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Lawmakers punt budget fix

Speaker will back measure proposed as ballot initiative

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 4, 2008 at 11:15 p.m.

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House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said Sunday he'll turn to the state's voters to help untangle a constitutional knot of spending limits and mandates by pushing to get a reform measure on the ballot this fall.

After having failed to secure enough votes in the legislature to put the issue to the voters, Romanoff said he instead will back a similar measure filed as a citizens' ballot initiative.

"I think it's going to be easier to gather 76,000 valid signatures than it was to get two-thirds of the Senate," Romanoff said.

By doing so, Romanoff hopes to reassemble the same coalition that helped pass Referendum C, which voters approved in November 2005. Ref C enabled the state government to hang on to surplus revenues during a five-year "time out" from the 1992 Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

Earlier in the session, Romanoff proposed SAFE, the "Savings Account For Education," which would have lifted spending restrictions imposed by

TABOR while also repealing Amendment 23's mandated spending on education.

That measure hit a dead end Friday when a committee chairman postponed a vote, saying it would be better to let the session end this week without risking the bill being killed by the entire legislature.

Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, chairman of the House State Veterans & Military Affairs Committee, argued that a defeat in the House might harm the chances of a citizens' initiative.

Romanoff says he hopes the citizens' initiative will find support among groups such as the Colorado Children's Campaign, the AARP and Colorado Association of School Boards.

"I'm confident that when we get to November that people will say yes," Romanoff said. "And worst-case scenario: People say no and we're no worse off than we are now."

ensslinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5291

Comments

  • May 5, 2008

    8:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SirRealist writes:

    Any idea of what you're talking about Froward?

    TaBOR ALREADY IS GONE for all practical purposes. Referendum C that we approved to give a five year time out from Tabor - remember it? It has two years left on it where the State has gotten HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS that would have been returned to taxpayers. Romanoff opportunistically sees Doug Bruce's foolish behaviors the past few months as a way of getting rid of TaBOR because it's a piece of very inconvenient legislation that holds him and the rest of the legislature accountable - it does NOTHING to take money away from them - they're still spending at an almost alarming rate on pet projects like multi-million dollar park renovations in downtown, money for new artwork for various libraries, and millions for new statues in DIA.

    With regard to government and spending, you can be sure that little restraint is ever shown when it comes to spending money that the legislatures did not earn. Everyone screams and wails for restrictions like the Balanced Budget Amendment at the Federal level, and things like TaBOR at the State level, and then when they are implemented the liberal bleeding-heart sector has no problem stealing from the wallets of those around them instead of telling the legislatures to fix problems and eliminate waste. Utterly fantastic!

  • May 5, 2008

    8:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dick_Tater writes:

    I will vote for a tax increase percentage that is equal to the pay decrease these stuffed shirts take.

  • May 5, 2008

    9:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jacka writes:

    Democrat lawmakers and apparently one Republican punt at fixing the problem they promote.

    What is the problem again, they want more of our money to spend?

    Why should the voters agree to the state taking more money when their not through using up the Ref C moneies?

  • May 5, 2008

    10:38 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    JSeifert writes:

    All they have to do is ASK for more money. But I guess they know the taxpayers will not go for unending tax raises. If what they want to pay for is what the people want they will get the money but I guess its just another slush fund and they know it will not pass.
    They need to see the light state taxpayers do care what their money is used for and the state has proven they can not be trusted with our money that why TABOR was voted in.
    They have tried again and again to bypass Tabor. The teachers union hates it all unions hate it because with tabor they know they can not strike for more money when it has to be approved and voted on by the people.
    The State Government hates it because it puts a limit on their spending and they have to answer for their spending.
    Now there is a short fall WHY? They have never came to us to explain WHY? I can tell you why they over spent there budget on nonsense, Now they want more well tuff now you need to ask us for more and explain why.

  • May 5, 2008

    11:07 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    USC85 writes:

    KEEP TABOR! The Economy is tough for all citizens!
    Why do Lawmakers think they can keep spending "out of
    control" and expect the "Citizens of Colorado" to
    keep paying for their favorite programs, ENOUGH!!!

    Make Colorado Lawmakers adhere to a Budget as well,
    NO MORE OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING!!

  • May 6, 2008

    1:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    StraightTalk writes:

    Since real estate values have gone down in the last year or so, we're all paying too much in property taxes. Don't hold your breath until they re-assess our property values....they would get less in taxes from property owners.