January 13, 2016 12:08 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (Jan. 13)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Let’s get this legislative party started! It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► The Colorado legislature is back in session today for a day of speechifying and rhetorical table-setting. Governor John Hickenlooper spoke with reporters on Tuesday in advance of today’s opening day, and as Charles Ashby reports for the Grand Junction Sentinel, Hick publicly endorsed Peyton Manning for quarterback of the Denver Broncos…and also talked about budget stuff:

“I’m pretty optimistic that once they have all the facts, they will write an opinion that confirms what we’ve been working on,” the governor said. “But we’re going to be having to look at the budget and say, ‘Well, we might have the hospital provider fee and we might not.’ At least in the first month or so, we’re going have to assume that we don’t have it … and we’ve got to be discussing what our priorities are.”

The issue is that the provider fee, which is expected to reach more than $750 million this year, has come up against TABOR’s strict revenue limits, forcing a mandatory refund to taxpayers even though taxpayers don’t pay that fee.

Taking that money out from under TABOR and turning the provider fee program into a government-owned business, or enterprise, which the 1992 constitutional allows, would free up more money for other services, the governor said.

Not doing it would mean cuts to such things as higher education, human services, K-12 spending and transportation, the governor said, adding that it could end up costing individual taxpayers more than they would get in a refund.

Elsewhere, a group of Colorado mayors spoke out on Tuesday about the need to “de-Bruce” from TABOR.

► President Obama delivered his seventh — and final — “State of the Union” speech on Tuesday evening. Obama deviated from the traditional SOTU speechifying standard of listing a bunch of policy priorities to instead talk about America’s strength and growth in recent years, and to warn Americans about listening too closely to “election year cynicism.” Obama also talked about Congress being a workplace that is wholly unlike anywhere else in the country; he could have been talking about Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora).

Colorado’s Congressional delegation responded to Obama’s speech pretty much exactly how you would have guessed they might. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley delivered the Republican response to the SOTU, and her speech was widely panned by the right-wing.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Which Republican Presidential candidate would be the biggest drag on the rest of the ticket in November? It may be Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who would be the GOP’s biggest problem if he wins his Party’s nomination for President:

A leading Republican pollster privately told Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership team Sen. Ted Cruz would be the biggest drag on House Republicans should he win his party’s nomination, according to multiple sources who attended a small meeting of senior GOP lawmakers earlier this month…

…After the presentation to the group of elected Republican leaders, Ryan (R-Wis.) asked Sackett which of the Republican presidential hopefuls would be most detrimental to GOP House candidates on the ballot this year. Sackett replied that Cruz would have the biggest negative effect, citing the Texas senator’s starkly ideological positions, according to six sources who were in the meeting. Sackett told the group that the public’s perception of Cruz could shift if he becomes the nominee.

► The Powerball jackpot drawing tonight will be for a record prize of some $1.4 billion. 9News explains what happens with the money you spend on Powerball tickets.

► Republican Jon Keyser formally entered the race for U.S. Senate on Monday, but he may already be in trouble for “campaigning” while on military leave.

► From our list of Top 10 Political Stories of 2015: #4 “Terror Attack on Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic Rips Scab Off Of Abortion Politics.”

► Democratic Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton says she is not nervous about challenger Bernie Sanders. Our friends at “The Fix” think otherwise.

► #YallQaeda continues its takeover of a federal visitor’s center in Oregon, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that the group is now trying to create their own laws. Meanwhile, a real Oregon judge wants to fine Ammon Bundy and his not-so-merry mates up to $70,000 per day to cover the security costs related to their “occupation.”

► Former Florida Gov. Jeb! Bush continues to tread water in the race for the GOP Presidential nomination, and he’s now being criticized by supporters of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio because he has been critical of Rubio.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Donald Trump might end up winning the GOP nomination for President when all is said and done; but what would that mean for Colorado Republicans?

►Governor John Hickenlooper will get married on Saturday in a private ceremony. We didn’t get an invitation, either.

ICYMI

► What’s with all the negative stories about the Powerball lottery from media outlets? How many times do we need to read that we have no chance of winning tonight?

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