Nearing the halfway point in the 2015 session of the 70th General Assembly, it seems a little slower than normal. A lot of bills are waiting for the Appropriations Committee before going to the House for second and third readings. The reason is that the Speaker is waiting for the March revenue forecast. Any legislation that actually brings in revenue and pays for itself is not likely to survive. Democrats have told me that any bill that increases revenue and thus causes a TABOR Fund cap, resulting in taxpayers receiving a tax refund, will not be passed in the House. The cap is reached when growth plus inflation is exceeded by revenue. My opinion is that this is what the taxpayers approved and we must respect that. If refunds are required, so be it. However, stopping programs that are self-supporting seems a little reckless to me.
A couple of bills that I have sponsored that have been heard since my last update involve teen pregnancy prevention. One bill would expand a pilot program that has been in effect in Delta, Mesa and Montrose counties since 1995. This pilot had a 10 percent county match that is no longer included in the new statewide program. No birth control is provided in this program, which relies on education and counseling. Nearly 400 teens are in the program and there have only been three pregnancies. This bill has passed the House and is waiting for Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, to present it in the Senate.
The other bill, the LARC (long acting reversible contraceptive) bill has cleared the first committee. This bill provides an IUD or hormone implant for teens who are not covered by a gap between insurance for those covered by the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. The pilot on this program shows the prevention of 4,300 abortions and as much as $100 million in Medicaid savings. Eight percent of pregnant teens will be on welfare the first year.
This week we are looking at water bills in committee. I have HB 1016 concerning a rainwater collection pilot program. It has had a hearing and passed, but was assigned to wrong committee. This is just a formality and should have no problems. HB 1178 deals with groundwater pumping from high water areas along the South Platte. This bill has had some testimony and will continue with more input from those previously signed up, but unable to testify due to time constraints. Amendments are coming forward, but not enough for me to support the bill. I feel that this bill creates a new water right and an end run around the Prior Appropriations Doctrine. Senate Bill 55 deals with additional requirements by not allowing the state engineer to mandate more water to be left in ditches by irrigators. I will listen to testimony, but am likely to support the bill. HB 1159 is a bill extending a tax credit for those who have donated water for instream flow. This is another example of waiting to see what questions the testimony answers.
Don Coram represents House District 58 in Colorado’s General Assembly. Contact Rep. Coram by phone at (303) 866-2955 or by e-mail at don.coram.house@state.co.us.