{"id":107054,"date":"2016-01-25T01:25:23","date_gmt":"2016-01-25T08:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rural-representatives-hear-from-colorado-lawmakers\/"},"modified":"2016-01-25T01:25:23","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T08:25:23","slug":"rural-representatives-hear-from-colorado-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rural-representatives-hear-from-colorado-lawmakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural representatives hear from Colorado lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Colorado
Colorado State Capitol Building.<\/span>Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

DENVER \u2013 Lawmakers presented their ideas to those with rural Colorado interests this week at the Capitol, underscoring looming battles over the budget and oil and gas regulations.<\/p>\n

The annual two-day marathon held by Club 20, Action 22 and Progressive 15 \u2013 which represent most rural Colorado counties \u2013 offered a voice to areas of the state that often feel overshadowed by an urban-focused agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour voice matters, and especially when you make the trip, whether it\u2019s out on the Eastern Plains, or Southwest Colorado or Northwest Colorado \u2026 when you make that trip in, it carries a huge amount of weight,\u201d Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, told the audience.<\/p>\n

She pointed out that 87 of the Legislature\u2019s 100 lawmakers represent communities along the Interstate 25 corridor \u2013 the Front Range. But she said that doesn\u2019t necessarily limit the rural voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRural legislators are a strong force,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWe have to be three times as good as any other legislator here because there are so few of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the largest question on the minds of attendees surrounded the budget. Budget writers are constrained by a constitutional cap on how much the budget can grow. About $156 million must be refunded to taxpayers this year.<\/p>\n

Gov. John Hickenlooper has called for restructuring a hospital-provider fee as an enterprise fund, or government-owned business. The fee is expected to generate $756 million in revenue this fiscal year. The move would take the revenue out of a calculation under the Taxpayer\u2019s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, thereby lowering refunds to free up money.<\/p>\n

Republicans in the Legislature have generally opposed the proposal. But some rural county commissioners at the meetings this week wondered why Republican leaders would oppose a move that would allow more money to be spent on things such as crumbling roads, without having to ask voters to raise taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t see this as solving our problem \u2026\u201d answered Republican Senate President Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs. \u201cIt\u2019s a small sliver of money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cadman and fellow Republicans would rather address entitlement spending.<\/p>\n

The GOP also has raised constitutional concerns, pointing to a nonpartisan legislative legal memo that raised questions with whether the hospital fee could be construed as an enterprise fund, suggesting that restructuring it would be illegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe oath means something to me, and the constitution means a whole lot more,\u201d Cadman said. \u201cWe can do this. We don\u2019t have to challenge or violate the constitution to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing into budget discussions is slumping revenue from oil and gas. Those in rural areas are worried about further damage, as anti-fracking interests plan ballot measures for this year that would offer local governments the ability to ban fracking. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission also is in the middle of rule-making in an attempt to offer local governments more input.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers are discussing legislation that would require the oil and gas industry to compensate homeowners for lost property value as a result of nearby fracking activities. Discussions are taking place around again increasing fines on the industry and adding state inspectors to monitor operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d said Christi Zeller, executive director of the La Plata County Energy Council, who attended the meetings in Denver. \u201cWe have lost in 2015 in the state 6,000 jobs, and I can guarantee you if aerospace lost 6,000 jobs, we wouldn\u2019t be putting proposed legislation at the door\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Don Coram, R-Montrose, who also spoke at the meetings, pointed out that the state severance tax has declined by 70 percent, which is money that goes to local governments and will impact budgets this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s real money in these rural communities,\u201d Coram said. \u201cThat\u2019s huge. It\u2019ll affect every county and every city in the state of Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

pmarcus@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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