June 03, 2009 08:56 PM UTC

Ritter Signs SB 228, Republicans Attack from...Grand Junction?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Governor Bill Ritter today signed SB 228, which rescinds the budget-crippling Arveschoug-Bird amendment. According to a press release from the Governor’s office:

Senate Bill 228, sponsored by Republican Rep. Don Marostica and Democrats Sen. John Morse and Rep. Lois Court, establishes consistent and reliable funding for transportation projects, while also removing an arbitrary allocation formula that prevents the recovery of vital state services when the economy recovers…

…”This is a fiscally responsible approach to creating a rainy day fund and ensuring that we are adequately funding transportation and capital construction,” Rep. Marostica said. “More importantly, this accomplishes those goals without raising taxes.”

Republican Rep. Don Marostica’s deservedly praised sponsorship on this issue has made it tough for the right-wing of the GOP to really gain traction against the legislation, so how did they fight back?

Well, yesterday afternoon Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry and House Minority Leader Mike May held a press conference in Grand Junction.

Seriously.

The GOP leadership had to take its traction-less attack on a needed piece of legislation sponsored by a Republican member of the Joint Budget Committee to the tiny Grand Junction market in order to get somebody to pay attention to their cries.

We’ve been saying for months that Colorado Republicans would have been better off trying to find compromise on budget solutions rather than just saying no to everything. But instead they’ve held firm to their plan of doing nothing and complaining often, and now they’re relegated to holding meaningless press conferences in Grand Junction because every other market won’t pay attention any more.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Republican legislative leadership!