Statehouse Update
![McCann Headshot - EV](https://greaterparkhill.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/mccann-headshot-ev.jpg?w=225)
Budget
Budgets may not be exciting, but they are essential. Colorado has suffered deep budget cuts, In 2011, the senior citizen homestead exemption was suspended, Amendment 35 tobacco taxes were reallocated to the Medicaid program, cash funds were raided and severance taxes were diverted away from local communities and used to bolster the general fund.
This year we started to heal our budget wounds. We’ve increased our reserve to 5 percent of the General Fund, we’re paying off a loan taken from the Veteran’s Trust Fund and prepaying an old debt obligation to a pension plan known as FPPA – saving almost $9 million in interest payments.
Cuts to K-12 and higher education are beginning to be restored, and key investments in child welfare, mental health and services for people with developmental disabilities are included in the budget. Capital construction and maintenance projects will spur the construction sector, creating jobs and economic activity. There are many reasons to cheer for the FY 2013-14 budget which passed both houses.
Jobs Bills
Jobs and the economy are our number-one priority this session, and we’ve made good progress passing legislation that will accelerate Colorado’s recovery.
We have passed bills that shrink tax credits and redirect those funds toward programs to assist small businesses and startups, and help workers upgrade their skills. Other jobs bills provide access to capital for high tech companies, offer assistance to businesses seeking to expand into exports, provide training grants, connect high school and university students with on-the-job training opportunities and eliminate barriers to employment due to poor credit rating. Another bill prohibits employers from asking applicants for passwords to social media websites.
Representative Beth McCann can be reached at 303-866-2959 or beth@bethmccann.org. Follow her at bethmccann.org, on Facebook at Representative Beth McCann-Colorado House District 8, or on Twitter @bethmccannHD8.