Local lawmakers land bumper crop of law

El Paso County’s 14 lawmakers put 76 bills on Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk during the four-month General Assembly session that ended May 12.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle say the number of measures from here becoming law is a testament to bipartisanship during what was often a fiery session marked by rifts over taxes and the state budget.

“We had a very bipartisan session,” Gov. Bill Ritter said during a recent stop in Colorado Springs to sign three of the measures from locals.

Colorado Springs Democratic Sen. John Morse said the number of bills passed by the General Assembly was flat compared with 2009 at about 650.

But the number of complex measures, including bills to regulate medical marijuana, fix the state’s $1 billion budget shortfall and reform teacher evaluations, was significant this year, he said.

“In terms of workload it’s pretty consistent,” Morse said. “But we did get some heavy lifting done. A lot of the heavy lifting was bipartisan.”

Legislative success wasn’t without a measure of failure — 45 bills from local lawmakers wound up in the General Assembly’s trash bin.

For politicians from the Pikes Peak region, the military was a top theme for bills that made it to law.

Local lawmakers expanded courtroom programs that give veterans drug and mental health treatment in lieu of jail.
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can get special license plates, and wounded warriors will get a break on the cost of hunting licenses.

Crime and punishment were popular topics, too.

One measure from a local lawmaker cuts drug-possession sentences and funnels prison savings into treatment programs. Another local effort increases penalties for drunken-driving.

At times, especially during a fractious debate over revoking $140 million in sales tax exemptions, it was obvious that politicians were thinking of November’s elections.

Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Kent Lambert contends that the Democrats hurt business by seeking additional tax money rather than making deeper budget cuts.

Morse says Republicans are making political hay out of a tough decision that preserved state services, including keeping 2,000 teachers in classrooms.

Lambert and Morse carried big piles of legislation through the process.

As one of six members of the state Joint Budget Committee, Lambert sponsored eight bills that made it to Ritter’s desk, including several that made technical budget changes.

One of Lambert’s measures tightens state policies on allowing government employees to take government vehicles home from work.

“I think that’s higher than I had before,” Lambert said of the eight bills he landed on Ritter’s desk.  “And some of the bills I ran I knew wouldn’t get passed.”

Morse, as Senate Majority Leader, finished the session with 16 bills he sponsored on Ritter’s desk.

His bills included a high-profile effort to allow colleges to charge students more tuition to offset state budget cuts.