DENVER -- A special session of the Colorado legislature lasted two days and cost roughly $50,000 but got absolutely nowhere when it came to solving a problem with a marijuana tax law that has kept many organizations from getting the money they thought was coming their way after the end of the last legislative session.
Political reporter Marianne Goodland of ColoradoPolitics.com says virtually all Republicans are calling the two-day session a waste of money while most Democrats are saying it was a good opportunity to get the issue out in front of the people.
“There were some Republicans who thought this was good opportunity to talk about the issue, but really what happened is that the Senate Republicans put their foot down, said ‘no’ and ‘no way' and that’s how it went,” Goodland told Anne Trujillo on this weekend’s Politics Unplugged.
Goodland says there was also a lot of back and forth finger-pointing between Senate Republicans and Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper who called the special session.
“All we have is $50,000 in tax payer money spent and nothing to show for it,” Goodland said. “Nothing accomplished.”
Goodland says for organizations that have been counting on money from the pot-tax, there is little they can do over the next few months other than tighten their belts and hope for a fix once the legislature convenes for its regular session in January.
“In three months, legislators will be back in hopes that a solution that both sides can agree to will have worked this out by then,” Goodland said. “But there is a very big question hanging over this whole thing which is whether or not voters in these special districts have to reauthorize these tax revenues.”
Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 4:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Denver7.
