Colorado budget: Gov wants $6M to enforce marijuana laws, fight homelessness with pot taxes
Gov. John Hickenlooper asked lawmakers to send a tax hike measure to the November ballot to build and repair the states roads, calling on Colorado to invest in our future.
Weve had this debate for too long, he said Thursday morning in his annual State of State address. If talk could fill potholes, wed have the best roads in the country.
The Democrat did not offer specifics about what he wants to see in the ballot measure but made clear a new revenue source is necessary to meet the states needs, which transportation officials estimate is $9 billion in the next decade. He expressed a willingness to look at tax cuts in other areas to offset the necessary tax hikes.
Hickenlooper pushed back against Republican lawmakers who argue the state spends enough and needs to shift its priorities to find money for roads.
But that can only happen if we demand major sacrifices from Coloradans, he said. Tell us who loses healthcare or what schools have to close to add a mile of highway.
He also spoke at length about the need for more affordable housing, touting both his own plans to fight homelessness using marijuana tax revenue and the ongoing discussions to reform construction defects litigation law.
Too many people and not enough units add up to unaffordable rents and skyrocketing home prices, Hickenlooper said. Ive said it before: we need more affordable housing.
Hickenlooper requested $6 million to beef up local enforcement of state marijuana laws, likening todays fight against the so-called gray market to what happened with alcohol during the era of prohibition.
When we ended alcohol prohibition 84 years ago, we worked hard to wipe out organized crime, he said.
To start his speech, the governor recalled the economic distress and unemployment when he took office and touted the 400,000 new jobs created during his tenure.
We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Colorados history, and the state of our state is strong, he said.
The governor also proposed the creation of an office to focus on increasing broadband internet access in Colorado from 70 percent to 85 percent in the next two years and 100 percent coverage by 2020.
One possible maneuver to open room for transportation spending is the reclassification of the hospital provider fee. The measure failed a year ago but Hickenlooper pledged to keep it a priority.
Talking about the hospital provider fee on the second floor of the Capitol is about as popular as the Oakland Raiders. But its a sensible way to solve some ...
