Education, health top budget

To Ritter, bill is an investment; critics see it as 'bloated'

By Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 29, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Matt Mcclain / The Rocky

Gov. Bill Ritter signs this year's $18.4 billion state budget into law during a ceremony on the west steps of the capitol on Monday. He said the budget "makes forward-looking investments."

Gov. Bill Ritter signed next year's $18.4 billion budget into law Monday, listing the document's commitment to children's health and higher education as proof of its "moral" value.

"As I said last year, a budget is really a moral document," Ritter said. "It represents our values and our priorities. It addresses key investments for today's critical needs, and it makes forward-looking investments for what we believe to be a better tomorrow."

But some Republican lawmakers called the budget "bloated" with 1,300 new state employees, expanded entitlement programs and new spending mandates.

"We lost a golden opportunity to show the people of Colorado that on the eve of a recession we will stop the spending spree and start to save money," said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma. "But instead of hitting the brakes, this budget breaks the bank."

Ritter said those criticisms lacked merit. Most of the 1,300 new employees were for higher education and the state's expanding prison system, and many of those came at no cost to the state because they were already contract workers, he said.

Education investment

One of its cornerstones is a 9 percent, $65.8 million increase for higher education to boost financial aid and help cap tuition increases.

Ritter said that increase, on top of the 7.5 percent increase for colleges and universities in last year's budget, represents the "greatest investment in higher education in Colorado history."

"We inherited a big hole in higher education funding," the governor said. "This year for the first time since 2001 we will climb out of our pre-recession funding levels for colleges and universities in the state of Colorado."

Ritter's budget effectively caps tuition rate increases at 5 percent for the nearly 70 percent of in-state residents who qualify for financial aid. And it caps tuition hikes at 7.5 percent for all students at four-year institutions.

Needy families to benefit

Children from needy families and low-income pregnant mothers will benefit from various programs that will get more money.

Ritter's "building blocks to health care reform" would, among other things, enrich the benefits available to children on Medicaid and the state children's health program and bring 8,500 more children into those programs largely by expanding the eligibility requirements and covering kids who are eligible but not currently enrolled. It also would ensure that all children on public health programs had a central "medical home" provider.

The lion's share of money for the expanded programs became available in January as a result of a routine adjustment in the budgeting process that found K-12 enrollment numbers to be lower than projections made in the fall.

That $25 million in "found money" would grow to $64 million with federal matching funds.

The supplemental funding is over and above the $4.5 million that Ritter asked the state to spend on bringing 12,000 more already eligible children onto the public health care rolls in his Nov. 1 budget request. That amount would increase to $24 million after federal funds are drawn down.

Ritter says the money will help him get the state on track to cover 55,000 more of the state's estimated 180,000 uninsured kids over three years.

Prisons, transportation

Ritter, formerly Denver's district attorney, is trying to improve the dismal statistic that 50 percent of all prisoners return to prison within three years after they are released.

His increase of $5.7 million for 12 initiatives is aimed at keeping criminals from re-offending.

His estimates show the state could save or avoid spending $58 million with investments of about $41 million over five years.

The governor's blue ribbon panel on transportation recommended in January that the state spend a minimum of $500 million more a year, just to fix its crumbling roads and bridges.

Ritter's budget fell short of that goal, devoting just $180 million at "strategic transportation projects" across the state.

Ritter acknowledged more is needed, and reiterated his support for a bill in the legislature that would fund road repairs with higher car registration and rental car fees.

Ritter said the state's "moral responsibility" to help its developmentally disabled citizens drove him to increase funding there by $16.5 million.

bargec@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5059

Reality check

What they're saying about who gets what, compared to the reality of the problems.

HIGHER EDUCATION

* Gov. Bill Ritter: "We are making the greatest investment in higher education in Colorado history."

* Reality: It is true that the state will spend more next year on higher education than it ever has. However, it's going to take a lot more than $65.8 million to pull the state's colleges and universities up from 49th nationally in funding. Funding would have to increase by $750 million a year just to reach the national average, higher education director David Skaggs has estimated.

HEALTH CARE

* Bill Lindsay, chair of Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform: "The building blocks that are part of this budget are a wise and responsible approach to meaningful reform."

* Reality: The budget improves on and expands the current public children's health care systems, mostly thanks to $25 million that Ritter found in the 11th hour to devote to the cause. Lindsay says this is a great first step. However, Ritter said last year he wanted universal health care for all Coloradans. Lindsay's commission has determined it would cost more than $1 billion to do that.

TRANSPORTATION

* Ritter: "What we can say is that in this budget we know that transportation dollars are not forthcoming in the amount that the panel recommended just to fix the roads in this state and that we as a state will have to address this issue."

* Reality: Ritter is right. His blue ribbon transportation panel has determined it would cost $1.5 billion more per year to bring the state's roads and bridges into the 21st century; and at least $500 million more just to keep them out of disrepair.

• April 29, 2008

  12:02 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:

  49th Nationally? What does this mean? 49th per capita because we have an extremely wealthy population? Give how much we spend per student compared to the other 50 states. The death of objective journalism is leading to the death of freedom.

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