Polis lays out new goals
Ambition: Governor’s list includes full-day kindergarten, cutting taxes, more green jobs Skepticism: Legislators raise concerns about funding plans, issues that weren’t mentioned
Gov. Jared Polis called on lawmakers Thursday to fulfill one of his earliest campaign promises and find the money for statewide full-day kindergarten by fall.
“Folks, Oklahoma figured all this out a long time ago,” he said. “And with all due respect to our wonderful neighbors in the Sooner State, if they can do kindergarten, we can do kindergarten.”
Polis also told lawmakers in his first State of the State address that he is establishing a new executive office to focus on saving individuals money on health care.
In addition, he laid out these goals:
• Reducing taxes on individuals while closing corporate loopholes.
• Giving communities more input on proposed oil and gas drilling in their neighborhoods.
• Helping oil and gas workers transition to greener jobs.
“Our shared responsibility is to turn challenges into opportuni-
ties and ideas into action,” he said.
Polis’ nearly hour-long speech was met with several standing ovations from his fellow Democrats, and a few from Republicans. However, there also was bipartisan skepticism that the state’s budget can handle everything Polis wants to accomplish.
And lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised concerns about what they didn’t hear, including rectifying the state’s complicated constitutional tax policies and providing a solution to the state’s transportation needs.
While Polis’ speech was his trademark “bold,” it was sparse on specific ways to pay for his promises.
“We have to balance our budget,” said Senate Republican leader Chris Holbert. “We can’t spend more than we have.”
Even some members of Polis’ own party were skeptical of the ambitious agenda.
State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, an Arvada Democrat and member of the state’s budget committee, said she is excited by Polis’ ambitions, but said she was worried about the long-term budget implications of devoting up to $250 million on an ongoing basis to pay for kindergarten.
“If we make this commitment now, we have to continue it going forward,” she said. “So some of the priorities that we already have on the table — how do we balance those with also implementing kindergarten?”
The state is expecting about $1 billion in new revenue this year. However, that money can go quickly with spending obligations set in law. What’s more, state economic forecasters are expecting a slowing economy, which could lead to less revenue for the state to spend in the coming years.
Polis didn’t provide specifics on how the legislature should pay for kindergarten expansion. However, he told reporters after his speech that his administration will provide more details in a memo to the budget committee later this month.
New health care office
While promising to pay for early childhood education was one of Polis’ first promises, his pledge to drive down health care costs and expand access became his most prominent along the campaign trail.
On Thursday, Polis followed up by announcing the creation of a new initiative, which will be led by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, called the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care.
“We aren’t giving this office a fancy name to make it sound important,” Polis said. “Instead, we want to give it a simple name because it is important.”
The office will be tasked with finding ways to reduce costs for hospital stays, improve price transparency and make health insurance more affordable.
Polis also called again for a way for Coloradans to import drugs from Canada and the creation of a reinsurance program, which would create a state fund financed by the state and federal government that helps insurance companies cover the sickest consumers on the individual market.
Energy, environment
Polis said there is no denying that climate change is real, but the state can be thoughtful in its approach to curbing emissions and transitioning to a greener economy.
“Make no mistake — with price declines and technology advances, the move toward renewable energy is already taking place and will only accelerate,” he said. “But as we embrace the renewable-energy future, we must also do right by all the men and women in today’s energy workforce.”
That pledge earned him praise from the state’s largest union.
“We are highly encouraged that Gov. Polis’ bold vision for the new green economy includes ‘doing right’ by today’s fossil-fueldependent workforce and communities and emphasizes the importance of the new green jobs being good-paying, family-sustaining jobs,” said Dennis Dougherty, executive director of the AFL-CIO.
At the same time, Polis promised to give communities a greater say when it comes to oil and gas drilling, which he believes will be a step toward ending the conflict between oil and gas companies and conservationists.
Tracee Bentley, executive director of the Colorado Petroleum Council, said she was optimistic about “reasonable legislative proposals.”
“Our goal must be to balance record consumer demand, environmental protection and affordability for every Colorado family,” she said in a statement.
Taxes, transportation
One of Polis’ little-noticed promises during the fall campaign was an idea to lower the state’s income tax rate. In his speech Thursday, he raised the issue with lawmakers but said his proposal would be revenue-neutral because he wants to close corporate tax loopholes.
“It’s simply about who pays,” he said. “It asks the largest, most influential corporations to start paying their fair share so that individuals, families and small businesses can pay less and don’t have to pay for tax loopholes others benefit from.”
Polis said during a news conference that he would rely on a state report on which tax giveaways were the least effective and that he aims to reduce the income tax rate by at least 3 percent.
Perhaps one of the state’s biggest problems that got the least amount time in Polis’ speech was the need for transportation funding.
Last year, voters rejected a proposed sales tax increase and a competing measure that would have required the state to bond for urgent projects.
Polis did say lawmakers needed to find a new revenue stream that voters would accept. But that’s where he left it, frustrating some lawmakers.
“I’m very curious to know if he has any ideas,” said Zenzinger, the Arvada Democrat. “Those of us who have been working on transportation issues down here at the legislature have tried pretty much everything.”
“We aren’t giving this office a fancy name to make it sound important. Instead, we want to give it a simple name because it is important.” Gov. Jared Polis