Split in power. Hard to pass and easy to defeat.
As result of the 2014 elections the Senate moved to a Republican majority and the House remained a Democratic majority. This split in power between houses, coupled with little bipartisan cooperation, made for a session in which it was extremely challenging to pass legislation related to our economic priorities and relatively easy to defeat issues that would have been harmful to Colorado’s economy.
Overall success rate of 60 percent.
Our overall success rate of 60 percent and 38 percent success rate for supported legislation are dramatically lower than our rate of success in recent years. A number of important, commonsense bills around TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) reform, election reform, infrastructure investment and home ownership failed this session in one house or the other along party lines.
What went well?
Despite the low rate of passage of Chamber-supported bills, there were several notable successes this session.
House Bill 1323 was a bipartisan effort to implement recommendations around student assessments in K-12 education. The law ultimately keeps strong statewide assessments in place while reducing time kids spend taking assessments.
Workforce Package: This package of seven bills is aimed at improving Colorado’s workforce development by tracking workforce and post-secondary readiness; promoting internships, concurrent enrollment, workforce development programs in innovative industries and career pathways in high schools; and funding mobile learning labs and skilled-worker training.
HB 1317 allows the state to engage in “pay for success” contracts in which private investors fund promising social issue interventions that could save public dollars.
HB 1057 requires that the fiscal impact of a citizen-initiated ballot issue be disclosed to voters, which will enhance voters’ understanding of the financial implications of ballot measures before they vote on them.
Senate Bill 172 would have imposed contracting restrictions on public-private partnerships, one of the few effective strategies for increasing investment in infrastructure in our state.
What failed?
In light of notable losses at the legislature on commonsense legislation, the Chamber remains committed to solving the issues below through any means available. In some cases, this means we will consider going to voters with direct fixes; in other cases, it means we will work to build stronger coalitions and engage our members to help move legislators forward next session.
HB 1389 would have brought the TABOR spending formula into closer alignment with what voters approved in 2005 under Referendum C by shifting the Hospital Provider Fee into an enterprise fund. This move would have freed up funds to invest in the areas we need most—education and roads and bridges.S
Despite the fact that transportation funding was a priority for both chambers, we failed to find not only a short-term but also a long-term solution. Today we are down $100 million for transportation funding due to the TABOR trigger in 2009’s SB 228, which could have been addressed through the passage of HB 1389.
SB 177 would have amended the construction defect lawsuit process for condominiums in a way that we believe would have allowed for a quick resolution of construction issues that was fair to homeowners who need repairs and protected the rights of all owners in a community. Our goal with this legislation was to prompt more development of affordable condos in the metro area.
HB 1354 would have allowed 1 million unaffiliated voters in Colorado to participate in primary elections of either Republican or Democrat candidates without permanently changing their affiliation to do so. It signals a missed opportunity to increase engagement, voter participation and collaboration in finding solutions on the many tough issues we face in Colorado.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 would have restored the importance of the Colorado Constitution by raising the bar required to amend our state’s most important governing document. This would have preserved voters’ rights to amend the constitution while also helping ensure that issues are addressed in the most appropriate venue, whether that be the constitution or the legislature.
What’s next?
When our constitution was written, compromise was the focus of it. In our minds, this session was one of failure to compromise. That doesn’t work for us – and it doesn’t work for our state. If we cannot find middle ground on REAL ISSUES THAT MATTER we will see our state’s enviable economic position falter. That’s why we’re already focused on how to solve these important issues through local ordinances, continued efforts at the legislature or on the ballot. One way or another, we will help solve these challenges for Colorado.
Click here to learn more about the 2015 legislative session.
[Photo by: Ken Lund]