| Remarks
of Governor Bill Owens
State of the State Address
Colorado General Assembly
January 8, 2004
Lieutenant Governor Norton, President Andrews,
Speaker Spradley, Members of the Cabinet, Attorney
General Salazar, Treasurer Coffman, Honorable
Senators and Representatives, Mayor Hickenlooper,
distinguished guests, my fellow
Coloradans:
The convening of our Legislature each year celebrates
our freedom and our democratic system of government.
A system, created by patriots, that has served
America well for more than two centuries. A democratic
system that inspired people around the world to
embrace the right to liberty that God gives to
all people.
A few weeks ago, members of the Baghdad City
Council visited Colorado. I had the chance to
talk with these courageous men. We met the day
after American soldiers had captured Saddam Hussein.
One said this: "Governor, we just want to
thank America for our freedom."
Today, I want to thank the thousands of Coloradans
who wear our nation's uniform for our freedom.
And I particularly want to thank those 126 state
employees who have been called to duty since September
11, 2001. Eighty-three remain overseas. They left
their homes and families to keep America safe.
With us today are four veterans who fought with
coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. State
Trooper Steven Hodge served for the past nine
months in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a Sergeant
in the U.S. Army. Steven Baker works for the Department
of Corrections, and served in Afghanistan as a
sergeant in the Special Forces. Gail Wallace,
a correctional officer, served overseas as a Master
of Arms in the Naval Reserve.
And Jason Belmont, also of the Corrections Department,
served in Iraq as a Corporal in the U.S. Marines.
To the four of you, and to all those Coloradans
who sacrifice for our freedom, thank you. Welcome
home.
Today, Colorado is back. After years of tough
times and tight budgets.
We're back. And we are getting stronger.
Our revenue forecasts are up substantially. And
the economic signs are promising.
For example, even during tough times, Colorado
is still ranked among the top five states in the
nation for economic development in 2003, according
to the Corporation for Enterprise Development.
Retail sales are up. Colorado personal income
is up - the ninth best in the country. While inflation
is just 1.7 percent.
It was President Bill Clinton who said, "Ignore
the headlines. Follow the trend lines."
Looking at those trends, we see job growth in
key sectors of the economy, including finance,
education, health services and hospitality.
Venture capital investments in Colorado were
up 80 percent in the third quarter of 2003.
And how about the stock market? While the Dow
was up 25 percent in 2003, what about Colorado?
The Bloomberg Index for Colorado stocks was up
41 percent last year. That's a great reflection
on the health of Colorado-based companies.
And, because we worked together and maintained
our fiscal course, we're making further gains
in this recovery.
As Colorado's economy strengthens, we also must
remember that one of the magnets for companies
- and good jobs - is the fact that Colorado's
fundamentals are so solid.
Colorado is the fourth most desirable state in
which to live, according to a national poll.
Twenty-four of our ski resorts were listed in
the top 50 in the world by Conde Nast Traveler
magazine.
We're one of the healthiest states in the nation,
and the least obese.
We're also proud that our capital city is the
third most literate city in the nation. Joining
us this morning is Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
John, welcome.
The Mayor and I have developed a close partnership,
and a strong friendship. And it's one that's producing
dividends for Denver and for Colorado.
Soon after his inauguration, the Mayor and I
led a joint economic development trip to California's
Silicon Valley. We pitched venture capital firms
on what a great place Colorado is in which to
do business.
It paid off. We learned this week that a Colorado
high tech company will more than double its workforce
this year after receiving nearly $10 million in
venture capital. Mr. Mayor, the CEO of Roving
Planet credits our visit with introducing these
California venture capitalists to Colorado companies.
Real jobs brought home to Colorado. John, thanks
for all you do.
Let me be clear. There is no such thing as good
enough. Not while I'm governor. We have more work
to do. On transportation. On our schools. On our
environment. We're never satisfied, and we can
always do better.
But today, as we look forward to a year of promise,
I tell you that the state of our state is sound.
One of the best examples of the energy and the
hard work that defines Colorado is our Lieutenant
Governor.
In the past year, Jane Norton has embraced the
job of Lieutenant Governor with vigor, effectiveness
and compassion.
One of the signature issues she is focused on
is helping the more than 700 Colorado children
who are available for adoption - who need good
homes - in our child welfare system.
We know that there are good parents and good
homes waiting for these children. Our challenge
is to help these children find the loving home
they deserve. The Lieutenant Governor has appointed
a Committee to Promote Adoption, which will recommend
ways to remove those hurdles that discourage adoption.
Jane, for this great initiative and for all you
do for Colorado, thank you.
Friends, this past year has been one of great
challenge, and one of great accomplishment. One
year ago, I stood before you and said that, working
together, we could achieve much for the people
of Colorado.
Yet sometimes in the midst of our daily debates
over policy and priorities, we sometimes forget
to step back and look at what we have accomplished.
Let me report on some of the successes we achieved
by working together.
First, health insurance. With the leadership
of Speaker Lola Spradley and Senate Majority Leader
Mark Hillman, we enacted legislation to expand
access to health insurance. By offering a solid,
basic policy, we give employers the chance to
offer workers basic health care protection when
before they could afford to offer none at all.
The numbers are coming in. And the rates for
health insurers basic plans are dropping. A survey
by the Division of Insurance shows rates down
as much as one-third for the basic plans. That's
good news for families who haven't been able to
afford health insurance. And it's great news for
our small business owners, who know that offering
their workers health coverage increases their
competitiveness.
Second, auto insurance. Last July, we changed
from a no fault to a tort system. As a result,
premiums are dropping. I know that from comparing
policies on the three cars we have in my own family.
The average annual cost of a liability policy
- which meets all the state requirements - dropped
27 percent. And those drivers who purchased a
full policy saw almost a 15 percent reduction.
I also look forward to working with you this
year to address the serious problem of uninsured
motorists on our roads. A reform measure dealing
with uninsured motorists has attracted bipartisan
sponsorship in both houses, and I want to thank
Senators Hillman and Veiga, and Representatives
Fairbank and Jahn for your leadership.
And speaking of transportation, we should be
proud of how we have improved Colorado's transportation
system. Over the past five years, we have dramatically
- and effectively - increased our investment in
transportation.
Let's look back at the past decade. In the five
years before I took office, CDOT spending averaged
$617 million per year. In the last five years,
our spending on transportation has doubled to
over $1.2 billion.
The result? We have accelerated badly needed
projects all across Colorado.
We have made a real difference. Without bonding,
T-REX wouldn't have been completed until 2017.
Today, this project is more than half completed
and is on schedule to be wrapped up just two years
from now -- eleven years early.
But it's not just T-REX. We focused on 28 key
projects statewide that have benefited from bonding.
Just a few weeks ago, we marked the completion
of another one of those priority projects. We
finished the Mousetrap - years earlier than would
otherwise have been possible.
Another way we keep Colorado on the right track
is through GOCO and the preservation of open space.
GOCO has invested, on average, more than $14 million
annually on land preservation. As a result, my
administration has been able to play a critical
role in helping to preserve nearly 360,000 acres
over the past five years.
But, looking back at 2003, I can't say I got
everything I wanted. Take Referendum A.
Let's remember, though, where we were just one
year ago. A drought that experts confirmed just
this week as the worst in 300 years. Farmers'
crops failing. Ranchers selling off herds. Water
rationing in the Front Range.
But, as Referendum A fades in our rear-view mirror,
our water challenges remain. Even with some good
news on our snowpack, forecasters tell us that
the Front Range will need a wet spring to avoid
water shortages and fire danger.
I heard often during the debate over Referendum
A that "there is no disagreement about the
need for more storage." It was just, some
said, that Referendum A wasn't the best way to
address the issue. I am eager to hear new ideas
for addressing what everyone recognizes is a need
for more storage. One point is clear: we can't
develop a plan for a single county or region and
think that we're developing a statewide water
policy.
Ladies and gentlemen, just like water policy,
our fiscal policy affects every family in Colorado.
I am proud that, together, we have faced the
worst fiscal challenge in more than a decade.
And our taxpayers are the winners.
We didn't even think about raising taxes, because
our Constitution wisely constrains us. I wouldn't
sign a tax increase anyway. And, friends, because
we couldn't take the easy road that other states
took, we are recovering - without raising taxes.
How did we succeed? We found savings. We acted
like any Colorado family with financial challenges.
It wasn't easy.
Let's not forget how far we've come to make this
happen.
In 1998, prior to my administration, legislators
in both parties decided to spend Colorado's surplus.
That's fine if you do it once. Problem is, they
did it twice. In the same year. It was House Bill
1414 and as Casey Stengel said, "you can
look it up."
Those who voted "yes" included, by
the way, a number of ex-legislators who now serve
in my Cabinet.
The problem was that when the economy slowed,
we had to repay the surplus to refill the hole.
A $927 million hole to be exact. And you and I
were handed the shovel. We filled it. It was tough.
But in the middle of a recession, and within
the constraints of TABOR and Amendment 23, we
paid off almost a one billion dollar debt we inherited.
Members of the Legislature, give yourselves a
hand.
And we did it within the Constitutional limits
that are built into our budget process.
Those who favor more state spending have criticized
TABOR for more than a decade. But a fair examination
of TABOR shows that it is not - and has not been
--the major reason behind our budget challenge.
It is important to remember that Colorado has
not had a TABOR surplus since the 2000 fiscal
year. Even if TABOR didn't exist, Colorado would
still have had budget shortfalls in recent years
- just like 42 other states. Forty-two states
that don't have TABOR on their books.
I believe that the spending restraint that is
at the heart of TABOR in fact prevented Colorado
from falling into the budget hole that devastated
other states, most notably California.
Which brings us to Amendment 23. The effect of
Amendment 23 is exactly what its sponsors wanted.
Come good times or bad, regardless of the fiscal
challenges facing Colorado, education spending
has an ever-increasing Constitutional claim on
our tax dollars. In the 2002 fiscal year, for
example, while almost all other departments were
cutting their budgets, K-to-12 state education
spending increased more than 11 percent. On top
of that, we put almost a quarter of a billion
dollars into the State Education Fund - dollars
that would otherwise have gone into the General
Fund.
Let me make two points. First, fully funding
public education has been, and continues to be,
one of my central priorities. In my first two
budgets - prior to Amendment 23 - I insisted on
more than fully funding education. And we did
so.
But, second, by requiring - for example -- an
11 percent jump in education spending, while overall
spending went down 4 percent, Amendment 23 took
virtually all the new revenue.
Would education continue to get a healthy share?
As long as I'm governor, absolutely.
Should education be guaranteed double-digit increases
when other spending is going down? In my opinion,
no.
That's my view, and I think the fiscal facts
support it.
But, there is also another fact. About half of
you, give or take, think that TABOR is the problem.
And about half of you think than Amendment 23
is the problem. But changing our Constitution
requires a two-thirds vote. Followed by a vote
of the people.
We are not going to change TABOR or Amendment
23 by themselves. If the will exists to address
this complicated issue, it will take compromise
and collaboration. I am happy to be part of those
discussions.
But, whatever we do, changes will not likely
affect this year's budget. My budget proposal,
which I submitted to you, increases spending 5.8
percent. We would increase our investment in key
areas, including higher education, public safety,
tourism and services to our citizens.
We will increase the Medicaid appropriation by
5.4 percent. This will eliminate the cap on enrolling
new children in CHIP. It will also reinstate pre-natal
care for low-income women.
Our budget would boost financial aid to college
students. Put more State Troopers on the job to
protect us. Promote Colorado tourism. Reduce wait
times at driver license centers.
And fund the Tony Grampsas Youth Services grants.
I look forward to working with the Joint Budget
Committee and this Legislature to craft a budget
that meets our priorities, protects our taxpayers
and helps grow our economy.
One of the keys to growing our economy is our
tourism industry. Last year, we worked together
and invested $9 million in tourism advertising
and marketing. I want to report to you on your
investment.
It worked. Visitors to Colorado-dot-com - our
tourism website -- have jumped 200 percent. Inquiries
from major markets around the country jumped as
much as 40 percent. Visits to key tourist destinations
are seeing double-digit increases. The holiday
ski season was one of the best in years. And bookings
for next summer are way up as well.
Clearly, what we did made a difference. And I
thank you.
Contrast that solid return on our tourism investment
with the unacceptable record of the CAPCO program.
By any measure the CAPCO program has failed.
The state auditor's recent report on the program
is very compelling.
Fact: the insurance companies collected nearly
$1 million more in fees than they invested in
venture capital.
Fact: the state auditor could not verify the
CAPCO companies' claims about the alleged number
of jobs created.
Fact: Nearly half a million in taxpayer money
went to lobbying fees. I guess that at least supports
"job retention."
Friends, all of us here are for economic development.
But what separates us from the CAPCO advocates
is that we want economic development for Colorado.
We want new jobs and new companies on the West
Slope, not the West Side of Manhattan. We want
innovation in the Tech Center, not Rockefeller
Center.
We can't mend this program. We must end this
program.
I have seen a number of proposals to focus the
tax credit dollars in ways that would produce
real benefit for our taxpayers and our economy.
Let's move quickly to reach a consensus. I'll
be a strong partner, standing with you in this
effort.
One of the best ways we can improve our economy
is by protecting our environment. Three hundred
days of sunshine a year. The breath-taking beauty
of the Rocky Mountains. World-class recreation
in our mountain communities.
Over the last twenty years we have made huge
improvements in our air and water quality. But
we all know there is more to be done.
For the challenges ahead, we need to improve
and modernize our air and water regulatory system.
This year, we are proposing a new environmental
permitting process. With this reform, we can build
new partnerships with communities and companies
and work with them to minimize bureaucratic requirements
and ensure stronger environmental protection.
This means we can reduce pollution faster. The
result? A cleaner environment and a healthier
Colorado with less bureaucracy and paperwork.
Our goal is to protect and enhance the quality
of life of all Coloradans.
One of the greatest bipartisan testaments to
Colorado's commitment to innovation is education
reform. It was started by a Democratic Governor
and continued by this Republican Governor.
We enacted landmark school accountability legislation
with strong support from both parties.
Ladies and gentlemen, our children have a brighter
future because we, together, demanded a better
public school system. And when our children succeed,
Colorado succeeds.
Colorado has seen an 84 percent drop in the number
of minority students attending "unsatisfactory"
schools over the past two years. That, friends,
is real progress.
And it didn't happen all by itself. Our accountability
system gives parents the information they need
and encourages them to get involved in their schools.
It challenges our educators. It rests on a powerful
proposition: that which we measure we can improve.
A few weeks ago The Education Trust praised Colorado
for our public reporting of teacher quality and
student dropout rates. That's just the latest
applause for our accountability reports, joining
Education Week magazine and The Heritage Foundation,
hich have called our system among the best in
the nation.
But the core of this system is how Coloradans
have forged a partnership - among parents, teachers
and the community - to breathe new life into schools
that were, by anybody's definition, in trouble.
Some said "labeling" a school as unsatisfactory
would so demoralize teachers that they would just
give up. That they would turn away from those
schools most in need.
I never believed that. A good teacher is tenacious.
A good teacher doesn't give up. A good teacher
pushes, and prods and fights for results.
These are exactly the kind of educators who have
created success stories in our schools. We are
particularly proud of Denver Public Schools. Please
welcome Janice Spearman, the principal at Columbine
Elementary School, which earned the Governor's
Distinguished Improvement Award this year. We're
also pleased to welcome DPS Superintendent Dr.
Jerry Wartgow.
This year, we propose improving the Student Accountability
Reports that have been a catalyst for success
for many of our public schools. With our new reports,
we'll show how students are improving from grade
to grade, giving parents the kind of information
they really need. We'll follow students year to
year. These reports will be better for parents,
for teachers and for our students.
Accountability is a pillar of reform. So is school
choice.
We're proud that Colorado is already home to
public school choice. We're proud of our charter
schools as well.
Colorado's charter schools have been at the forefront
of our system of public education. And while most
school districts have recognized charters as new,
innovative and valuable additions to public education,
some districts, though, have unfortunately developed
a "just say no" policy toward charters.
That is wrong. It's unacceptable.
I am encouraged by the efforts of House Majority
Leader Keith King and Rep. Terrance Carroll to
provide more alternatives - more choice - for
those seeking to form charter schools. I hope
to sign legislation this session that allows for
alternative chartering authorities.
I am also proud that Colorado enacted the first
statewide school voucher plan since the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled that vouchers are Constitutional.
Last year, a Denver judge put our school choice
program on hold. I believe that the judge was
wrong.
We will fight that decision.
Our education reform journey will not be complete
until children and families have the widest possible
choices in education.
This year, we have the opportunity to expand
school choice to children with special needs.
These children require costly, focused services.
But they often have the fewest number of educational
choices. I congratulate Rep. Nancy Spence for
introducing legislation to bring school choice
to those special needs children who need choice
the most.
We must bring this same commitment to bold and
innovative reform to our colleges and universities.
Higher education is the gateway to a successful
future. But, unfortunately, far too many Coloradans
are not taking advantage of the opportunity that
higher education can offer.
We didn't put elementary and secondary education
on the road to reform by merely changing at the
margins. And nothing less will do for higher education.
Let's get the job done this year. The principles
we embrace are clear. We must empower students
and put real financial power in their hands. We
must protect them from unchecked tuition increases.
And we must give our institutions more flexibility
while placing them on a stronger financial footing.
Let's establish the College Opportunity Fund
this year to place real dollars in the hands of
Colorado students. Let these dollars follow students
to the college or university of their choice.
Let's make the dream of higher education more
tangible - more real - for Coloradans.
I also hope we can reach a consensus on enterprise
status for universities. But I will not give unlimited
authority to colleges and universities to raise
tuition. Students and their families are not ATM
machines. Send me an enterprise bill that protects
our students and our taxpayers, and I'll sign
it.
Our college and university students are the future
of Colorado. They have their whole lives ahead
of them.
That's why a recent tragedy affected us so deeply.
On a cold January night in Fort Collins, a murderer
impersonated a police officer. He caused Lacy
Miller, a 20-year-old young woman, to pull her
car over. She thought it was a traffic stop. This
coward preyed on her trust. And he brutally murdered
her.
This was an unspeakable tragedy. There wasn't
a parent in Colorado - myself included - who didn't
view this crime as their worst nightmare.
Because of the bravery and the strength of Lacy's
mother - Colorado is working to make sure that
no other family suffers the way that this family
has suffered. Last year, we strengthened the penalties
for impersonating a police officer. This year
I hope we take another step forward and target
the illegal use of police equipment, such as red
and blue police lights. I want to thank Representative
Bob McCluskey and Senator Steve Johnson for sponsoring
this legislation.
With us this morning is Wendy Cohen, Lacy Miller's
mother. Wendy, we'll put this new law on the books
this year. For Lacy.
The story of Lacy Miller, and other victims of
violent crime, reminds us that there is no more
basic function of government than providing for
our safety. We protect Coloradans because of the
courage and dedication of the finest law enforcement
personnel in America. And we also protect our
state by putting criminals in prison.
Our corrections system works because of the men
and women who staff our institutions. This is
tough and dangerous work. We remember the loss
of Eric Autobee, a corrections officer who was
brutally murdered by an inmate who today sits
on death row.
Our corrections system works best, though, when
it is about correcting, not simply incarcerating.
Changing the lives of inmates requires helping
them to change their values. They must value life.
Become one who builds and contributes, rather
than one who destroys and takes. To accept accountability
for one's actions. And one's own life.
I am proud that our corrections system, under
the leadership of Joe Ortiz, is home to faith-based
programs that are changing hearts and changing
lives.
The Life Living program at Sterling houses nearly
100 inmates. Thirty-six inmates have already graduated
from this program, which helps inmates change
those attitudes that have led to negative consequences.
And we plan to bring the Horizon program to Colorado
this year. It's working well in Florida. Open
to inmates of all faiths, the program creates
a faith community within a prison. One built on
mutual respect and support. One in which inmates
learn the values that will make them good citizens
upon their release.
This is a bright light of hope and opportunity
in a system where we normally hear about darkness
and despair.
We need to find new ways to solve old problems.
That's the message that came out of the report
on how we must reform our civil service system.
We have just changed our calendars over to 2004.
But in our civil service system, it's still 1918.
It's simply wrong to have a system in place that
takes six months - or longer - to fill a state
job. Which means we often lose some of the best
and brightest candidates who just aren't willing
to put their lives on hold for half a year waiting
for the possibility of working for the state.
And it's wrong to have a system in place that
sometimes puts the protection of poor employees
above the public interest. Let's face it: a system
that keeps such people in place rewards bad conduct
and diminishes the vast majority of our state
employees who take pride in their jobs.
Let me thank former Governor Dick Lamm for co-chairing
the reform commission. And Representative Rosemary
Marshall and Senator Norma Anderson for giving
your time and talent as commission members, as
we work to follow Denver's lead in reforming our
personnel system.
Friends, Medicaid now takes 21 percent of the
state General Fund budget, while Medicaid premiums
have more than quadrupled since 1990. I'm pleased
to tell you that Colorado has become a national
leader in implementing new programs which reduce
costs while improving the quality of care.
This General Assembly, in your foresight, provided
the framework for us to develop innovative programs,
such as Disease Management and consumer-directed
care. We've seized this opportunity and I'm proud
of the results. That's why I believe we can and
should go further.
Last month we invested $1 million to enhance
and expand a state program that empowers Medicaid
recipients with disabilities to direct their own
home care services. They hire and supervise their
own attendants. Set their own attendant schedules
and determine what services the attendants provide.
Consumers thus become more self-sufficient, gain
a greater sense of personal responsibility and
lead healthier lives.
Let's work together this year to expand this
idea to Coloradans with developmental disabilities.
It's the right thing to do for these men and women,
and, ultimately, for our state budget.
The energy of reform is alive in Colorado. We
embrace new, bold ideas. When we see problems
that have been ignored for years - and in the
case of civil service reform, for decades - we
face them head on.
Together, we haven't been deterred by steep,
rocky paths. We climbed together. And we have
seen how great the view is from the mountaintop.
But we have many more mountains to climb.
It was Charles Darwin who said, "It is not
the strongest of the species that survive, not
the most intelligent, but the one most responsive
to change."
The people's business requires us to be energetic
and innovative. It requires us to work together.
To find the right solutions for Colorado.
Doing the people's business requires us to achieve
much in this 120-day session. The clock is ticking.
Let's get to work.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless Colorado.
Reprinted
with permission from Colorado.gov
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