Lawmakers provide mixed reviews as 2018 Colorado Legislature winds down

(WEDNESDAY, MAY 9)

KRDO NewsChannel 13 was at the state Capitol in Denver on Wednesday for the final day of the 2018 legislative session, following the accomplishments and disappointments of the session.

A major issue that apparently won’t be resolved before the session ends at midnight — barring a late compromise — is adequately funding PERA, the pension fund for state employees. According to one estimate, PERA is underfunded by as much as $50 billion.

“I’m very concerned that it be fair toward teachers and employees,” said Sen. Michael Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, who is serving his final term. “What I’ve been hearing and seeing is it doesn’t treat them as fairly as it does employers.”

A sticking point in negotiations is whether the shortfall can be resolved by reducing retirement benefits and increasing member contributions.

Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs, said he hoped lawmakers wouldn’t have to stay until midnight to pass the bil.

“Governments should never be in that much of a hurry to make last-minute, emergency-type deals on issues that aren’t absolutely critical,” he said.

Many lawmakers from southern Colorado listed the passage of funding bills as their biggest accomplishment — and as their biggest disappointment because of a belief that the bills didn’t go far enough to address needs in those areas.

“We got a lot done, and I think a lot of times that’s missed because it wasn’t an open fight,” said Rep. Polly Lawrence, R-Douglas and Teller counties. “Some of it was behind-the-scenes compromises and finding solutions.”

Merrifield said he’s not ruling out the possibility of Gov. John Hickenlooper calling for a special session this summer to iron out the pension issue, if it’s not resolved by midnight, and complete any unfinished business.

“We’ve been called to a special session before,” Merrifield said. “Whether it happens, or whether it does any good, who knows? I’m hoping that a new Legislature and a new governor will focus more on these issues.”

(TUESDAY, MAY 8)

On Tuesday, the Colorado Legislature approved a bill to fund transportation projects.

The latest plan is Senate Bill 1, a compromise proposal by Democratic and Republican leaders that passed by a 36-29 margin in the House on Monday. On Tuesday, Senate Republicans unanimously voted to send the bill to Governor John Hickenlooper for official passage.

The bill would generate $50 million annually in transportation spending, and use money from Senate Bill 267 — passed last year — to borrow more than $2 billion.

“We can use $150 million from the general fund to borrow that much through the sale of bonds,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada.

However, the bill would provide no long-term funding to local governments and require the Colorado Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of toll lanes as a way to finance free lanes.

Rep. Paul Lundeen, R-El Paso County, said those are changes added by the House and he doesn’t like them.

“It’s too little, too late and too diffused to correct the problems those changes created,” he said.

Because the bill was initially approved unanimously by the Senate after being drafted by a bipartisan committee, Lundeen said he will ask Republican senators to reverse the changes.

“We’re not giving up yet,” he said.

The current legislative session ends at midnight Wednesday, but Zenzinger said she doesn’t expect a late-night session for the bill to be passed.

“We tried to work through all of the concerns,” she said. “We all compromised a little bit, but we ended up with a good product.”

Zenzinger said because the bill isn’t perfect, other bills will be needed in future years to address issues not covered by Senate Bill 1.

“It’s a good start,” she said. “We’ve been working on this for a long time.”

According to experts, the state needs to spend $20 billion through 2038 to address its transportation needs.

To learn more about the bill, visit: http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb18-001.