DENVER – This afternoon, Democrats on the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee in the Colorado State Senate axed two important pieces of legislation aiming to increase transparency and affordability alongside ensuring compassion in healthcare.  

Despite insistence to the media that they will give careful consideration to all legislation – regardless of which party brings it forward – Democrats jerked the proverbial football away at the last minute, casting unanimous “no” votes on both bills.

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Senate Bill 22-061, by Senator Dennis Hisey (R-Fountain), would have added the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care to the list of departments that need to comply with the “State Measurement For Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act” (SMART Act), which establishes a performance management system to better allow the public, the general assembly, the governor, and state departments to assess, manage, and improve the administration and performance of state programs. The Office of Saving People Money on Health Care is notable due to it’s director – Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera  – who makes a combined $184,000 across both salaries. This bill was considered a priority Republican bill as a part of our Commitment to Colorado package.

Senate Bill 22-061 was killed on a party-line, 3 to 2 vote. Voting against the bill was Senator Julie Gonzales (D-Denver), Senator James Coleman (D-Denver), and Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D-Boulder). Voting in favor of the bill were Senator Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling) and Senator Cleave Simpson (R-Alamosa).

“I’m disappointed,” said Senator Hisey. “We are creating office after office with no accountability to the taxpayers. We have no idea if we’re getting any value from this increased bureaucracy, and Democrats are apparently unwilling to find out. I think we all know why.”

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Senate Bill 22-038, by Senator Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling), would have ensured that those who are admitted to a hospital and receive a bill can see what they pay towards the hospital provider fee, which is currently not legally allowed. The fee is a percentage of each hospital’s net patient revenue and last year it collected $1.026 billion. This bill reverses course and requires that the fee be shown. The Colorado Hospital Association testified in favor of this bill. This bill was considered a priority Republican bill as a part of our Commitment to Colorado package.

Senate Bill 22-038 was killed on a party-line, 3 to 2 vote. Voting against the bill was Senator Julie Gonzales (D-Denver), Senator James Coleman (D-Denver), and Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D-Boulder). Voting in favor of the bill were Senator Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling) and Senator Cleave Simpson (R-Alamosa).

“It looks like this session will be more of the same,” said Senator Sonnenberg. “Here’s a bill that had almost no institutional opposition and the support of our hospitals, yet Democrats couldn’t even explain why they were voting no. Patients deserve as much transparency as we can give them and the General Assembly has failed in providing it to them.”

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Senate Republicans take them at their word – we bring legitimate, rational legislation to the floor that took months of research and preparation – yet we still end up like good ‘ol Charlie Brown.

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