Colorado news roundup: Amendment 63 would move Colorado backward, Post editorial says

Good to see The Denver Post's editorial board landing on the side of health consumers and opposing Amendment 63. Check it out with links to all the day's public policy news.

I'm going to try putting the weekday Colorado news roundup here on the blog again. Remember you can receive it by e-mail if you go to our sign-up page. Your feedback is welcome.

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The health reform law, explained in nine minutes

From the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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American Community Survey offers a detailed snapshot of the country

The U.S. Census Bureau today released its annual American Community Survey, a detailed look at life in this country. We're interested, of course, in what the numbers say about poverty, health insurance, income and other measures of well being. Check the website later today for an issue brief and news release breaking down the most important points. In the meantime, read the news release from the Census Bureau.

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Adela Flores-Brennan explains health reform on 9News

Adela Flores-Brennan, a health care attorney for the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, was a guest on the KUSA-Channel 9 morning news program this morning to discuss health reform. Several key aspects of reform go into effect today.

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Insurance companies ending child-only coverage across the country

It's an unfortunate attempt to undermine health reform. Insurance companies, including several in Colorado, are abandoning child-only policies in an attempt to avoid compliance with a provision of health reform that says they can't reject kids with pre-existing conditions. The insurance companies are trying to dodge the requirement by saying they just won't offer child-only policies, to health kids or those with pre-existing conditions. Check coverage in Health Law and Policy Update. Here's a good summary from CBS News.

A voter-approved recession?

It sounds like hyperbole, but the risk is real if Colorado voters approve Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101. The campaign to defeat those initiatives (not affiliated with CCLP) released this TV ad yesterday breaking down some of the specifics. For more detail, visit http://www.lookingforwardcolorado.com/.

Gov. Ritter applauds Recovery Act job creation

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's office issued a news release today highlighting some of the Recovery Act projects that are making a difference for the state's people and economy. The text of the release is below. Also check our website for more analysis of the Recovery Act.

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A new White House report highlights seven projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that are creating thousands of jobs and improving the economic climate and quality of life in communities across Colorado.

“The Recovery Act is helping Colorado’s economy by investing in ambitious projects like the redevelopment of Denver Union Station and the expansion of Abound Solar in Longmont,” Gov. Ritter said. “These projects are creating and retaining thousands of jobs, shifting the economy in the right direction and providing long-term benefits to the people of Colorado.”

The White House report identifies Recovery Act-funded projects that are improving transportation infrastructure in Loveland, reducing energy use at the Federal Center in Lakewood and providing affordable housing for abused women and children in Larimer County. Colorado companies are winning contracts for this work, allowing them to retain and hire employees. Jalisco International in Commerce City has committed to using minority workers for 50 percent of its contract on the Crossroads Boulevard Interchange in Loveland. The report can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/100-Recovery-Act-Projects-Changing-America-Report.pdf.

At least $7.3 billion is expected to come to Colorado from the Recovery Act. A recent report by the Council of Economic Advisors estimates that the Recovery Act has created, saved and indirectly produced 50,000 jobs in Colorado. More information is available at www.colorado.gov/recovery.

Below are the projects identified in the White House report:

Opportunities to learn Colorado's November ballot issues

We've got a lot of events coming up around the state where voters can learn about issues on Colorado's November election ballot. Check the calendar on our website for details.

Why voters should reject Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101

The Bell Policy Center, one of our partners in the Looking Forward collaborative, and Progress Now produced this video offering a clear explanation of why voters should reject Amendment 60, Amendment 61 and Proposition 101 on Colorado's November election ballot.

Numbers illustrate the challenge facing American workers

These are grim times for America's workers. The Great Recession has created a huge gap between the number of jobs available and the number of people looking for work. Just to get back to the pre-recession employment rate, the nation would need to create 11 million jobs, according to figures from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) released in connection with Labor Day.

Some other telling numbers from EPI:

• The number of unemployed workers for every job opening: 5
• Accounting for population growth, number of workers that should have been added to the labor force since December 2007: +3.7 million
• Actual change in the size of the labor force since December 2007: +241,000
• Total jobs lost since the start of the recession: -7.6 million

Even more discouraging for workers, EPI reports productivity from 2002 to 2007 rose 11 percent, while median compensation declined 0.6 percent.

Among the very few bright spots in EPI's "Labor Day by the Numbers" report, private-sector jobs in August 2010 increased 67,000 nationwide. Chad Stone of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities put the August employment numbers in perspective in a statement issued last week: "The case for additional stimulus to boost a tepid economic recovery and revive the job market remains strong."

Data set for release during September should offer an even more detailed picture of how the Great Recession has affected working people, including considerable detail about Colorado. The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute team is planning a number of reports examining the data under the banner Recession 360.

Calculator shows how different tax proposals would affect individuals

At the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, we've been making the case for letting tax cuts for the richest Americans expire. We helped coordinate an opinion piece in The Denver Post along those lines last month, for example.

Now an advocacy group called Citizens for Tax Justice has added some vital additional facts to the mix. A calculator on the organization's website shows how your tax liability would change under various scenarios for letting the tax cuts expire, or not.

Take the example of a family with annual income of $69,745 (the statewide median in 2008) with no capital gains, stock dividends or other income. Add in two children and some other assumptions entered into the calculator, and you get the results shown in the image below. Click the image for a view large enough to read. Try it out for yourself. Let us know your reaction in the comments section of this blog.

‘Hire Colorado’ Jobs Program to End If U.S. Senate Fails to Extend TANF Emergency Fund

Hire Colorado, a new subsidized employment program that has provided jobs for 1,600 parents in counties across the state, will shut its doors on September 30 if Congress fails this month to extend the federal program that funded it, according to a new report.

Here's a news release issued today by our national partners at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.


Most of the job placements for Hire Colorado are with private-sector businesses and non-profits and many have led to permanent, unsubsidized jobs. The program is designed to provide individuals who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits or are receiving cash payments from county Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs with an opportunity to work to provide for their families. It also is designed to help local businesses weather the recession. The program uses federal dollars provided through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last year’s Recovery Act.

One of those workers who have benefited from the program is Phil Rorick, a father of three who had been seeking work for a year and a half until he was hired for a groundskeeper/building maintenance position with Echelon Properties through Hire Colorado. Rorick had worked as an equipment operator for most of his life.

Through Hire Colorado, Rorick has gained valuable job skills and increased financial independence. After working for more than four months in a subsidized position, Rorick was hired permanently by a sister property of his employer.

“This program allowed me to try out two potential employees before incurring any recruiting costs,” said Rorick’s previous employer, Shaylene Kraft, of Echelon Properties. “I am truly grateful for this program and have recommended it to numerous business owners and managers.”

But unless Congress extends funding for Hire Colorado, employers will lose the funding that has made hiring and training workers like Rorick possible.