Local legislators express frustration, pride in session

LOVELAND – Northern Colorado state legislators today expressed frustration and pride in bills passed and defeated following the 120-day legislative session that ended May 6.

Seven area legislators addressed the session wrap-up debriefing held by the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance at The Ranch in an annual event sponsored by NCLA, which lobbies for business interests in the region.

Senator Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, said taxpayers were “losers” in the session and singled out Senate Bill 3, which restores car emissions tests in portions of Larimer and Weld counties. Renfroe said the bill was passed to expand the Denver air monitoring area and help the metro area pass federal clean air standards.

“It’s really a sad bill that got through the system,” he told about 50 people attending the breakfast meeting.

Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, said he was troubled by the partisan tone taken on many of the bills in this year’s legislative session. “On practically every significant piece of legislation, it was a party-line vote and that troubles me,´ said Lundberg, who touted his “100 percent” rating by NCLA for taking the same positions as the lobbying group.

Don Marostica, R-Loveland, said he “caught a few arrows” in the back from fellow Republicans for supporting legislation aimed at loosening the “Gordian knot” that some have called state restrictions on spending, which include the Taxpayer Bill of Rights or TABOR and the Gallagher Amendment.

Marostica said he was satisfied with the tough choices that were made to balance the budget in a down economy. “We didn’t steal any money and we did balance the budget,” he said.

But Marostica said the state needs to get its finances in order soon, noting — as an example — a new 925-bed state prison in Canon City that cannot open because the state lacks the $50 million needed to do so.

John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, said he was happy that his bill — House Bill 1105 — passed through the legislature and will offer tax credits to angel investors with the aim of creating new businesses and jobs. “I do believe a strong bi-partisan focus of the legislature was to create jobs,” he said.

Also addressing the meeting were Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins; Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley; and Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Berthoud.

Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, who was elected to be the new president of the Senate, and Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, the House minority whip, also gave assessments of the session. Shaffer said the legislature tackled a number of tough issues — ending the death penalty, Pinnacol Assurance’s budget surplus and state financial constraints such as TABOR — that needed to be discussed.

“We’ve got to let go of some of our sacred cows,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to have these conversations. The only way we’re going to make progress is to put these things on the table.”

Shaffer said a legislative committee this summer will start looking at ways to deal with another projected budget shortfall for the coming year and how it can be addressed in the 2010 legislative session.

“This year was tough and next year will be even tougher and all the more reason to have a plan in place,” he said, noting that there is a $300 million to $600 million budget shortfall expected when the next session begins.

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