Transportation, education and health care were some of the hot topics state Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose and state Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, addressed Saturday.
The League of Women Voters of La Plata County hosted the Legislative Lowdown at the Durango Public Library, and members of the audience posed questions through a moderator, rather than addressing the legislators directly. Coram and McLachlan explained efforts to address transportation needs and possible changes to health care.
The future of the Affordable Care Act needs to be determined before Coram will pass judgment on Senate Bill 3, which would shut down Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s financially troubled health care exchange, he said.
However, the Legislature must address rising Medicaid costs that could break the bank, he said.
He would also like to see more transparency around the high costs of health care on the Western Slope.
“The cost of our health care is so high. It’s a monopoly, nothing more nothing less,” she said.
McLachlan said health care change, especially if it includes Medicaid cuts, must be done carefully not to hurt people who are elderly or disabled.
Coram and McLachlan seemed noncommittal on a new transportation funding proposal, House Bill 1242, which would raise state sales taxes by .62 percent to fund transportation over 20 years. This proposal would have to be approved by voters. It would raise $677 million annually.
“This is something to edit. I think it gets the discussion started,” McLachlan said of the bill.
CDOT would receive $300 million annually; 70 percent of the remaining funding would be distributed to local governments.
The other 30 percent would go into a multimodal fund that would be used as matching funds for projects, McLachlan said.
“If you want more bike paths and you want more public transportation, you can have a say in that,” she said.
Coram said there may be other ways to pay for infrastructure projects without raising taxes.
Audience member Mary Lou Fulkenstein supports the idea of more funding for roads and bridges.
“It’s really basic and we need to do it,” she said.
In response to questions about education, McLachlan outlined her efforts to require a study into why students are not studying education and why teachers are not going to rural districts. She also talked about possible statewide outreach meetings to learn about districts’ needs.
La Plata County resident Michelle Der Ohanesian supported McLachlan looking into teacher education programs, and she would like to see a shift in attitudes toward teachers.
“They should be the most highly regarded professionals we have,” she said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
