DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens vetoed 18 bills on Friday, including key Democratic proposals to relieve prescription-drug costs, expand the use of ethanol fuels and ban employers from requiring staffers to participate in political or religious meetings.

Also vetoed were bills to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, monitor state contracts and simplify contracts for doctors.

The governor said he vetoed the prescription drug bill because it would "place the state in the pharmacy business, creating a massive new government pharmaceutical program."

"I continue to believe that restricting Medicaid recipients' access to needed prescription drugs and interfering with the doctor-patient relationship would have a highly negative impact on patients' health," Owens said in his veto message to lawmakers.

Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Denver, said Owens put the interest of drug and insurance companies ahead of consumers.

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, said the vetoes show the need for Democrats to keep control of both houses of the Legislature and put Democrat Bill Ritter in the governor's office in November, instead of either of the Republican candidates, Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez.

"The best prescription is a new governor," Romanoff said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Groff, D-Denver, said the Owens administration has mismanaged millions of dollars in contracts, including computer systems that don't work, and questioned his veto of his bill to rewrite state contracting procedures.

"So much for fiscal conservatism. How much more taxpayers' money does state government have to waste before the governor will put controls in place?" Groff asked.

The governor said he vetoed the ethanol bill because it would have required the state to intervene in the marketplace by mandating that 75 percent of all gasoline sold in the state between November and April contain at least 10 percent ethanol.

"While the bill would help a relatively few corn producers, whose lobby has been most energetic in working for this new mandate, few people spoke up in favor of the consumers who would be forced to pay higher prices for their fuel. I intend to do so through this veto," Owens said.

Owens said the attempt to limit the ability of employers to meet with employees would violate their free speech rights. He said the doctors' bill would be a government intrusion into private contracts, that the state contracts bill would drive up prices and the discrimination bill was unnecessary because state law already bars discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, which represents businesses across the state, praised Owens veto of "an intrusive bill that would have required Colorado health plans to use state-mandated provisions in contracting with health-care providers, such as doctors.

"State-mandated provisions in these contracts would have increased the cost of forging deals between health plans and health-care providers," said Ralph Pollock, a member of the CACI Board of Directors. "It would have restricted their ability to freely contract with health-care providers in a competitive marketplace."

Owens has vetoed 35 bills this year, short of the record 47 last year after Democrats seized control of the House and the Senate for the first time in 42 years. The governor still has dozens of bills awaiting action before the June 7 deadline.

Specific Bills Vetoed

SB 001 - concerning a reduction in the cost of prescriptin drugs, and making an appropriation therefor

SB 046 - creating a 29-member advisory council and a separate 6-member legislative oversight committee charged with a four-year task of studing the creation and implementation of an interated system of educaiton from pre-k through higher education.

SB 047 - providing health care services by local governmental entities, and, in connection therewith, allowing such districts to be created in any part of the state authorizing such districts to levy a sales tax and authorizing counties to impose a sales tax for the purpose of providing health care services

SB 064 - monitoring vendor performance on state contracts and requiring the submission of information on the use of personal services and sole-source contracts by state agencies.

SB 065 - concerns the capital constructin needs of Colorado public schools and making an appropriation.

SB 069 - school accountability

SB 081 - bars employment discrimination barring sexual oriention

SB 105 - Elevator Escalator Safety Act would have required mechanical conveyances to be registered with Division of Oil and Public Safety in the Department of Labor and Employment by Jan 1, 2007

SB 111 - Health Professionals Cultural Competency: encouraging all health-related degrees to include coursework in cultural awareness and competence.

SB 138 - Ethanol Gasoline: would have required the state of Colorado to mandate that 75 percent of all gasoline sold n the state between November and April contain at least 10 percent ethanol.

SB 198 - Standard Health care provider contracts: creating statutory mandates regarding contracts between health care providers and insurers, including excess loss insurers, and employers.

SB 209 - Creating a task force to analyze and make recommendations regarding the system of higher education financing in Colorado.

SB 239 - Mortuary Science Profession. Would mandate that a mortuary science practitioner be licensed, which would require mortuary science degree, passign the national board and one yr of experience in the field.

HB 1127 - Would require athletic trainers to become licensed by meeting specific minimum educational criteria, pass the national exam and obtain professional liability insurance

HB 1314 - Would prohibit an employer from requiring their employee participate in a meeting or any form of communication or meeting regarding "religious or political matters."

HB 1331 - Landscape Architects Professional Licensing Act would require professional liability insurance and allow for the use of a landscape architecture stamp.

HB 1336 - Registration of athlete agents who contact students within the state of Colorado

HB 1346 - Mandatory Offer Med Payments Coverage