Senate Republican leaders said they were underwhelmed today after the governor proposed only a modest funding increase for higher education next year rather than the significant, long-term revenue stream that the state's campuses need.

Republicans unveiled a wide-ranging plan of their own last week to shore up higher education, including a proposal for a permanent trust that would tap into the state's surging oil and gas revenue to fund Colorado's colleges and universities. The GOP funding proposal by Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, and Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park, would generate an estimated $500 million to $1 billion in leasing fees to Colorado's state government and another $100 million or more annually for the next 20 to 30 years in mineral royalties and state and local energy taxes.

"The governor is promising a little more money without offering any new funding source," said Assistant Senate GOP leader Nancy Spence, who is also ranking Republican on the Senate Education Committee. "The real question is, what is this administration proposing to do over the long haul to shore up higher ed?"

With no action yet by Washington to secure the nation's borders, Republicans in Colorado's General Assembly are vowing to take steps of their own to deflect a wave of illegal immigration. A plan unveiled today by Senate and House Republicans includes provisions to bolster state and local law enforcement as well as to safeguard the voting process.

"Congress is just sitting on its hands, and even here in Colorado, some special interests keep pushing back at the modest progress we've made on immigration reform," said Senate Republican leader Andy McElhany. "Meanwhile, the public still wants action. It looks like it is up to us to get the ball rolling in the right direction."

Added House GOP chief Mike May, "Let's not kid ourselves, the General Assembly only has scratched the surface when it comes to some aspects of illegal immigration. There is a lot more work to be done."

Amid a flurry of highly publicized bets by politicians over the outcome of the World Series, Republican members of the Colorado Senate have made a bet of their own--with a GOP counterpart in the Massachusetts State Senate.

Upon receiving a letter from Massachusetts Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield--betting 10 packages of top-grade Polish Kielbasa and a gallon of maple syrup, both made in his senate district, that the Boston Red Sox will win--Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, consulted other members of his caucus for a unique and creative comeback.

Kopp and Senate GOP Leader Andy McElhany of Colorado Springs came up with a counter-wager that they said conveyed the real Colorado: Rocky Mountain oysters and three cases of Coors beer. They faxed Knapik a letter today with their response.

A week after unveiling an agenda for beefing up Colorado's public schools, Senate and House Republicans proposed a plan today to shore up the state's higher-education system.

The measures establish a reliable funding stream for higher ed by drawing on surging revenue from oil and gas development. At the same time, Republicans will demand more accountability by attaching new performance standards to the state's funding contracts with colleges and universities. The proposals also provide for a smoother path to enrollment in higher education, including a program that will offer merit-based scholarships for low-income students and another that will require a school district to pick up the tab for remedial course work if its graduates arrive at college unprepared.

Republican leaders in both chambers described their approach to higher education as an innovative but realistic plan that aims to garner support on both sides of the aisle. The plan's funding formula is the only practical way to meet higher ed's needs, they said, because the public is unlikely to embrace a tax hike.

Leadership and members of House and Senate Republican caucuses gathered on the west steps of the Capitol today to unveil a comprehensive education package --the first installment of their legislative plan for the approaching 2008 session.

The Republican legislators said their proposals offered innovative, yet realistic reforms that amount to higher standards, more options, quality teachers and greater safety for Colorado’s schools. Among the GOP proposals addressing those priorities: a uniform, statewide curriculum standard to graduate high school; a general proficiency exam before any student could graduate; a requirement to display English proficiency before a student could graduate, and a plan to reward and retain the best teachers through performance bonuses.

The lawmakers chided the governor and the legislature's ruling Democrats for failing to act on education and other key issues while deferring instead to a seemingly endless succession of blue-ribbon commissions and study groups.

"The most pressing problems facing our education system don't need more study.  They need action," Assistant Senate Republican Leader Nancy Spence of Centennial said.  "We are proposing practical solutions that really work for Colorado's schools."

Real Solutions For Colorado

Raising the Bar in Education

Please join us as Republicans announce an education package for the upcoming legislative session at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Oct. 16, on the west steps of the state capitol.

WHO:        Senate and House Republicans

WHAT:      Announcement of 2008 Education Proposals

WHERE:    State Capitol, West Steps

WHEN:      Tuesday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m

Newly released documents suggest the Ritter administration may be planning to sidestep the General Assembly and unilaterally impose a controversial policy letting unions collectively bargain for state government employees.

The disclosure by a political blog is the latest revelation to reinforce allegations the administration is paying back organized labor for its political support. Senate Republicans have been calling on the governor to publicly disclose the extent of his commitments to labor.

"Bill Ritter's Colorado Promise turns out to be that he is going to mortgage the state to Big Labor," Republican Sen. Shawn Mitchell of Broomfield said.  

"This is disgraceful," Mitchell said.  "If Bill Ritter imposes collective bargaining by executive order, he's admitting his plan is so extreme he can't even get it through a Democratic legislature."