Colorado: Spencer Swalm

State Rep. Spencer Swalm hammered a bill Wednesday that expands health coverage by imposing a fee on hospitals, calling it "irresponsible and immoral" and a "house of cards."

"We're shifting the costs of our health care problems onto our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren because we're not willing to man up and raise the taxes that are required to do a pay-as-you-go kind of system," Swalm, R-Centennial, said.

Several Democrats looked at one another, stunned. Did a Republican just say the "t" word?

"He didn't just say 'taxes'; he said 'man up and raise taxes,' " said Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder.

Both Pommer and Rep.

Hospital officials and advocates for the uninsured argued today in favor of a bill that would impose a fee on Colorado hospitals to generate a total of $1.2 billion for expanded health care programs.

But Republicans on the House Health and Human Services Committee questioned whether the new programs were sustainable and asked if insured patients would ultimately bear higher costs.

After a nearly seven hour hearing, the committee approved the bill on a 5-4, party-line vote, and it now heads to the House Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 1293, sponsored by Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, would impose a fee on hospitals, although the exact formula has yet to be determined.

House members gave final approval Monday to a controversial bill that would require businesses to offer parents unpaid leave time to attend their children's educational activities.

House Bill 1057 passed on a 35-30 vote, with Democratic Reps. Kathleen Curry of Gunnison, Joe Rice of Littleton and Sue Schafer of Wheat Ridge, joining all 27 Republicans in opposing it.

Sponsoring Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, said the requirement to allow leave is vital especially to low-income parents working jobs that do not offer such benefits.

Republicans, however, called the measure intrusive and said leave is an issue that can be worked out between each business and employee rather than put into a uniform policy that must be followed by everyone.

The House voted 52-12 for a bill that would make Sept. 11 an optional holiday.

Rep. Ed Casso, D-Thornton, ran the bill after realizing the overwhelming emotions that people feel about the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. The measure would allow state employees to take off Sept. 11 if they work on one of the other state holidays that falls during the week.

Seven Democrats - Debbie Benefield, Claire Levy, Beth McCann, Jack Pommer, Joe Rice, Jim Riesberg and Sue Schafer - and five Republicans - Laura Bradford, Larry Liston, Ellen Roberts, Ken Summers and Spencer Swalm - voted against the bill.