Tag: 6 percent solution
Ritter signs budget reform bill, ends reign of Arveschoug-Bird
Gov. Bill Ritter signed budget reform Senate Bill 228 into law this morning. The controversial bill -- the work of bipartisan co-sponsors Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, and Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver -- made an amazing journey this past legislative session. And, as law, will now serve to test hotly debated partisan theories about public spending in the state.
Bush dynasty weighs in on Colorado budget reform
The latest crusader against Colorado budget reform bill SB 228, which passed out of the Senate yesterday on a party-line vote, is none other than Walker Stapleton, who is reportedly angling to become state treasurer in 2010 and who is also George W. Bush's first cousin once removed -- although Stapleton makes no mention of that fact on Keep the Cap Colorado, the new anti-SB 228 Web site he launched Tuesday.
If you didn't recognize the Bush family connection straightaway, don't feel bad, because you would have figured it out soon enough -- because it's impossible not to. You would have recognized the know-nothing audacity and privileged sense of political entitlement.
Senate hurdles cleared; dealmaking awaits budget reform bill in House
Directly after his budget reform bill cleared the State Senate on Tuesday with a 21-14 party-line vote on Tuesday, sponsor John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, joined supporters in the Capitol's west lobby to celebrate its passage and rally support for the tough battle that awaits it in the House.
Schwarzenegger also attempting to repeal Colorado-style budget formulas
Colorado inched closer toward fiscal sanity today.
Budget reform bill 228 passed the Senate this morning after roughly three hours of back and forth on the chamber floor, where GOP senators renewed the same objections they voiced to no effect during the vote held two weeks ago — objections that the bill is unconstitutional and will lead to greater taxes and big government, et cetera.
Budget reform bill to pass out of Senate; supporters rally
After more than a week of delays and backstage negotiation, today may be the day controversial Colorado budget reform bill SB 228 passes out of the Senate and makes its way to the House. If the last few weeks are any guide, the bill will likely spark legislative fireworks on both sides of the aisle.
Depending on the Senate schedule, the bill's sponsor, Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and a growing list of supporters are planning a noon rally at the Capitol either to send the bill off to the House with a bang or to bolster support for its passing in the Senate. Outspoken Republican Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, is SB 228's House sponsor and plans to attend the rally with Morse today.
Budget reform bill moves from center-stage to smoke-filled rooms
What happened to Colorado budget reform bill 228? After reframing the debate on the state budget, energizing lawmakers for and against, spawning a GOP Senate filibuster and thrashing the voice of sponsor Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, SB 228 slipped offstage -- reportedly to star in back-room bargaining sessions.
Time to modernize Colorado’s fiscal landscape
Colorado has one of the most complex fiscal systems in the entire country. We are not, in our current form, adequately suited to deal with ever-changing economic realities. The Colorado General Assembly is currently debating a bill, Senate Bill 228, that would repeal an outdated budget formula and untie the state’s hands to get us out of the recession more quickly.
A gag-rule chronicle or notes from the Senate-floor filibuster
At roughly 10:30 p.m., in the waning minutes of the all-day Republican filibuster against Colorado budget reform bill SB 228, Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, threw an elbow.
The Democratic majority wouldn't budge or break. After 10 hours, partisans on either side of the floor had clearly read into the record all the campaign trail fodder that could be transcribed. They were tired and getting sloppy.
Budget reform bill weathers GOP filibuster, clears another hurdle
Senate Bill 228, Democratic Senator John Morse's controversial budget reform legislation, received key preliminary approval late last night after a 10-hour Republican filibuster that, for all its passion, never seriously threatened passage of the bill.
Senate members on both sides of the aisle agreed SB 228 was among the most important laws they would consider and would have ramifications on Colorado governance for years to come, amounting to a "sea change," as state Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, described it, in the way tax revenues would be spent.
GOP senators call on Ritter to veto budget reform bill
Republican senators in Colorado are going all out today to stop a bill that would end automatic tax revenue allocations for roads and capital construction.
Threatening long debate in the capitol tonight and a "barrage of amendments" to cripple the bill, the senators have now turned to Democratic Governor Bill Ritter to join them in defeating legislation they say would "gut" both highways and the constitution.