After the 2013 session of the Colorado Legislature, virtually any agenda seems tame. Last winter and spring, lawmakers became quickly embroiled in a highly partisan and personal debate over divisive issues, such as gun legislation, civil unions and in-state tuition for children of undocumented immigrants – all of which passed under the leadership, if not forcible direction, of Democrats who control both chambers of the Legislature. The gun discussion and its resulting legislation in particular caused great dismay to Republicans and their supporters, leading to the recall of two state senators and the resignation of a state representative. It was a toxic dynamic, doing little to build relationships or bipartisan good tidings.
The range of sour taste left in lawmakers’ mouths will likely determine how smoothly the 2014 session unfolds. On the agenda are some politically innocuous topics best handled in a bipartisan fashion, as well as those somewhat more divisive. The tone of the session will be critical in determining how effectively lawmakers address such important issues as K-12 education funding, attempts at changing or undermining last year’s gun-related legislation, mitigating wildfire risk and emboldening response in addition to how to contain the rising cost of higher education. There is opportunity for significant achievements should lawmakers approach their work with outcomes, not politics, as the paramount priority.
With the resounding defeat of Amendment 66 in November, Colorado schools are facing budget cuts that will neither be easy nor expedient to craft. Already, the state’s school funding is lackluster, and the need far exceeds the resources. The Legislature must address this circumstance in 2014 – and must do so with both bipartisan spirit and a keen awareness of public sentiment about how to increase revenue for K-12 education. Lawmakers will consider measures increasing per-pupil operating revenue as well as change the way student counts – and, by extension – student funding is conducted. Both are important steps but not final answers.
As wildfire becomes more prevalent, the state must be increasingly adept at helping prevent and respond to it. That requires a complicated set of conversations about land use, mitigation practices and response tactics. Coordinating the various agencies tasked with managing fire is a critical first step the state has already taken; improving upon that coordination in terms of prevention, response and mitigation should be the Legislature’s priority. It need not be a partisan issue, but it is one that demands attention and resources.
If there is to be any change to the gun legislation passed in 2013, it ought to be fine-tuning so as to improve enforcement and implementation of the measures requiring universal background checks, placing limits on magazine capacity or requiring in-person training for concealed-carry permits. Keeping the conversation to this agenda will be a challenge for Republicans, who are planning legislation to repeal the 15-round limit on magazines and are still chafing from last year’s gun-related action. The Legislature – and the state as a whole – needs to move beyond that discussion.
The state should also address the escalating cost of attending college in Colorado, and proposals to limit tuition increases are a good place to start. The more accessible higher education is to Colorado’s students, the better prepared our young people will be to contribute to the state’s economy. It is an investment the Legislature must make.
There is a bulky agenda facing Colorado lawmakers in 2014. They and the state will be best-served if the focus is on practical investments in the state’s values as well as its future.
