Legislative progress report

    DENVER - At the start of the 2008 legislative session in January, Gov. Bill Ritter made it clear he wanted overhauls, not just cosmetic touch-ups, in health care and education.

    What he got was something in between, according to lawmakers, who spent 119 days trying to find solutions - and acceptable compromises - that would reform how children are taught, expand health insurance and renewable energy and fix the state constitution and roads and bridges.

    "I think we accomplished a lot in 119 days," said Senate President Peter Groff, a Denver Democrat who met often with Ritter to talk issues. "We did so trying to find a middle ground."

    House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said it's impossible to gauge success or failure because Ritter's goals were broad or vague.

    "If you set such a low bar, it's easy to be successful. On the State of State he had nothing on transportation, and I guess that's what we accomplished: Nothing," May said. "He is the governor of windmills and new energy . . . I just wish he was as passionate about the rest of Colorado as he is about his Democratic friends."

    A look at the goals and what was accomplished:

    Education

    What was promised: Pass a historic plan to realign K-12 education so that each student is prepared to get an advanced degree. Find new ways to fund "our woefully under-funded higher education system." Fix dilapidated school buildings.

    What happened: Mission accomplished. The realignment plan passed. A bipartisan bill putting future Federal Mineral Lease revenues toward college construction and long-term needs awaits Ritter's signature. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's bill to use revenues from School Trust Lands and other sources to pay for $1 billion in school construction is expected to become law soon.

    Health care

    What was promised: Undertake "major efforts" to enroll more eligible families in Medicaid. Cover all uninsured children.

    What happened: Ritter's plan to increase eligibility passed, with 55,000 more children able to get on government-funded health care programs. Fell short of goal of insuring all children.

    Transportation

    What was promised: Make "steady progress" on finding new transportation funding sources.

    What happened: Nothing. Democrats and Republicans blame each other, and Ritter called the inertia "one of the biggest disappointments of the session."

    Constitutional reform

    What was promised: Reform a process by which special interests have amended the state constitution 52 times in the past 27 years.

    What happened: Measure making it harder for citizens to try to reform the constitution but easier for them to make statutory changes will be on the November ballot. Romanoff's proposal to remove spending limits and mandated educational-funding increases died, but he is pushing a citizen's ballot initiative that would do the same.

    Economic development

    What was promised: Exempt 30,000 small companies from paying the business personal property tax. Increase investment in the bioscience industry.

    What happened: Bills raising the business personal-property tax exemption, adding $5.5 million to a fund that gives grants to developing bioscience companies and simplifying the state's corporate tax structure are all awaiting Ritter's signature.

    Environment

    What was promised: Create an incentive program to put clean solar power in all Coloradans' reach. Replenish the state's rivers . Address forest-health issues.

    What happened: Legislators created a fund to offer low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses to install renewableenergy devices. A successful bill ensures landowners who lease water to the state to increase river levels do not lose their rights.

    Successful bills provide an income-tax deduction for landowners who take wildfire mitigation steps and create a fund to mitigate beetle infestation on state-owned land.

    Other issues

    What was promised: Uphold public safety and safeguard the voting process from illegal immigrants.

    What happened: Of 10 bills that were introduced to deal with illegal immigration, only a minor technical measure passed.