guest columnist
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Half the information doesn’t help voters
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If you only knew how much your new car was going to cost, but not what kind of car or the quality of the car, would you go ahead and make the purchase? Most people would not consider that kind of transaction. That’s exactly what supporters of HB 15-1057 that would require a “fiscal note”…
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Sen. Bill Cadman: Coloradans well-served by session’s work
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“Where you stand depends on where you sit.” I’ve thought often of that maxim while reading bleacher seat critiques of the 2015 legislative session, given how they differ from what I saw, and where I sit, as one leader of the Republican effort. So let me share my own (admittedly-insider) perspective on how things went,…
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Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst: Session was successful, not ‘do-nothing’
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Now that the dust has settled a bit, we have a clearer view of what we accomplished in the Colorado General Assembly in the 2015 session. I’d like to begin this retrospective by dispelling the notion that this was a do-nothing legislative session. Contrary to the pundits who have been arguing since Opening Day that…
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Gov. John Hickenlooper: Making government work better
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Colorado may have a divided legislature with Democrats leading the House and Republicans leading the Senate, but that doesn’t mean we have a divided state. Colorado’s Office of Legislative Legal Services — which houses many of the brightest, nonpartisan folks in the Capitol — reported that 682 bills were introduced this legislative session. About 55…
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Sen. Morgan Carroll: Laying the foundation for the economy
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Right now, the Colorado economy is working for the wealthy few, not for everyone. This session Senate Democrats fought against the widening disparity between the top 1 percent and everyone else who works hard, plays by the rules, but cannot get ahead. In Colorado the problem is all too familiar. Between 2009 and 2012 all…
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Keep TPP in the sunshine
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This week, Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a proposal to “fast track” President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (“TPP”). I, for one, am glad that they did. Much has been said about the merits of these regional trade agreements, and there are pros and cons, which need to be considered and debated. However, engaging in that…
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‘Activist’ JBC notches successful 2015 session
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Going into the 2015 legislative session no one knew what to make of the new Joint Budget Committee. With an even split, three from each party, would anything get done? With so many new people would the JBC get bogged down? Looking back on 2015, it’s clear now that the JBC was one of the…
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Let the sun shine in on ballot measures via basic fiscal facts
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The days of playing “20 questions” with petition circulators about the fiscal facts of a proposed ballot initiative are coming to a close thanks to a landmark law Gov. Hickenlooper signed into law this week. House Bill 1057, which passed with solid bipartisan support, will give voters a clear and unbiased fiscal impact statement on…
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Colorado’s divided house
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I’ve only ever served in the majority. Getting used to a split legislature has been an adjustment. Some maintain that having split control is a recipe for success. Extreme policies from both parties inevitably go up in smoke, and what rises from the ashes are good policies that have broad, bipartisan support and appeal. Although…
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Hudson: Winter Park Express maiden voyage reignites history
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It was a crisp Colorado morning at Union Station last Saturday. A waning moon offered a sliver of light in the still dark at 6:15 AM. Even at the early hour, Denver’s Mayor, Michael Hancock, and both of Colorado’s U. S. Senators, Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner turned out to stand in front of an…
