budget. “That may have cost all the votes on my side of the aisle,” Gerou said.

Neither of these stands make Republicans look particularly good.

It's bad enough that seriously overdue raises for these employees are being fought over with revenues improving. But the prioritization of private prisons over state employee-run facilities adds insult to injury–not to mention the political intrigue added by private prison lobbying efforts and campaign contributions. On March 12, the Colorado Springs Gazette, laid out the conservative case why for profit prisons are bad for the economy, saying “not all profit is virtuous. Just as profit motive can provide a surplus of cars, it can provide surpluses we do not want."

Private prisons run on a profit motive that creates a perverse incentive for governments to supply prisoners. …Unlike a private prison owner, governments benefit from declining prison populations.

To a politician, fewer prisoners should be seen as more money for bridges, roads, education and other investments that move society forward.”

One other point worth making here is that many state workers are Republicans too, who live in conservative parts of the state like Sterling, Delta, and Montrose. House and Senate Republicans should be aware of the risk of alienating their own constituents by voting against their communities and scapegoating public employees.

Often it's the case that the annual Long Bill budget battle begins, especially on the GOP side, with staking out an ambitious blustery position, then backtracking into bipartisanship and compromise. Hopefully that will happen again this time, but the hard line being taken by Republicans–and the issues on which they are making their stand–makes it a little harder to envision.

We'll be watching to see how this potentially volatile combination of flashpoints come together.