Despite varied reports, Lee et al. also demonstrated a linear positive relationship between norisoporenoids in the grape berry and concentrations in wine, with the berry concentration was always greater than that of the resultant wines. It may be possible that carotenoid degradation due to excessive temperatures in C0 treatments was negligible or less than the biosynthesis of C-13 norisoprenoids, resulting in similar concentrations as D4 and D5 shade film treatments. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrated that partial solar radiation exclusion with reductions in UVA, UVB and NIR radiation does not hinder norisoprenoid content in wines. Additionally, the concentrations of bdamascenone across all treatments in both years exceeded the odor active threshold for this compound, indicating that significant differences in b-damascenone concentrations between C0 and treatments may be perceivable in resultant wines.In a typical year, debates surrounding the state’s budget are among the most controversial matters addressed by Colorado state lawmakers. Because the current legislature is closely divided along party lines, many expected the budget to take center stage once again in the 2018 legislative session. Funding for transportation and education have been especially salient issues in recent months. Before the current session began, the Denver Post outlined some of the major items on the General Assembly’s agenda. Among the most pressing issues facing lawmakers were transportation funding, large plastic planting pots the opioid crisis, energy development, and the financial stability of the Public Employees’ Retirement Association , in addition to matters surrounding sexual harassment in the legislature .
For the fourth consecutive year, divided party control exists in the General Assembly with Democrats holding a 10-seat advantage in the state House, while a slim Republican majority exists in the Senate with 18 Republicans, 16 Democrats, and one unaffiliated senator. At times the partisan differences between the chambers have been substantial. In prior legislative sessions, the issue of guns has been among the most controversial topics addressed by legislators as evidenced by the successful recall elections of two Democratic lawmakers over their votes on gun control bills in 2013 . During the current session, the Republican controlled Senate passed legislation in a party-line vote to allow Coloradans to conceal carry a firearm without a permit . With no Senate Democrats supporting the measure, the bill was dead on arrival in the House where Democrats hold the majority. A bill to ban bump stocks was recently defeated by Republicans in the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee following a party-line vote. While political parties in Colorado remain bitterly divided on the issue of guns, other previously controversial measures witnessed unexpected compromise during this session such as increased funding for the program to provide driver’s licenses for undocumented residents. Beginning in August 2014, an estimated 120,000 undocumented residents could begin applying for driver’s licenses. Although the state issued 32,325 licenses through the program, it was troubled by a lack of staff and funding since demand outpaced the number of appointments offered by the state . Many expected further problems as the licenses first issued were due for renewal, and the program originally required all individuals to procure or renew their licenses in person. However, a bill recently passed in the Republican-controlled Senate provides additional funding to the program and allows existing licenses to be renewed online, among other changes .
Following successful passage in the House, Governor Hickenlooper signed the bill in May. The passage of this bill into law demonstrates the possibility for bipartisan compromise in a divided General Assembly on controversial issues as well as debates surrounding spending priorities. The emergence of the #MeToo movement also appears to have brought the parties together in an effort to change the prevailing culture in the legislature. The most publicized controversy of the legislative session was the emotionally charged debate surrounding the expulsion of a Democratic legislator following multiple sexual harassment allegations. Representative Steve Lebsock was the subject of multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Three formal complaints were made against him, including one from fellow Representative Faith Winter . Following an independent investigation, which found credible evidence that he had engaged in harassment and retaliation, and a full day of emotional speeches on the House floor, the chamber voted 52 to 9 to expel Lebsock from the legislature. The outcome was far from certain prior to the historic vote, as the expulsion resolution required a two-thirds majority vote in order to remove the incumbent representative. Many who supported removing Lebsock cited a need to change the culture in the state legislature. As a result of the vote, Lebsock became the first state representative to be expelled in more than 100 years. In a strange twist, Lebsock submitted the paperwork to change his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican minutes before the expulsion vote. According to state law, this handed the House vacancy to the state’s Republican Party to fill instead of the Democrats who previously held the seat. This act was clearly intended to spite fellow Democrats who abandoned their support of Lebsock once the extent of his harassing behavior became apparent. A spokesperson for the Colorado GOP initially floated the idea of not filling the seat within 30 days, which would allow the Democratic governor the opportunity to appoint a successor.
However, the party ultimately decided to appoint a Republican to temporarily hold the seat, which many expected to be regained by the Democrats in the next election cycle. This did not alter the majority party in the chamber since Democrats hold an eight-seat majority after Lebsock’s expulsion. Lebsock was not the only state legislator rebuked for inappropriate behavior, as an independent investigation found credible evidence that Senator Randy Baumgardner sexually harassed a legislative aide in 2016. Senator Baumgardner resigned a key committee chair position while maintaining his innocence in advance of an expulsion vote in the Senate. While the vote to expel Lebsock was supported by representatives of both parties, the parties appeared more divided in the Senate with regard to the allegations against Baumgardner. Republican leadership ordered Baumgardner to undergo sensitivity training, while Democrats have called for more severe sanctions including expulsion. In early April, Baumgardner survived an expulsion vote with 17 voting in favor and 17 voting opposed. While this fell short of the two thirds majority necessary to remove a lawmaker, potential expulsions from the Senate threatened larger reverberations on policy and the budget as the Republicans held a narrow one-seat majority until Senator Cheri Jahn changed her party affiliation from Democrat to unaffiliated in December 2017. On the legislative front, the second session of the 71st General Assembly convened on January 10, 2018 after a special session called by Governor John Hickenlooper in October 2017 failed to produce any accomplishments. Hickenlooper previously called a special session in 2012 to debate a civil unions bill, which ultimately failed to pass. The 2017 special session similarly adjourned amid partisan gridlock. The governor called this special session to address what was described as a bill drafting error contained in a major reform that passed at the end of the General Assembly’s regular session in 2017. Senate Bill 17-267 imposed many substantial reforms . Among the most notable of these was the repeal of the existing hospital provider fee structure and the creation of the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise as a government enterprise fund to collect healthcare sustainability and affordability fees. Importantly, black plastic planting pots this change made it so hospital provider fees do not count as state revenue for the purposes of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights . The bill drafting error concerned a modification to the taxes levied on recreational marijuana sales. When Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2012, the amendment included the following language governing the General Assembly’s authority to levy taxes on retail marijuana sales, “The General Assembly shall enact an excise tax to be levied upon marijuana sold or otherwise transferred by a marijuana cultivation facility to a marijuana product manufacturing facility or to a retail marijuana store at a rate not to exceed fifteen percent prior to January 1, 2017 and at a rate to be determined by the General Assembly thereafter, and shall direct the department to establish procedures for the collection of all taxes levied.” Senate Bill 17-267 collapsed the existing 2.9 percent sales tax on retail marijuana sales and the 10 percent special tax into a single 15 percent state tax. The drafting error occurred because legislators intended to only remove the statewide sales tax, while an exemption allowed municipal governments to impose their own sales taxes on marijuana sales where permitted. The bill, however, failed to include a similar exemption for special districts such as the Denver metro area’s Regional Transportation District and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District , among several others.
This omission meant that these districts could no longer continue collecting tax revenue on marijuana sales as they had before Senate Bill 17-267 went into effect. While the SCFD supports scores of organizations and programs including the Denver Zoo, Denver Art Museum, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the funding losses incurred by RTD were arguably more likely to affect Colorado residents. The RTD special district encompasses 2,342 square miles across eight counties. The district includes nearly three million residents in its service area. Ridership statistics from the past three years show that annual ridership on RTD commuter rail, light rail, and bus services exceeded 100 million trips . Analysts projected that the bill drafting error would cost RTD nearly $600,000 per month. SCFD monthly losses were estimated at about $56,000. The special session to correct the bill drafting error was opposed by many Republicans. Some argued that modifying the existing tax structure would require a vote of state residents consistent with TABOR’s requirements. The session ended after two measures to correct the error were rejected in the Senate after passage in the House with mostly Democratic support. Following an unsuccessful special session, Governor John Hickenlooper enters the final year of his second term as governor. Term limits prevent him from running again, although there are several indications that he is preparing to launch a bid for the presidency in 2020. A November 1 letter to the General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee provided details on the key aspects of the governor’s budget request. The budget proposal for the 2018–2019 fiscal year proposed a total funds budget of $30.5 billion, which is an increase of 3.7 percent from the prior year. The General Fund spending budget of $11.5 billion represents a 2.6 percent increase. After legislators considered nearly 200 amendments to the long bill, the state budget totals enacted into law were close to the numbers proposed by the governor. The state’s final General Fund budget was $11.42 billion with $30.63 billion in total fund spending . The letter to the JBC stated that the governor’s budget request “reflects the dynamic factors that are occurring in Colorado’s economy, constitutional and statutory requirements, and demand for services from State government” . It further noted that the “passage of S.B. 17-267 has materially and positively changed the State’s financial outlook compared with one year ago, when the request had to close a $500 million funding gap in the General Fund. We believe the request reflects the priorities that Colorado citizens expect and accordingly the request addresses important needs in K-12 and higher education as well as certain essential criminal justice system needs” . In percentage terms, spending on K-12 education represents the largest share of the general fund request at 36 percent, while the spending allotment for higher education budget is 9 percent. Nearly every state department was slated to receive increased funding relative to the prior fiscal year with just two exceptions. The budget approved by the General Assembly ultimately increased funding for every state department except for Labor and Employment. The three sections that follow discuss the state’s demographics, revenue, and spending. While a growing population provides a larger tax base, affordable housing and transportation problems have also accompanied this rapid population growth. The most recent census estimated that the state’s population was approximately 5 million residents. The 2017 update places the number of Colorado residents at slightly greater than 5.6 million . This figure represents an increase of 11.5 percent since 2010 and a 1.2 percent increase since 2016. Of the 223,260 individuals who moved to Colorado in 2016, the Census estimates that 14 percent immigrated from abroad.