Organization
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Governor Hickenlooper’s State of the State Address
With 100 Democrat and Republican legislators sitting intermingled in the House Chamber, Governor John Hickenlooper gave his state of the state address following similar themes as yesterday’s speeches. Governor Hickenlooper voiced his support to working in collaboration with both chambers and parties of the legislature to maintain a high standard of living for all Coloradans and attract businesses to the state. He reminded the audience time and time again that Colorado is not Washington and Colorado can work together to do what is best for Colorado. TBD Colorado is Governor Hickenlooper’s civic engagement initiative that is designed to engage Coloradans in a discussion about what they think Colorado’s future should look like.
Although the themes of last year’s speech, efficiency, effectiveness, and elegance in government were present, Governor Hickenlooper kept his remarks focused on entrepreneurship. Colorado’s future lies in small businesses and large corporation developing and thriving in Colorado. The Presidents of Arrow Electronics, Level 3 Communications, and Prime Star Solar, all new fortune 500 companies in Colorado, received a standing ovation from the crowd for moving their companies to Colorado and spurring economic development. Governor Hickenlooper introduced his Colorado Innovation Network Initiative (COIN) aimed at incubating entrepreneurship through a mix of public and private funding. The importance of responsible oil and gas development in Colorado under one statewide regulation drew thunderous applause from all members. Governor Hickenlooper wants to clear the way for businesses to succeed by eliminating over 850 outdated rules and regulations in Colorado law.
The Governor made it clear that job creation isn’t his only priority. He stressed that education is key to ensuring the future economic success of Colorado. He urged the legislature to approve the Senate Bill 191 rules, a new model to measure teacher effectiveness. Governor Hickenlooper also expressed his dedication to guarantee that every child who reaches third grade be able to read through prevention and early intervention measures. He addressed his opposition to reinstating the senior homestead exemption by saying that he wants to support seniors by other means instead. He took two controversial issues head on by plainly declaring that the state would benefit greatly from the privatization of Pinnacol and that “now is the time to pass civil unions.” In an attempt to ease the constant pressure from Republicans on curtailing the rising costs for CBMS and Medicaid (the state’s general fund has $1 billion less than it did a year ago but must serve an exponentially growing Medicaid population), he promised that the state was looking at every overpayment, fraud, and eligibility in the Medicaid system and promised that CBMS was being brought into the 21st century. And, he reminded everyone that the health benefits exchange passed with bipartisan support in 2011 now serves as a national model. Lastly, Governor Hickenlooper shared the news that for the first time since I-70 was built in the 1960’s, its capacity would be expanded to accommodate everyone wishing to visit the Front Range.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19728842
Full text of the speech: http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_19728411
The 2012 State Legislative Session Begins
Despite the pre-session coverage that the 2012 legislation session was going to resemble a bloodbath, both the Senate and House Republicans and Democrats pledged to be partners and not partisan for the next 120 days. Both chambers kept a sharp focus on job creation and economic development. Speeches from President Shaffer, Speaker McNulty, House Minority Leader Ferrandino, and Senate Minority Leader Cadman all promised that 2012 would be about putting Coloradans to work and decreasing unemployment throughout the state. All speeches repeated the need for bipartisan work. However, the reality is the upcoming 2012 session faces many obstacles that may prevent success or productivity. The slow economic recovery, the recent redistricting process, various general assembly members running for Congress, and the upcoming 2012 elections, may likely result in strong partisanship during the 120 days.
In his opening day remarks, Speaker McNulty promised to continue to support responsible oil and gas development which will bring jobs and economic growth to Colorado. Speaker McNulty said his caucus will continue to ensure that government gets out of the way so small businesses can thrive. He highlighted various pieces of pro-business legislation the House Republicans are running such as the CLEAR Act, which will ensure that the rules in place for a permit application will remain in place for the entire reviewing process of that application. The SUCCESS Act, a bipartisan bill, will emphasize compliance over punishment for businesses’ interactions with state department rules and regulations. In his remarks, Minority Leader Ferrandino touted the House Democrats Start Up Colorado jobs package as bills that will cut red tape while also protecting consumers and investors. One of the bills in the Democrats package would provide small business development centers with a 24% to 40% increase in funding. Another bill, the “Angel Investor” program would provide funding for the Innovation Investment Tax Credit. Over in the Senate, President Shaffer used his speech as an opportunity to highlight on SB 001, which is a measure aimed at encouraging Colorado businesses to hire Coloradans. Senate Minority Leader Cadman stated his dedication to increasing private sector jobs in Colorado and cutting red tape.
Crafting the budget for FY2012-13 will likely be a contentious process due to ballooning Medicaid costs and caseload increases, disagreement on whether or not to suspend the senior homestead tax exemption, and the outcome of the Lobato case. Possible tax increases to raise state revenues in 2011 were soundly defeated at the polls and Speaker McNulty didn’t let that fact go unnoticed in his speech. He also strongly stated that “federal government entitlement programs” were stealing money from the state of Colorado’s K-12 education budget. Speaker McNulty proposed finding Colorado specific solutions because “we cannot continue to put the health and safety of Coloradans into the hands of a bloated bureaucracy in Washington DC.” He made it clear his priority was to reinstate the senior homestead exemption act because that demographic is one of the most needy during this period of recession. Minority Leader Ferrandino, a former member of the Joint Budget Committee, responded that there were no “sacred cows” in the state’s budget and everything must be looked at for prioritization and possible cuts. He thought that Governor Hickenlooper’s budget proposal was a good place to start but more work must be done in a bipartisan manner to pass a responsible budget. Since the December revenue forecast came in higher than expected, the expected $89 million reduction to K-12 education and $30 million from Higher Education financial aid programs may not have to occur.
Although all speeches stayed positive and expressed hope for a productive 2012 legislative session, it remains to be seen if this will be the case. The outcome of the reapportionment process was particularly displeasing to the House Republicans, as various members of the House Republican leadership were placed in districts with fellow caucus members. Majority Leader Amy Stephens was put in the same district as Representative Marsha Looper, Majority Whip BJ Nikkel and Representative DelGrosso are both in HD 51, and JBC Member Representative Jon Becker was redrawn into Representative Sonnenberg’s district. Senator Keith King, who decided not to run again because he was drawn into the same district as Senator Minority Leader Cadman, voiced his disappointment with the reapportionment process in a speech he gave after President Shaffer and Minority Leader Cadman spoke. In addition, both parties have their eyes on holding the chamber they control and retaking the other. Thus, although both the Democrats and Republicans state they want to work together and spend the session focusing on creating jobs for Coloradans, the combination of all these variables creates the perfect storm for partisan politicking and disagreement during the 2012 session.
Full Text of Today’s Speeches
Senate President Brandon Shaffer: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19720506
Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19721368
House Speaker Frank McNulty: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19720431
House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19720437
DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESS ALLIANCE
The Douglas County Business Alliance (DCBA) is an unincorporated organization consisting of 2 or more members joined by mutual consent for a common, lawful nonprofit purpose pursuant to the “Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit
Association Act” as adopted by the state of Colorado under C.R.S. 7-30-101 and as may be amended. As such, DCBA is considered a nonprofit association.
The Douglas County Business Alliance is comprised of representatives from the following organizations:
Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce
Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce
Castle Rock Economic Development Council
Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce
Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce
Parker Chamber of Commerce
Southeast Business Partnership
PURPOSE
For more information on other legislation click here.
