There were questions, and then there were the things that need to be talked about, State Sen. Ellen Roberts lamented at the League of Women Voters annual Legislative Lowdown on Feb. 21 at the Durango Public Library.

She and State Rep. J. Paul Brown answered questions and discussed bills being considered this year.

All the questions had to be submitted in advance. Moderator Missy Rodey said there were almost 40 questions consolidated into about 15 for the forum.

Three questions dominated the list. The most frequent was the recently killed "Death with Dignity" bill.

Next was the "Parents Bill of Rights." Attendees asked if this bill would make it easier for parents to not vaccinate their children; would it allow a parent to block what is taught in school, and what is the balance between personal freedom and civic responsibility?

Next was Republican efforts to repeal gun bills passed by Democrats in 2013.

In her opening, Roberts said, "I was disappointed that the areas of focus didn't include what I think is needed. Infrastructure. In Colorado, we're severely challenged on how we finance infrastructure, including K-12 education. We got through the recession by swiping money from other programs, like severance (taxes)."

Those taxes come from extraction of non-renewable minerals and are supposed to help communities with the negative impacts of those industries, Roberts said.

But, "More than $450 million was diverted from that fund to back-fill new and expanded programs like Medicaid." That assistance program will come to dominate the state budget, she warned.

"That's what I'd like to hear about" from citizens, she said. She also responded to recent criticism in letters to the editor that in return for being named Senate President Pro Tem, she has sold out to right-wing Republican interests.

"I haven't become some of the labels people have used. It's not helpful. Language does matter," she said and asked people to be civil with each other and "agree to disagree."

Becoming Senate President Pro Tem hasn't changed how she votes, she said. "I serve the people in my district." She had previously noted that her constituents range politically from "the Tea Party to Telluride."

As in recent years, she said bills she is sponsoring this year focus on wildfire response and prevention, emergency management, water, natural resources,and expanding to statewide a Southwest Conservation Corps program to provide jobs for military veterans to mitigate unhealthy forests and reduce fire danger.

Brown shared Roberts's concern about expanded Medicaid. "We just got through the supplemental budget for last year. Most departments were pretty right on except for the Medicaid expansion." Just the supplemental amount was $250 million, he said. "It has to come from some place. That's something we really need to think about."

Brown said his focus is water and highway funding.

Almost 500,000 acre feet of West Slope water is diverted to the Front Range every year, and a similar amount is diverted to New Mexico, he said.

"A lot of water leaves the state in the South Platte drainage. We need to store that and not try to take West Slope water," he said.

State highways are deteriorating, Brown said. The number of highways rated in poor condition has increased from 46 percent to 53 or 54 percent. "We're looking at a crisis if we don't do something," he said.

Highway funding used to include transfers from the general fund under SB 1, whenever general fund revenue increased by more than 6 percent from year to year.

"Now we have SB 228 passed five or six years ago. Not one penny has gone into highways under that," Brown said. "This year there will, but it's not enough. I have a bill to put any surplus into highways. I don't think it will go anywhere, but we need to have the conversation."

Brown also included K-12 education as "one of the foundations of what state government should be. During the recession, (former) Gov. Ritter figured out how to get around Amendment 23," passed by voters in 2000, that required annual school funding increases of inflation plus 1 percent through 2010, and then just by inflation.

"That 'negative factor' is close to $1 billion," state funding that has been withheld from school districts, Brown said. A bill to use general fund surpluses to pay down the negative factor died in committee, he said.

On the "Death with Dignity" bill, Brown said it failed in committee on an 8-5 bipartisan vote. "There were a lot of holes in the bill," he said. "I feel like this is an issue we really need to look hard at. It could be a real slippery slope."

Roberts agreed, although the bill never made it to the Senate. "If you want to go to Oregon (where assisted suicide for terminally ill patients is legal), there are no barriers to that."

On the Parents' Bill of Rights, Roberts said, "I have no qualms about sponsoring that bill. ... Last year I voted for a bill to make school immunization rates public. You need to know, and if you don't like the answer, you can move your child. I got right-wing wacko language in e-mails, but the highest rate of non-immunization was in Boulder County."

Brown said he hadn't seen this bill. He noted his 12 years on the Ignacio School Board and said, "I believe parents have the right to pull kids out of certain classes. (Wife) Debbie and I encourage our sons and daughters-in-law to vaccinate their kids," but he supports personal choice.

On repeal of the 2013 gun bills, Brown said he supported repeal and called those bills unenforceable, but he doesn't expect them to pass.

Roberts said she voted no on all the gun bills in 2013. "What I thought would happen has happened. The well has been poisoned regarding the Second Amendment." She chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee that is hearing the repeal bills.

"There were no improvements to public safety with those bills," she said. "The backlash has been very evident. We're seeing the consequences. ... Both the process and policy in 2013 was flawed. I'm convinced it was a serious mistake on various levels."

Roberts noted that with a split legislature, controversial bills are unlikely to pass this year. On proposals such as the Parents Bill of Rights, she urged people to read the actual bill and amendments at www.leg.state.co.us. Select a bill by number or do a word search.

Citizens also can watch and listen in real time to floor debates and committee hearings via that web site. West Slope residents can testify on bills without travelling to Denver, but they do have to go to Grand Junction.

Roberts can be reached in Denver at (303) 866-4884 or locally at 259-1594. Brown is at (303) 866-2914 or 759-4157.