'Moral' budget offered

Ritter's plan hikes funds for kids' health, higher ed

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 2, 2007 at midnight

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Higher education would win big and children's health care and crime prevention would fare well under Gov. Bill Ritter's first comprehensive budget proposal, submitted Thursday.

Ritter said his spending plan achieves its goal as a "moral document" through such things as helping the mentally ill and disabled and continuing to reward Coloradans who clean up the environment.

If approved by the legislature's Joint Budget Committee, the plan, which proposes a $900 million increase in total state spending, would take effect July 1.

It recommends spending $7.5 billion on basic government operations, a 6 percent increase from this year's $7.1 billion, the maximum increase allowed by the state Constitution.

The higher education general fund would get a $59.5 million infusion, some of which would increase student financial aid and hopefully slow the pace of tuition increases. Five of the state's colleges and universities would get $88.8 million for construction.

The state health care program that covers 62,500 uninsured children and 1,500 pregnant women would get a $58 million increase. Of that, $24 million would double the state's effort to cover the 12,000 children now eligible but not in the plan.

"This budget is both frugal and proactive in the services and programs it will fund," Ritter said.

One Republican legislator had a different take.

"This is a record-setting budget without the creation of a rainy day fund to help Colorado with the next economic downturn," said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma.

Todd Saliman, Ritter's budget director, said Ritter already provided a rainy day fund during last legislative session in the form of a controversial new law that indefinitely freezes property tax rates to shore up the state education fund.

The freeze will save the state $40 million, because without that revenue, lawmakers would have to find the money elsewhere for public schools, he said.

"This budget is made possible because we had shored up the K-12 rainy day fund," Saliman said. "If the governor hadn't provided leadership on that issue last session, this budget would have looked very different."

Republicans say the tax freeze violates the state's constitutional tax and spending limits and they plan to challenge it in court.

Ritter's efforts to cover more of the state's eligible, but uninsured children, comes as President Bush and Congress square off over whether to provide more federal dollars to expand such programs.

Ritter was among the governors who tried to pressure Bush to sign legislation that would have authorized a $35 billion expansion of the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program. Bush vetoed the bill, saying it opened the door for government coverage of children who aren't from low-income families.

Ritter is pushing to enroll more children who are eligible under the current guidelines but whose parents may not know about the program.

But having more kids enrolled will put a strain on the state budget if Bush does not approve compromise legislation that at least allows states like Colorado to insure all eligible children, Ritter said.

Ritter's budget reflects his values and his past.

True to his environmental stance, it includes money to replace 537 state vehicles with hybrids and $2 million for rebate and incentive programs to encourage homeowners to install solar panels.

It also includes $6 million to jumpstart a comprehensive program that Ritter, a former Denver district attorney, said will save the state $58 million over five years by keeping offenders from returning to prison.

Ritter said his experience with the judicial system has taught him that the program, which includes money for mental health care, will pay for itself many times over.

"If we spend those dollars in the right way, we save money in other places in the state budget," Ritter said. "Certainly, I think local government will wind up recognizing the savings, and you can return those people to a place where they are able to be involved with society in a productive way and become taxpayers.

"So that's I think one way to think about a budget being a moral document."

Ritter is also asking for $11.6 million to repair the deteriorating Capitol dome, which has been dropping concrete onto the grand stairway, and $7.9 million to upgrade the state's public safety radio system.

Highlights of the governor's budget request

$148.3 MILLION MORE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Includes:

• A $59.5 million increase to the higher education general fund

• An $88.8 million increase for construction projects at several state colleges and universities.

$58 MILLION MORE FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

Includes:

• A $34 million increase to provide health services to 62,500 children and 1,500 pregnant women.

• Another $24 million for health care for an additional 12,000 uninsured children who are eligible for state- sponsored health care but not currently enrolled.

$15 MILLION MORE FOR HUMAN SERVICES Includes:

• $10.6 million increase to help the developmentally disabled

• $3 million increase for mental health services

• $1.4 million increase for a new forensics unit at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo

OTHER REQUESTS:

• $11.6 million to repair the Capitol dome

• $8 million to improve the statewide digital radio system

• $5.9 million for 12 anti-recidivism programs in the hope of reducing reoffender and prison growth rates, saving an estimated $58 million over five years

• $4.6 million to restore 74.5 staff positions at work force development centers

• $2.8 million in environmental programs, including $2 million in rebates to homeowners who install solar panels

• $2.5 million for veterans programs

• $1.8 million for pilot programs to help six school districts where students have low test scores

bargec@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5059

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