Gov. John Hickenlooper delivered his fifth State of the State address Thursday to a divided Legislature, pointing to difficult work ahead.
Escorted by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Hickenlooper made his way to the floor of the state House, where he spoke to a meeting of the House and Senate.
He focused on the economy, but touched on tax refunds resulting from budget surpluses.
Hickenlooper stopped short of outlining a way forward, but he expressed frustration with a system that requires spending while mandating refunds.
“If we do nothing, if we pretend the future will take care of itself, and we’re back here in two years facing what was clearly an avoidable crisis, history will show that we failed future generations of Coloradans,” Hickenlooper said in his nearly 45-minute speech.
Hickenlooper faces a split Legislature this year, and controversial bills don’t stand much of a chance.
He highlighted more general areas for the Legislature to consider, such as water policy and transportation funding.
“The Colorado Water Plan represents a paradigm shift of cooperation and collaboration and goes a long way to ensure we strategically allocate this precious resource to maximize our entire state’s ability to grow and flourish,” Hickenlooper said of a draft water plan.
He pointed to Dolores County residents Tim and Peg Rossiter as examples of creative thinking. As owners of River Rim Teardrops, the Rossiters bought a cargo trailer and turned it into a camper shaped like a teardrop. That became a business making camping trailers.
But the governor said economic development has a long way to go. He announced Colorado Blueprint 2.0. The Office of Economic Development and International Trade will work to attract contractors to work in under-served areas by providing incentives around affordable housing, health care and Internet access.
He said workforce development must be coupled with growth in state education programs. Hickenlooper’s budget proposal includes a $200 million one-time transfer for education.
He appeared supportive of an effort to ease testing for students, but committed to assessments in English and math through high school.
In terms of health and safety issues, Hickenlooper said a focus must be placed on child welfare and mental health. He also expressed support for a measure that would create a felony for multiple DUIs and encouraged vigilance in terms of marijuana regulation.
Also in the health and safety categories, Hickenlooper acknowledged a connection to natural-gas and oil issues, especially concerning tensions between those who want local governments to have control over hydraulic fracturing and industry executives who are fearful of a patchwork of rules and regulations.
