When Democratic Governor-elect Jared Polis takes the oath of office Tuesday, he will work with one of the most strongly Democratic legislatures in Colorado history.<\/p>\n
Longtime Republican representative and soon-to-be senator Bob Rankin, a Carbondale resident, sees a fight ahead. But he also sees opportunities to work with the Democrats, who have a nearly two-to-one majority in the Legislature.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we have any choice but to work with Democrats when we see that it can do good for our constituents,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n
In November, Rankin won his fourth and final election to the House representing District 57, which includes Garfield, Moffat and Rio Blanco counties. But on Jan. 2, he\u00a0was selected to replace Sen. Randy Baumgardner\u00a0<\/a>to represent the northwestern Colorado in the upper chamber.<\/p>\n In the Senate, Bob Rankin says he will keep his position as ranking member of the Joint Budget Committee \u2014 which would require the freshmen Sen. Dennis Hisey, a Fountain Republican, to vacate his seat on the committee.<\/p>\n MOVING ON UP<\/p>\n Rankin believes that, from the Senate, he will be in a good position to make a difference on issues that affect rural Colorado.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to be focused on what\u2019s good for rural Colorado, because there aren\u2019t enough of us. Being senior member of the Joint Budget Committee, I can make a difference there, I hope,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n The important issues Rankin sees for rural Colorado are also among what appear to be priorities for Democrats \u2014 education and health care.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m optimistic on those two big issues that I\u2019m concerned about that the Democrats are not going to be in opposition to everything I want to do,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n That said, \u201cThere will be some long nights and boring, disgusting sessions,\u201d Rankin added.<\/p>\n On health care, Rankin wants to fix the cost inequity between medical costs in rural areas and the Front Range. He has proposed a statewide insurance cost standard, and wants greater transparency in costs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just not fair that we out west pay 40 percent more [for insurance] than people in Boulder,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n Rankin is cosponsoring a bill with Lakewood Democrat Rep. Chris Kennedy that\u00a0would require all hospitals in Colorado to report expenditures<\/a>\u00a0and other financial data to the state for an annual report.<\/p>\n \u201cTransparency is a big word for me in health care. We need to tell people what they\u2019re really paying,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n Health care reform was a major campaign issue for Polis, but he argued a far more progressive version than Rankin is comfortable with.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that the big ideas [the Democrats] have for health care, I will be opposed to,\u201d Rankin said. \u201cI oppose single-payer, I oppose expanding Medicaid.\u201d<\/p>\n EDUCATION REFORM STARTS YOUNG<\/p>\n On education, Rankin is the prime sponsor, with Dillon Democratic Rep. Julie McCluskie, of the\u00a0Early Childhood Development Special District<\/a>\u00a0bill, which would allow communities to form districts with taxing authority to build educational services for young children.<\/p>\n Serving on the Education Leadership Council, which released a report on the state of education in Colorado, showed Rankin the importance of high-quality preschool programs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen kids go to kindergarten or first grade and they haven\u2019t had any exposure to reading or socialization, they\u2019re likely to fail,\u201d Rankin said. \u201cThere are a lot of different programs for early childhood education, but there\u2019s no structure, there\u2019s no governance, there\u2019s no overview.\u201d<\/p>\n Creating a district would allow communities to take charge of their own local programs. Rankin said some people in the Roaring Fork Valley approached him with ideas for creating that sort of district.<\/p>\n The bill would allow local groups to \u201croll those early childhood programs together, focus on the right priority, direct money in the right direction,\u201d Rankin said. The creation of a special district wouldn\u2019t necessarily mean additional taxes, he said.<\/p>\n BEHIND THE SCENES WORK<\/p>\n Rankin believes the state budget process is too complex, which creates a barrier for even legislators to understand the true priorities, and therefore makes the system \u201cnot very transparent,\u201d both for citizens and for legislators.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to encourage people to spend a little more time to understand new bills and new spending,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be a lot of noise about standout issues\u201d that come up during the legislative term, Rankin said. Democratic leaders have indicated some policy objectives that could become lightning-rod issues, such as gun legislation perhaps in the form of the \u201cRed Flag\u201d bill, and mandatory paid family leave, to say nothing of climate policies.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s definitely going to be a lot of conflicts, controversy, long nights \u2014 that\u2019s just destined to occur,\u201d Rankin said.<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, Rankin believes legislators will work on issues that matter to improve life for Coloradans.<\/p>\n \u201cMy angle on the Joint Budget Committee is extremely bipartisan. You wouldn\u2019t know, day-to-day, which party we are. Except on a few issues, we will agree and try to balance the budget,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories For You<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n