2009 Legislative Accomplishments

MEMO

To: Public Policy Committee, Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition
From: Aponte & Busam Public Affairs
Date: May 11, 2009
Re: Summary of 2009 Legislative Session

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A Historic Year – Start to Finish

On Wednesday, May 6th, the 2009 Legislative session came to a close after 120 days of debating and lawmaking. The session began with the historic election of Representative Terrance Carroll as Speaker of the House, joining Senate President Peter Groff to give Colorado the distinction of becoming the first state to have African Americans lead both chambers of the General Assembly. As lawmakers began their work of crafting new public policy, concerns about the state’s faltering economy became paramount. Lawmakers were forced to make upwards of $1.5 billion in cuts to all sectors of government, most notably education, health care and higher education. Though a large share of proposed legislation was overshadowed by budget concerns, lawmakers did make significant advances in job creation, fiscal reform, healthcare affordability, education reform and transportation funding.

Democratic Lawmakers Depart

Throughout the session several Democratic lawmakers announced their resignations, including Rep. Anne McGihon (D-Denver), Sen. Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver), Rep. Gwen Green (D-Golden) and Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver). McGihon’s seat was filled in late March by Rep. Daniel Kagan, who served for the remainder of the 2009 session, and until the term is up in 2010. Vacancy committees have begun meeting to appoint replacements for the remaining elected officials.

Looking Ahead to 2010

Although the next election cycle is not until 2010, campaigning has already begun. Most notably, Governor Bill Ritter (D-Denver) is running for a second term as the state’s chief executive. Several challengers have surfaced, including Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry (R-Fruita) and former Congressman Scott McInnis (R-Denver). Additionally, a large number of Federal and State races are scheduled for 2010, making it a busy year for campaigning. In anticipation of the elections, state lawmakers are expected to tackle campaign issues such as fiscal reform, healthcare reform, education reform and transportation funding.

Review of Significant Legislation

Despite the state’s budget woes, lawmakers were able to make considerable advances in key areas such as healthcare, education and transportation. Additionally, they began to tackle Colorado’s fiscal constraints that limit the state’s spending ability and have a tremendous negative impact during economic downturns. Outlined below are the bills that CCIC followed throughout the session, as well as other key legislation.

Healthcare

CCIC was instrumental in advocating for the passage of HB 1020 and HB 1293, the coalition’s top priority bills for the 2009 session. With the passage of these, and other health care bills, Colorado is making strides towards expanding coverage for uninsured populations.  Despite several attempts to broaden Colorado’s health care system, including HB 1273 and HB 1358, large scale health care reform remains an opportunity for the future.

CCIC Priority Legislation

• HB09-1020 (Acree/Spence) –  Creates an expedited process for re-enrollment in the state’s Medicaid and CHP+ programs.  Applicants will now be able to re-enroll online or over the phone, thus easing the restrictive nature of the current re-enrollment process.
• HB09-1293 (Boyd & Keller/Ferrandino & Riesberg) –  Known as the Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act, HB 1293 provides coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans and makes healthcare more affordable by reducing uncompensated care and cost-shifting, two of the leading contributors to increasing healthcare costs. The bill also allows for 12 month continuous eligibility, ensuring consistent care and the promotion of the medical home concept.

Other Health Care Legislation

• HB09-1111 (Massey/Boyd & Schwartz) – Creates the Office of Primary Care within the Prevention Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Environment. The new Office is charged with maximizing federal and state resources, particularly to assist rural and medically underserved areas of the state. 
• HB09-1204 (Massey/Boyd) – Expands required coverage for  preventative services, including childhood, pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations, deemed high priorities by the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the National Commission on Prevention Priorities. The law prohibits the use of deductibles for the services, and caps the copayment or coinsurance amounts at 10% of the cost of the service.

State Budget and Fiscal Reform

The state’s budget was the main event during the 2009 session, as Colorado was forced to cut more than $1.5 billion. As part of a large coalition of health care advocates, CCIC was a key influencer in minimizing health care cuts. The coalition was able to reduce proposed cuts from 4.3% to 2%, saving roughly $30 million in state and federal provider rate reimbursements. Despite the reduced cuts, the forecast for economic recovery is not looking bright. The next economic forecast, due out on June 20, will provide more insight into what the future holds. However, the health care community is bracing for additional cuts should revenues not improve.

On the heels of the SB 228 success, incoming Senate President Brandon Shaffer (D-Longmont) is spearheading a big picture discussion of fiscal reform. Whether that discussion will take place over the interim is not yet known, however the issue has received much attention this session and is bound to be a priority for leadership moving forward.

CCIC Priority Legislation

• SB09-228 (Morse/Marostica) – Increases the state’s rainy day reserve fund, allows for key investments in transportation and infrastructure projects and replaces the existing 6% allocation formula with a new 5% personal income limit, which is tied to the economy so that when the economy recovers from a downturn state services can recover as well.

Other Fiscal Reform Legislation

• HB09-1342 (Benefield & Kagan/Boyd & Williams) – Eliminates the state sales-tax exemption on cigarettes, generating an estimated $30 million per year for the state.
• SB09-281 (Shaffer/Weissman) – One of the most publicized bills of the session, SB 281 was amended to form an interim committee to study Pinnacol Assurance, a quasi-governmental agency that sells workers’ compensation insurance. The bill, in its original form, would have transferred $500 million from Pinnacol’s reserve to help offset the state’s budget deficit. 

	2009 Legislative Session Wrap-Up (66 KB)