Lundberg wants Medicaid reform
By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News
Kevin Lundberg, Republican candidate from House District 49, is seeking
a third term in the state legislature. Lundberg, 54, said he is best qualified
for the house seat because of his four years of experience in the legislature.
Also, he said, "I believe I represent more accurately the conservative
Colorado values in District 49."
A resident of Berthoud, Lundberg sees a good future for Colorado in the
energy arena, both through renewable energy and the development of oil
shale deposits. Lundberg served on the Strategic Renewable Energy Committee
in the last legislative session.
The current high price of oil "more than justifies" the development of
oil shale deposits, Lundberg stated. He would like to put some of the tax
dollars from oil shale development into Colorado's transportation needs
and into personal property tax relief for private businesses.
However, the candidate does not believe in "throwing money" at the renewable
energy industry through subsidies. He voted against House Bill 1322 in
the last session, a bill that became law and created the Colorado Renewable
Energy Authority. Revenue from the state's severance tax on natural resources
will fund the authority, which will use part of the money for agriculture-based
renewable energy projects and research.
Lundberg's approach is to be more flexible with regulations and to "get
out of the way of legitimate private industry," rather than subsidizing
it.
For example, Lundberg said, the state should not impose "additional excessive
regulations and rules" on E-85 ethanol gas tanks at service stations, since
federal requirements already exist. He also thinks his proposed tax relief
for businesses would encourage production and use of renewable energy systems.
Medicaid reform and cost-cutting are also high on Lundberg's list. In the
last legislative session, he sought a waiver for older citizens so they
could use assisted living facilities instead of nursing homes. The proposed
bill, which died in committee, would have reduced Medicaid benefits by
50 percent for those taking advantage of the plan, but as a trade-off,
there would have been no "cost recovery" for heirs of participants on Medicaid.
Lundberg has been pressing for a rainy day fund in Colorado for the past
four years and says he has seen some progress. If re-elected, he plans
to push this issue again. In the last legislative session, Lundberg sponsored
five bills and one resolution, the latter asking to change the definition
of pregnancy from the time of implantation to the time of fertilization.
None of these proposals made it out of committee, but Lundberg makes no
apologies for that. "I didn't capitulate to the liberal left majority,"
he said. "I held to the principles I had represented to the people of District
49." Lundberg made the following comments on other state issues.
- State highways: He wants to look for new income streams to fund state
roads and is "intrigued" by gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez's suggestion
to replace the gas tax with a sales tax.
- Referendum C: He opposed this measure.
- Referendum I: He opposes this measure, which would provide certain benefits
to domestic partners. "It's a carbon copy of marriage," he said.
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