The more frustrating of the four stories, all from the State House of Representatives, is that a bill raising daily pay for legislators outside of the Denver Metro Area was quietly passed last week without debate. The pay increase was not substantial, though it will cost six-figures to the taxpayer in an already strapped state budget. The real issue is that the people of Colorado were not represented because no debate was allowed. The bill passed by only 2 votes in the 65-member house, there was plenty of opposition that was never heard.
There are 31 candidates for the State House of Representatives running unopposed in 2012 thus far. A handful of unopposed races will happen, some districts are so clearly in the column of one of the major parties that finding a sacrificial lamb cannot be easy...but nearly half of the House? That does not bode well for Colorado seeing a balanced, moderate legislature interested in compromise.
Rep. Jones (D-Louisville) is having a hard time getting called on to speak. Jones served on the controversial reapportionment commission and many feel he is getting "payback" from Speaker McNulty. This is obviously a poor time for childish games on the floor of the House, but in fairness I'm not sure there's ever a good time for childish games in either the House or Senate.
Finally, two Democratic-led bills were killed off in the House as a clear preamble to the 2012 elections and to prevent democrats from touting accomplishments. One of the bills was designed to benefit members of the military and another was simply to clarify tourism grant requirements. It's a pretty bad day when supporting veterans and tourism has somehow become divisive in the Colorado legislature.
Partisan politics is not working very well in the General Assembly and we're only just over a month into the 2012 session. The state budget looms ahead.
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