[BoulderCouncilHotline] Item 5C - Proposed Changes to Legislative Agenda

[Young, Mary]

Dear Colleagues,


Below is more detail on one item mentioned on page 236 of Monday night's memo and on an additional item I would like Council's consideration for support.


1.     As mentioned in the memo Transportation Access for Vulnerable Populations is a bill that has not yet been introduced. The RTD Pass Program Working Group (RTD-PPWG), a year long process in which I participated, has recommended a fare discount of at least 40% for individuals at 185% (40/185) of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) as well as a 70% discount for youth 19 and under.

Currently, retailers or “vendors” are allowed to retain a portion of the sales tax they collect to offset the cost of collecting it, called the “vendor fee” or “vendor credit.” RTD loses roughly $20 million each year because of this credit to vendors. Funding for the proposed 40/185 program would come from a reduction in this vendor credit, affecting retailers that collect more than $100,000 in RTD sales tax, which translates to $10 million in sales. The proposal would impact 1.2% of vendors in the district. Essentially, this is a cap of $3,330 for the vendor credit on RTD sales tax remittance. The dollars could be used to fund the discount to 50% (up from 40%) which is the level preferred by the RTD-PPWG.

See attachment for more detail.

2.      HB18-1260 - Prescription Drug Price Transparency:
One in 10 Coloradans don't fill their prescriptions due to costs. Prescription drugs account for 22 cents of every premium dollar spent on health care and consumers have little idea why certain drugs cost so much. This bill provides for greater transparency of pricing of drugs for consumer protection, particularly for low income families and individuals, seniors and medically vulnerable populations, who often deal with significant drug/prescription costs.

Any reduction to federal or state funding for low income and vulnerable populations becomes a local issue and can have a direct impact on local resources as the city attempts to fill in the gaps. Therefore, support for this bill is in line with Legislative Priority #25 on page 28 of our Legislative Agenda: Oppose further cuts to state and federally funded health and human service programs, especially those that provide basic health and safety needs.

For more information: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb18-1260

Thank you for your consideration.

Best,

Mary Dolores Young
Boulder City Council
303-501-2439

"All ethics . . . rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts . . ." - Aldo Leopold

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