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Colorado news roundupThe weekday Colorado news roundup is a collection of links to news reports and other resources of interest to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. Listing does not imply endorsement of the content.
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Colorado lawmakers seek to
end phone subsidy
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Fiscal policy
The Denver Post: Colorado lawmakers seek to end phone subsidy
Colorado lawmakers are expected to introduce a bipartisan bill soon proposing to deregulate basic phone service in Colorado and phase out a $60 million state subsidy that reimburses carriers for providing coverage in areas deemed to be rural or high cost to serve.
The Denver Post: Aurora council seeks to extend property tax
Still to be worked out is what specifically the money would help fund. The council would need to formally approve the measure before it could go to voters this fall. Input from a variety of areas will be sought before a final decision is made.
Colorado News Agency: Budget flexibility for cities dies in legislative committee
Split along party-lines, a Senate committee today killed a GOP plan to give budget-strapped cities the same kind of leeway in funding costly employee pensions that the legislature gave the state government a couple of years ago.
Fort Collins Coloradoan commentary: Restore progressive tax system
If the rich don't pay their fair share, the rest of us pay more than ours.
Durango Herald editorial: University of Colorado's high tuition
As idealists are fond of pointing out, there are many ways to afford a college education, including grants, jobs, loans and big checks from parents. Families are advised to consider education as an investment in a better future. That is advice not well received by unemployed parents whose college-level math skills tell them that with all that brought to bear, their students will graduate with loan burdens they may not be able to repay.
Also: Glenwood Springs Post-Independent: CMC trustees postpone tuition increase decision
KCFR-radio: CO Tries New Route with Film Incentives
Governor John Hickenlooper wants to make the state more attractive to Hollywood, by beefing up Colorado's production rebate and adding a new loan program.
Miscellaneous
Denver Post editorial: Give Pinnacol plan a fair shot
Letting the company compete as a private entity rather than be home to risky policies makes sense.
The national scene
Kaiser Health News: People In State High-Risk Insurance Plans Often Feel Left Behind
The 2010 health-care overhaul creates state-based health plans for those who have medical conditions that make them uninsurable in the private market. These "preexisting-condition insurance plans" (PCIPs) are intended to act as a bridge until 2014, when insurers will no longer be able to refuse to cover people with medical problems or charge them more than other consumers. As of November, about 45,000 people had signed up for those plans, far fewer than the up to 400,000 that was originally projected. However, there is a much larger group, more than 220,000 people, who have coverage through 35 state high-risk pools that were in existence before the overhaul was passed. Because of restrictions in the new law, they can't sign up for the PCIP plans, even though the coverage is often cheaper (thanks in part to federal funding) and more comprehensive. For these people, 2014 can't come soon enough.
The Washington Post: Obama's push to revive middle class will clash with long-term trends
The President's ideas, say economists and other scholars, confront decades-old trends that will make it difficult to build a middle class that enjoys a far higher quality of life and sees significantly increased earnings.
Think tanks
The Urban Institute: Using a VAT to Reform the Income Tax
In 100 Million Unnecessary Returns, Columbia University law professor Michael J. Graetz proposed a sweeping reform of the federal tax system that is intended to simplify the tax system, improve economic incentives, and maintain fairness.
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