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January 30, 2006 09:00 AM UTC

Referendum C Fight Rages On in Legislature

  • 16 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

From The Denver Post:

Republican state lawmakers who opposed Referendum C are lining up with ideas on how Colorado should use the extra money the state will collect over the next five years, raising eyebrows among some of the Democratic leaders who fought hard to pass the measure.

Just two weeks into the 2006 legislative session, several Republican lawmakers who opposed lifting the state’s revenue cap and pledged to be the state’s fiscal guardians are pushing bills that would use some of that Referendum C money.

Rep. Cory Gardner, R- Yuma, wants to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars in a rainy-day fund. Rep. Bill Crane, R-Arvada, wants to boost the size of the property-tax exemption for senior citizens. Rep. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, would spend more than $6.4 million over the next two years on a data-sharing system for public schools.

Rep. Joshua Penry, R-Grand Junction, has linked his proposal involving money from a tobacco settlement to Gardner’s rainy- day fund. Sen. Ron May, R-Colorado Springs, wants the state to transfer $308 million into state funds that rely on fee revenues from business.

All of them voted against Referendum C.

That litany has caused some Democrats to complain that those lawmakers don’t have the standing to say what should be done with the money. “These people chose not to be part of the solution,” said House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder. “Part of me says, ‘Too little, too late.’ They’re a day late and $300 million short.”

Comments

16 thoughts on “Referendum C Fight Rages On in Legislature

  1. So Gardner, Crane, Penry, and King thought the legislature had enough funds without Referendum C, but now they’re falling all over each other to spend it?

    Why does spending $6.4 million on “a data-sharing system for public schools” sound like a loser?  Maybe Mr. King has friends in Accenture who helped him with his proposal.

  2. Just because they were against Ref. C doesn’t negate their ideas.

    So now we’ve heard from a few Republicans on the matter… what ideas are the Democrats coming up with?

  3. Geez, BadMoon, that’s easy.  Dems aren’t intersted in starting new programs with limited resources, while the GOP just wants to spend spend spend.

  4. Putting it away for a rainy day doesn’t sound like ‘spend spend spend’ to me.

    Besides, the entire Ref C effort was aimed at what, if not to be spent?

    Here’s a news flash:  Overtaxation should not the intent of any government.  The money they’re keeping is that which is TAKEN from taxpayers.

  5. BadMoon, Stop with your bad ideas. We need to SPEND the money to fix the schools, healthcare and roads. Not lock it up for the day the repubs have the house and give it away as tax cuts to the rich. COME ON MAN – Get your head out of your ass

  6. Rainy day fund, senior tax exemptions, and return of excess business fees are all good ideas.  If the Dems object to the messengers, they can do what they did to Al White’s tourism bill, sponsor it themselves.

  7. Rainy day fund, senior tax exemptions, and return of excess business fees are all good ideas.  If the Dems object to the messengers, they can do what they did to Al White’s tourism bill, sponsor it themselves.

  8. The problem with many of the ideas raised is they don’t correspond to the reasons Referendum C was passed – schools & healthcare.  Hopefully those individuals on both sides of the fence won’t vote to use the money on other things.

  9. Madden and the other lefties are right.  People who opposed Ref C should sit on their hands and keep their mouths closed.  They have no right to represent their constituents.

    Rainy day fund…indeed!

    btw, is everybody in the Peoples Republic of Boulder an idiot, or just the one’s who vote?

  10. Classic — while the R’s were in charge during our era of surpluses it never occured to the party to create a Rainy Day Fund…now, all of a sudden fiscal responsibility is on their radar screen???

  11. Classic — while the R’s were in charge during our era of surpluses it never occured to the party to create a Rainy Day Fund…now, all of a sudden fiscal responsibility is on their radar screen???

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