DENVER Speaker of the House Frank McNulty has encouraged his House Republicans to limit themselves to three bills in 2012, instead of the typical five.
But Southwest Colorados representatives are not taking up the offer. They have too many of their own ideas, as well as bills from other state agencies, to abide by a three-bill limit.
Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio, will sponsor a bill backed by Chief Justice Michael Bender to add another judge in the 6th Judicial District, which includes La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties,
He also has a bill to allow small counties to elect their commissioners from districts, instead of at-large.
And he wants to be a voice for colleges when it comes time to adopt the state budget.
We sure need to help our higher education as much as we can, Brown said. Tuitions been going up, and Id like to see that turned around.
If Brown wins re-election in 2012, his new district will include not just Fort Lewis College, but Western State College in Gunnison.
Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, could find herself in the middle of a growing debate over the states health care programs for the poor. Republicans have fixed on Medicaids increasing costs as a threat to the state budget.
Roberts has two bills aimed at getting costs under control, although she did not develop them to be part of a wider GOP package of bills.
The first would require reports from the attorney general and the state health care department on how much fraud exists among Medicaid recipients.
We dont yet have a clear indication of how much recipient fraud there is, Roberts said.
Her second bill would help older Medicaid patients who want to go to an assisted living facility, instead of a nursing home.
Nursing homes are often more expensive for the state and less desirable for patients.
Medicaid and public schools will soon eat up the whole budget unless something is done, Roberts said.
My constituents think it is a good thing to have paved roads. My constituents think it is a good thing to have state colleges and universities, she said.
Rep. Don Coram, R-Montrose, said his top bill would prohibit fines on businesses by state agencies until the business gets a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem that led to the fine.
If theres a problem, fix the problem, rather than (levy a) fine, and they cant afford to fix the problem, Coram said.
Coram, whose district in 2012 will expand to include all of Montezuma County, said he will carry more than three bills. Most of them will be legal clean-ups from various state agencies that sought out Coram as a sponsor.
I tried to work bipartisan last year, and that seemed to work, so it got me a lot of business this year, Coram said.
For example, hes carrying a bill for Attorney General John Suthers to prohibit sentences of probation for people convicted of three felonies.
The yearly session begins Jan. 11 and ends no later than May 9.
