BBCO Statewide Conversation and Consensus Policy Recommendations

BBCO Statewide Conversation and Consensus Policy Recommendations

WHY Building a Better Colorado?

Colorado is facing some very difficult public policy challenges. Increasing amendments to our state constitution are creating an inflexible framework for governance. Unsustainable fiscal policy doesn t allow the state to meet the service expectations of citizens. Increasing partisanship is eroding public confidence in government. And our ability to fix these policy challenges is becoming increasingly difficult.

The public policy dialogue is becoming increasingly bitter. The social media technology which enables us to more easily communicate with the encourages oversimplification of complex issues and discourages dialogue. Boutique news, which is designed for entertainment, allows us to filter information which fits our political paradigm and thus reinforces our inherent biases. As our society becomes increasingly more mobile, we choose to live in communities of like-minded people; this results in the red communities getting redder and the blue communities getting bluer.

And it s becoming increasingly difficult to effectively deal with these public policy challenges through the traditional mechanisms of the legislature or the ballot box.

The Political Arena is Inherently Conflicted Not form of government is perfect. The primary motivation of both major political parties is to emphasize their differences, NOT seek common ground on which to build consensus solutions. The MAJORITY party s focus is to take advantage of their time in power to force their agenda. The MINORITY party s focus is to regain power by denying the majority any victories.

and the legislature s ability to deal with these challenges is becoming increasingly difficult. Term limits have resulted in the transfer of institutional memory from elected legislators to career lobbyists and bureaucrats. As participation in primary election erodes, the most politically-ideological voices remain at the table and the candidate outcomes reflect that. Because the public is growing increasingly distrustful of their government, they have used their right of direct democracy to amend the constitution and restrict their legislators ability to legislate.

The increasing number of confusing ballot questions oftentimes yield poor decisions. Voters oftentimes don t have the time to understand complex public policy decisions. The public is easily influenced by emotional arguments. The public is inherently most interested in THEIR individual welfare TODAY, and less interested in what s best for the common good tomorrow. Special interests capitalize on these challenges by using fear to motivate self-serving emotional decisions.

Organized interest groups are inherently limited in their ability to deal with these public policy challenges. Organizations view public policy matters through the lens of their own agenda and those agendas are inherently juxtaposed to one another. Organizations only connect with those who join, and many voters don t join.

So, if we can t achieve the public policy solutions that we need through the traditional mechanisms of the legislature or the ballot box, then WHERE do we find the answer?

THE OPPORTUNITY: The public WANTS to do the right thing. The solutions which we seek are not partisan. Is it possible to engage community leaders in a constructive dialogue to build better public policy solutions that are motivated by a shared desire to build a better state rather than by partisan politics or organizational agendas?

WHO is Building a Better Colorado?

Building a Better Colorado is a non-partisan group of civic leaders statewide who ve come together with a shared concern for our state s future. 13 Hank Brown frmr U.S. Senator Gigi Dennis frmr Secretary of State Tim Foster President, Colo Mesa Univ Michael Hancock Mayor of Denver John Hickenlooper Governor of Colorado Rebecca Kourlis frmr Supreme Court Justice Phyllis Norris Mayor of Grand Junction Gale Norton frmr U.S. Sec of the Interior Tom Norton frmr State Senator Federico Pena frmr Mayor of Denver Bill Ritter frmr Governor of Colorado Roy Romer frmr Governor of CO Ken Salazar frmr U.S. Sec of the Interior Gail Schwartz frmr State Senator John Suthers Mayor of Colorado Springs Wellington Webb frmr Mayor of Denver

WHAT did we do?

We hosted an honest conversation about current challenges. o o o the increasing number of amendments to our constitution the decreasing number of citizens who participate in our election process the decreasing ability of our state government to meet the expectations of it s citizens 15 We engaged Coloradans in this conversation. We believe the pathway to a better Colorado lies in engaging citizens statewide in a constructive conversation about what THEY want their state to be. We committed to support implementation of consensus policy recommendations.

WHAT did we NOT do? We did NOT advocate for any particular policy recommendation. We wanted to hear the opinions of those whom we engaged.

HOW did we engage citizens?

Engaging Coloradans in 3 Ways

Targeting Civic Leaders in Communities across Colorado

WHY these three issues? WHAT is the problem?

21 What s the problem with our INITIATIVE PROCESS? Colorado has one of the most easily-amended state constitutions, and therefore we ve seen more citizen initiatives than any state except CA and OR.

Colorado Number of Initiatives to Date by State (Shaded areas of each bar denotes number of measures approved.) 2 3 1 Source: Initiative & Referendum Institute

State Initiative Trends 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1912-1920 1920-1929 1930-1939 1940-1949 1950-1959 1960-1969 1970-1979 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2010 (proj) California Colorado Oregon NOTE: These are NOT cumulative values.

Easy Initiative Process = Cluttered Constitution 24 Because it s just as easy for citizens to amend our state CONSTITUTION as it is to amend state LAWS, and Because amendments to the constitution are much harder to change in the future than are amendments to state law (fixing problems in the constitution requires another vote of the people, whereas our elected legislature can fix problems in state law), Initiative proponents (many of whom are out-of-state interests) are incentivized to pursue amendments to our CONSTITUTION rather than state LAWS, and this is creating an increasingly inflexible and conflicted framework for our state.

What s the problem with our ELECTION PROCESS? 25 More than One Million Colorado voters can t vote in our Primary Election unless they join a political party. Unaffiliated voters:.are the LARGEST BLOCK of voters at 37% of the Colorado electorate.. are the FASTEST GROWING block of the Colorado electorate at 67% of new registrations.

Did you know Participation in primary elections is declining. Only 22% of registered voters participated in Colorado s primary election in 2014. This was down from only 31% who participated in 2010. Partisan influence is increasing. The decreasing participation in our traditional Caucus/Assembly process results in increasing influence by the most partisan party members, which disadvantages more moderate candidates who may have broader appeal with the electorate. Colorado has no Presidential Primary. Colorado no longer has a Presidential Primary in which all voters can participate, and which could contribute significantly to the state economy.

27 What s the problem with our FISCAL POLICY? Colorado s fiscal policy is unsustainable because of a combination of constitutional spending mandates and revenue limitations, and health care costs related to our aging population.

Where Do We Spend Our Money? TOTAL STATE BUDGET = $11.3 billion 28

So, what s the problem? 29 3 Reasons Why Our Fiscal Situation Unsustainable 1. Demographics - Baby Boomers are now Seniors. 2. The increasing costs of providing state services like health care for elderly and other vulnerable populations. 3. Conflicting fiscal rules that we ve embedded into our constitution.

UNSUSTAINABLE REASON #1: Demographics - Baby Boomers are now Seniors. Colorado 65+ Population portion of total, 1990-2040 Source: Colorado State Demography Office

UNSUSTAINABLE REASON #2: Medicaid Costs for Elderly & Disabled are Highest Caseload Expenditures 31

Unsustainable Constitutional Fiscal Rule #1: TABOR continually decreases state revenues relative to the size of the economy because the economy grows faster than the TABOR limit. 32

Unsustainable Constitutional Fiscal Rule #2: Amendment 23 requires increased funding for K-12 education, even during economic downturns. Reinterpretation of A23 reduced K-12 funding by $850M/yr. FY 2011-12 FY 2012-13 FY 2013-14 FY 2014-15 FY 2015-16 FY 2016-17 Local Property Taxes & State Lands State General Fund State Education Fund

Unsustainable Constitutional Fiscal Rule #3: The Gallagher Amendment has resulted in continually shifting the K-12 funding cost from local to state government, which causes the K-12 slice of the state budget to grow every year. 34

Findings from the Legislative-Commissioned DU Study on Colorado s Economic Future, 2011-2024 35 Annual expected growth rates: K-12 education expenditures = 6% Medicaid expenditures = 8% General Fund revenues = 5% BOTTOM LINE: Even a strong recovery and sustained job growth over the next decade and a half will not produce enough income and sales tax revenue to afford Colorado s share of Medicaid funding and the state s payment for public schools under current constitutional and statutory provisions. By fiscal year 2024 a structural imbalance in the state budget would result in only enough revenue to support Medicaid, K-12 education, and corrections.

We believe Colorado can do better.

Summary of Consensus Policy Recommendations

Consensus Policy Recommendations BALLOT REFORM: Require signatures for citizen-initiated amendments to the CONSTITUTION to be gathered from different geographic areas across the state (such as congressional or legislative districts) to increase consideration of statewide impact. Make it harder to amend the constitution by requiring future amendments to be approved by more than a simple-majority vote, but allow existing language to be repealed by the same simple-majority threshold by which it was adopted initially. 38

65 Colorado State House Districts (2011)

7 Colorado Congressional Districts (2011)

35 Colorado State Senate Districts (2011)

Margin of Victory of Citizen Initiated Constitutional Amendments (1990-2014) 68 citizen-initiated constitutional amendments placed on the ballot. 20 of 68 initiatives passed. Would have Election Year Description of Initiative passed with a requirement of: 2012 Initiative 65 CO Congressional Delegation to Support Campaign Finance 74% 1990 Initiative 5 Term Limits 70% 2/3rds 2002 Initiative 27 Campaign Finance 66% 2006 Initiative 41 Standards of Conduct in Government 62% 2004 Initiative 35 Tobacco Tax Increase for Health-Related Purposes 61% 60% 2008 Initiative 50 - Limited Gaming in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek 58% 1992 Initiative 08 Lottery Revenues for Parks, Recreation, Wildlife 58% 1990 Initiative 4 Limited Gaming in Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek 57% 2012 Initiative 64 Use and Regulation of Marijuana 55% 2006 Initiative 43 Marriage 55% 55% 1996 Initiative 12 Term Limits 54% 2006 Initiative 42 Colorado Minimum Wage 53% 2000 Initiative 20 Medical Use of Marijuana 53% 1992 Initiative 01 Tax Limitations Voting 53% 1992 Initiative 02 No Protected Status 53% 2000 Initiative 23 Funding for Public Schools 52% 1996 Initiative 14 Prohibited Methods of Taking Wildlife 52% 2008 Initiative 54 Campaign Contributions for Certain Government Contractors 51% 1996 Initiative 16 State Trust Lands 51% 1994 Initiative 17 Term Limits 51% 50%

Consensus Policy Recommendations FISCAL REFORM: Allow the state to keep revenue beyond current TABOR limits. o Preferred Funding Targets o Education o Transportation o Mental health o Long-term care for seniors o Permanent vs Sunset? 43

Consensus Policy Recommendations ELECTION REFORM: Conduct a semi-open primary with a third ballot that allows unaffiliated voters to choose to participate in a major-party primary without affiliating. Reinstate a presidential primary to allow all registered voters to cast a vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. 44

Next Steps

Initiative #96 1. Higher threshold to QUALIFY proposed constitutional amendments for the ballot Require ballot initiative proponents to collect signatures from 2% of registered voters in each of 35 State Senate Districts. 2. Higher threshold to PASS proposed constitutional amendments Require approval of 55% of voters to add new provisions to the constitution. CONTACT: 5910 S. University Blvd. #C18-254, Greenwood Village, CO 80121 www. RaiseTheBarCO.com 720-326-8612 Email: Katelyn Roberts, kroberts@eissolutions.com

Let Colorado Vote is pursuing two ballot measures in 2016 to increase voter access, engagement and participation in Colorado: Initiative 98 To open primary elections to Colorado s 1.3 million unaffiliated voters. Initiative 140 To restore Colorado s presidential primary election, last held in 2000. CONTACT: PO Box 6139, Denver, CO 80206 www. LetCoVote2016.com Email: Monica Owens Beauprez, monica@westbrookegroup.com 47

Initiative #117 For a period of 10 years, allows Colorado to keep and invest any revenues which exceed the current revenue cap, and requires that these funds be invested as follows: at least 35% of these funds into education, including pre-school through 12th grade education, vocational education and higher education at least 35% into transportation, including highways, bridges, underpasses, mass transit and other projects remaining funds must be invested in mental health and senior services. CONTACT: www. ColoradoPriorities.com, 303-526-8551 Email: Jake Martin, Jake@ColoradoPriorities.com 48

Future Conversations????

Thanks for your time! Visit us online at www.betterco.org Reeves Brown, BBCO Project Coordinator reeves@betterco.org