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Thursday, December 02, 1999
Colorado Gov's Agenda: More Will Than Wallet?
A Special Report By Carl Hilliard in Denver
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Gov. Bill Owens is girding for the 2000 Colorado Legislature with a handful of proposals he believes will benefit the state and keep his Republican majority in both houses for the next several years.
But trouble is brewing in at least one area, the powerful Joint Budget Committee, which keeps control of the state's purse strings and prepares the annual budget.
"It's getting crazy around here," said Sen. Dave Owen, R-Greeley, who has told associates he is serving his last term on the six-member panel.
"They've (the governor's office) said they've cut $19 million out of operating expenses for schools. But at the same time, they're asking for new programs."
"I don't know where they think the money is coming from," he said.
Owens, who says he is running for Senate President next year, and may have the votes to get it, is not the only lawmaker who believes Owens' proposals are too ambitious.
Just before Thanksgiving, the governor announced a $1.7 million "growth incentive" that some sources say includes more tax incentives than government can afford.
Owens' decision to back such an agenda is admirable, says Democratic State Rep. Fran Coleman, D-Denver, but if it is a plan to mask what she calls a "pro-development, pro-sprawl, anti-environmental agenda," she and her fellow Democrats would be disappointed.
Owens was on the road this week outlining his plan.
The governor's agenda also includes getting the legislature to cut Medicaid funding, which takes up to 20 percent of the state's general fund budget, and has suggested lopping off $10 million.
Also unpopular among some Democrats, and a few Republicans, is his suggestions for cutting the Children's Basic Health Plan, which will be reviewed by the General Assembly, because the goal of using tobacco settlement money to enroll 60,000 children in the plan has not been met.
The governor, who frequently mentions a tax break of some $100 million he hopes the upcoming Legislature will approve, also is calling for $132 million in additional funds for education, to fully pay for inflation, student enrollment growth, and education initiatives for kindergarten through 12th grade.
A survey that shows that Colorado's elementary school children are not reading up to standard has pushed his zeal for educational improvement.
Owens wants to use part of the $2.9 billion tobacco settlement to fund a "road to achieve" literacy program in schools, targeting $1,100 for every third grader who doesn't read at fifth grade level. The money would be for one-on-one tutoring for an estimated one-third of all third-grade students.
He wants the Legislature to pass legislation to push reading and writing scores before the session adjourns early in May.
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Taxes and Budget
Education
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