Tomorrow is another day

Tomorrow is another day

Feb. 13, 2001

Life in the Legislature
By State Representative Mark Larson

Friday's floor debate on bills was one of those rare days that truly defines being a member of the legislature. The last day of the week is reserved for third reading votes (the final vote before a bill goes to the Senate) and second reading debate. The second reading de-bate is when members who are not in the committee of reference (that committee the bill is first assigned) get a chance to modify, extol or condemn a bill. The House of Representatives resolves itself into the Committee of the Whole for such debates and one of the House members presides over the action as chairman.

Members will move their bills and explain why this particular measure is vital to the state and needing members to support it. The last two bills on Friday's list, called Special Orders, were bills that I had an interest in, one supportive and one I truly wanted to eliminate.

The first bill was attempting to allow interior designers to obtain building permits for projects within their scope of ability for any size, occupancy load, shape and height of building. Currently interior designers are limited to the size, occupancy and height of a building they can work on independent of an architect. The problem with this bill is that these individuals, while educated and professional, are not architects and, as was obviated in committee, really do not receive the necessary education to receive such wide-ranging authority. Having communicated with the architects in my district, I knew the proper questions to ask and how to frame them. While I originally supported the bill (and indeed am a co-sponsor), after hearing testimony there was little doubt that this legislation was opening a Pandora’s box of potential problems including life safety issues resulting from limited understanding of a buildings "systems."

I fought the sponsor tooth and nail, fired damaging evidence after damaging evidence. I pointed out all that we had heard in committee and questioned why members refused to consider the facts presented. But alas, it was a battle lost. The sponsor had already secured her votes and my words were falling on unhearing ears. And, even though members came up to me afterwards stating that my debate had great merit, the bill was passed on a division (stand and be counted) vote.

What is interesting about this is that the very next bill up was sponsored by the same member I had just fought with so furiously. Her next bill was one that I have monitored since the Administrative Law Judge interim committee and indeed, help shepherd through the committee. A few other members thought this worthwhile measure should be re-routed to the Committee on Appropriations, which was definitely not the sponsor’s wish, nor mine.

So, there we were, only seconds had passed since our somewhat bitter debate against each other where the fur was truly flying, and now we were fighting just as furiously to save a bill from the clutches of the dreaded Appropriations Committee, only this time, we were fighting together.

Admittedly, this situation does not occur very frequently. However, it does happen and at the end of the day, legislators walk arm in arm off into the sunset, or perhaps to a reception. Tomorrow is another day.

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The new revenue projections came in late Friday afternoon. On first blush, it appears the revenue will be down approximately $64 million. This shift in anticipated revenue will have devastating consequences on Capital Construction projects, including those of our regional higher education providers, Fort Lewis College and Pueblo Community College. The preliminary figures validated fears of what might happen when constitutional amendments dictate budget constraints (such as Amendment 23) and those constraints meet up with significant changes in revenue. The result will cause for tremendous disruption in funding. Next week I will discuss the impacts of these new projections, Amendment 23 and what we are faced with in the immediate and next years.

For more information, go to www.LarsonColorado.com. Capital phone: (303) 866-2914; Capital fax: (303) 866-2218; e-mail: mlarson@sni.net.