Major overhaul to help rural Colorado could be a game changer for the legislative session

The rural areas of Colorado, where folks feel left behind by the state’s economic rebound, are the focus of a far-reaching bill introduced Monday designed to pump millions of dollars into hospitals, roads and classrooms considered to be near the brink of failure.

The measure comes at a critical point when lawmakers are talking about how to spend a $26.8 billion budget and allocate a potential $3.5 billion pot of money for roads — adding another moving part that is expected to complicate and dominate the remainder of the legislative session.

Senate President Pro Tem Jerry Sonnenberg said the bill is necessary to “sustain the economy in rural Colorado.”

“We have hospitals that are closing. We have highways that are crumbling and falling apart. And we have an education system that seems to never have enough money to educate our kids,” said Sonnenberg, a Sterling rancher whose district covers 11 counties in eastern Colorado.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/27/rural-colorado-state-budget-hospital-provider-fee/