Hickenlooper encourages bipartisanship

Governor John Hickenlooper offered a few words of advice for Colorado’s General Assembly this legislative session: “Regardless of size, government must work.”

During his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 15 at the state capitol, Gov. Hickenlooper touched on the many successes and continued progress on state issues.

“The state of our state is strong,” Governor Hickenlooper said to house representatives and state senators who crowded around the house floor. “According to almost every national ranking, Colorado is now one of the top states for business climate and job growth.”

Supporting the middle class and Colorado’s rural areas through workforce development, while tackling K-12 funding, were some of the more serious topics presented by the governor on Thursday.

“Our current budget requests for K-12 education includes a $ 480 million increase of which the state is contributing 70 percent, in recent years we have worked together to save extra money to the state education fund,” Hickenlooper said.

“Moving forward, our budget proposal includes an additional $ 200 million for the state education fund intended as a one-time increase for school districts to allocate to their elected boards to sign,” he said. “With or without this proposal, as we look beyond this year, the ability of the state general fund to protect the negative factor from rising even higher remains uncertain.”

Hickenlooper said he looks forward to the recommendations from the oil and gas task force appointed last year but but did not speak on construction defect laws, one of the more publicaly anticipated reactions from the general assembly this year.

“I was surprised that construction defects reforms was not mentioned, that is a real problem with Colorado and it has been discussed for several years here in the legislature,” said Rep. Kevin Van Winkle R-Highlands Ranch. “I was hoping he would become a champion on the issue.”

Bills related to construction defect laws remains to be seen this session but Sen. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, said he expects measures regarding defects to come from Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Westminster and Sen. Mark Scheffel R-Parker.

“I am very confident that is going to get through the senate where there seems to be strong bi-partisan support there,” Sen. Holbert said.

But although the governor omitted discussion of construction defects, major issues including water conservation, transportation growth and balancing Colorado’s energy industry with responsible environmental stewardship were met with applause from the general assembly.

“He hit on the big things that really are important to everyone in the state,” said Sen. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge. “People can say he kicks the can down the road, I don’t see it that way,” she said. “In his speech, what I heard is what I we’ve heard so many times from him –; it’s a lot of collaboration and people working together.”