It didn't take very long for partisan politics to surface

It didn't take very long for partisan politics to surface

Jan. 23, 2001

Life in the Legislature
By Rep. Mark Larson

I have striven to give readers a diverse and introspective look at the legislature. And, I have attempted to educate on the realities of interpersonal relationships and the unavoidable politics that flare up from time to time. This article continues in that spirit of a straightforward, candid and sometimes eye o-pening, sharing of experiences.

It didn't take long for partisan tactics to surface in the House. Second reading debate on HB01-1080 rendered significant fireworks at the microphone. This bill added a provision that the Health Care Task Force must study how the current laws regarding nursing homes impacts senior citizens since alternative care options are not codified. The Health Care Task Force is a bi-partisan committee charged by statute to review and make recommendations regarding specific health care issues in Colorado. This bill would put into law that a study be conducted and recommendations brought to the legislature.

The conflagration began when the freshman sponsor of the bill made several statements about the need for such a study and that the issue has not been addressed adequately. That rankled the chairman of the Health, Environment, Welfare and Institutions (HEWI) Commit-tee and she huffed down to the well, delivering a verbal blow that would have struck fear in any freshman legislator's heart. As I listened to the points expressed and finding them contrary to my experiences and way of thinking, I began to build my own head of steam while trying to figure out why there was such stiff opposition to this worthy measure.

The HEWI chairman said that her committee was indeed charged with the oversight responsibility of such issues and that she fully intended to look into the issue soon, thus no bill was needed. I thought to myself that the very reason the Health Care Task Force was formed was to address issues that heretofore had NOT been adequately addressed by the oversight committee or legislature. I felt much better assuring that the issue would be studied because it would be put into law instead of making a huge leap of faith that the new chairman would indeed commit to comprehensively addressing this serious issue.

She claimed that such mandated studies only remove the legislature further from their rightful charge and that she wanted to reign in these committees and put them in their proper place, in the committee of reference that has oversight responsibility. I pulled out the report from the last Health Care Task Force only to find that the House HEWI Committee chairman was also the traditional chairman of the Task Force. So why the uproar? The Task Force would be under her direction anyway.

I began searching for a legitimate reason for such fierce opposition to this bill. I silently reasoned that the Task Force has always been charged with such responsibility, so adding yet another study seemed appropriate. The HEWI Committee has shown no desire in the past to address the issue so the Task Force seemed the appropriate venue.... and she would be the chairman. And, if her HEWI Committee did decide to take it on, all the better. This is a difficult issue to grasp and the more input the better. I could think of no real reason to mount such an assault, even to the point that the Assistant Majority Leader was walking down the aisles telling majority members, "We need to support the committee chairman on this." Why?

Then it struck me. Had I been so blinded by the amiable, respectful and professional campaign waged between Democrat Suzanne Garcia, Libertarian Bill Zimsky and myself? Had I been so sedated by the fact that after the election we are really only the Party of Southwestern Colorado that I overlooked the obvious? Perhaps. And all the better. I would like to have gone a lot further into the session before being reawakened to the partisan reality that we still attempt to shoot messengers up there.

Capital phone: (303) 866-2914; capital fax: (303) 866-2218; e-mail: mlarson@sni net; new website: www.larsoncolorado.com