The Colorado General Assembly was gaveled into session under a cloud of uncertainty. Not only had the incumbent governor, Bill Ritter, announced only days earlier he would not seek re-election, but the legislature is charged with cutting a further $40 million from the 2009-2010 budget.

Over two hundred bills were introduced during the first week, ranging from the hot button issues of medical marijuana to the perennial attempt to allow convenience stores to sell full-strength beer. And 2010 being an election year, expect the sparks to fly.

The session will be dominated by two things: the budget and election-year politics. On the budgetary side, Gov. Ritter has announced his intention to introduce a package of bills that temporarily suspend or permanently abolish certain tax credits and exemptions in order to save millions of dollars and reduce the budget shortfall.

For the 2009-2010 budget it has been suggested that the effective date for these proposed tax changes should be March 1, 2010, which would garner tens of millions of dollars for the state.

Two exemptions specific to the ag industry are those for agricultural compounds and for pesticides, totaling $4.4 million during the entire fiscal year for 2010-2011. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union will be actively working for constructive solutions to the state’s budget woes, and closely monitoring the budgets of the Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture.

A flurry of water bills have been introduced, from HB-1159 by Rep. Sal Pace (D-Pueblo) regarding basin-of-origin provisions in water court decrees to SB-052 from Sen. Greg Brophy (R-Wray) that gives certainty to groundwater users in designated basins.

On the renewable energy side, the Ritter administration is attempting to increase the statewide renewable energy production mandate and promote distributed generation through Rep. Max Tyler’s (D-Golden) HB-1001.
There will also be bills to fix late-fee provisions passed as part of the FASTER legislation from 2009.

Check your on-line bill list to see all the bills RMFU is following for you!

Coming off a year of remarkable federal government intervention, 2010 promises to be another year strongly influenced by decisions made in our nation’s capital. Looking ahead, expect a continued push on healthcare reform, banking regulations, immigration, and climate change. And don’t forget the midterm elections in November.

As always, it is my pleasure to serve the membership of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 720.837.6726 or benjamin.waters@rmfu.org.