On the heels of a GOP propoposal to phase out the state's notorious business personal-property tax, a Republican senator says he has another idea to stimulate the state's struggling economy--scrapping what he says is an unwarranted tax on business that only serves to hinder job creation.

Sen. Mike Kopp, the Littleton lawmaker who serves as the Senate's GOP caucus chair, announced today he will introduce a measure to repeal a state tax on the premiums that employers pay for their insurance covering workers' job-related injuries. The tax currently goes into two funds that Kopp said are a holdover from earlier times and are no longer needed.

"We could inject nearly $300 million back into our state's economy over the next five years by eliminating this outdated assessment on businesses," Kopp said. "Just think what that would do for our economy--for employers' ability to put people back to work."

Kopp also says the cash in those funds has been misused by lawmakers to pay for unrelated programs when revenue from other sources dips in an economic downturn.

Legislative Republicans say today’s grim news on the state’s fiscal straits is a wake-up call for Gov. Bill Ritter and ruling legislative Democrats and Republicans to do some heavy lifting and fresh thinking in response to plummeting revenue. Painful cuts to both the current year’s budget and next year’s—now all but inevitable—could have been mitigated had the Ritter administration and Democrats in the General Assembly heeded the warning signs earlier this year, the GOP lawmakers say.

The lawmakers also called on the governor, as a first step, to extend last September’s hiring freeze on non-essential state employees into the new budget year.  

“The dark clouds of recession have been looming for many months,” said incoming Senate Republican leader Josh Penry, of Grand Junction. "The legislature should steel itself for very difficult budget times, and ignore naïve forecasts of sunny days and blue skies.”

In an effort to help insulate state elections from abuses, GOP lawmakers today announced two measures aimed at securing the state’s election process.

Sens. Scott Renfroe and Mark Scheffel joined House Republican Reps. Ken Summers and Frank McNulty in unveiling the plans to safeguard elections from those who aren't authorized to vote.  One bill would require voters to present photo identification when voting, and another would require prospective voters to provide proof of citizenship prior to voting.

“We have a responsibility as state lawmakers to protect the integrity of our elections,” Renfroe said. “People have an expectation that the voting process is secure and fair, these bills strive to meet those ends.”

Legislative Republicans warned the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission today not to usurp the General Assembly's role in drafting new rules governing the energy industry in Colorado.  They also reminded the panel to consider the impact some of its regulations could have on the state's already-faltering economy.

Assistant Senate GOP chief Greg Brophy, of Wray, joined with newly elected Mesa County Rep. Laura Bradford in calling on the COGCC not to stand in the way of the state's energy economy--virtually its only growth sector at present.

The two rural lawmakers said the rules the commission comes up with could have potentially dire effects on the job market and revenue flowing into state coffers.

Legislative Republicans are drawing a bullseye on a tax long criticized as a damper on job creation and business development in Colorado.

The GOP lawmakers, who serve on a special legislative panel troubleshooting the economy, announced today they will propose a multi-year phase-out of the perennially problematic business personal-property tax. They say that tack represents the kind of meaningful investment in jobs that the bipartisan Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth should be looking at.

Sens. Mark Scheffel--a newly elected expert on tax law from Parker--and Shawn Mitchell, of Broomfield, are joining Republican Reps. Kevin Priola, of Henderson, and Kent Lambert, of Colorado Springs, in sponsoring the breakthrough proposal when the legislature convenes in January.

Greeley Sen. Scott Renfroe wants more outside scrutiny for the Platte Valley Youth Services Center in Weld County following news reports that the center failed to notify local authorities of alleged abuses. 

Renfroe has told FOX 31 and the Greeley Tribune that he plans to sponsor a bill that would require employees at all Colorado youth-detention facilities to notify local police when there is an alleged abuse or assault.  Currently, Colorado law does not require youth centers to notify local police.

According to Associated Press reports, two youths at the center were injured earlier this year in altercations with security personnel.  A girl had her wrist broken after being restrained, and a day later a boy was injured after being handcuffed.  Additionally, a boy nearly lost an eye after being attacked by other youths at the facility.  None of the incidents were reported to police by the center.

Investigations into all three incidents found no wrongdoing by the staff.

Still, Renfroe believes that notifying local police would create more transparency and would protect not only the children, but also staff and the centers themselves.

“Letting local law enforcement investigate these incidents shows that we take all assault and abuse allegations seriously,” he said. He also noted that he wants to make sure the staff and management at the facilities are protected from false allegations so that they can concentrate on running the best youth facilities possible.