COLORADO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COLORADO SENATE

October 4, 2011 The Honorable John Hickenlooper Governor of Colorado 200 East Colfax Avenue, Room 136 Denver, CO 80203 The Honorable Brandon Shaffer President of the Colorado Senate 200 East Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80230

The Honorable Sal Pace Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives 200 E Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80203 Dear Governor Hickenlooper, President Shaffer and Minority Leader Pace: We are writing to ask you to join us in opposing Proposition 103, the ballot measure that would raise personal and corporate income taxes and the state sales tax by almost $3 billion over the next five years. We believe Colorados elected leaders must provide a united front in standing against policies such as Proposition 103 that will harm Colorados economic recovery. Political leaders in Washington, D.C. have spent the better part of the year quarreling about how to break the grip of a staggering unemployment crisis. As Washington bickers, we can demonstrate broad bipartisanship around a critical organizing principle that the unemployment crisis is the wrong time for statewide income tax and sales tax increases. While the voters will ultimately decide the fate of Proposition 103, those same voters have an unmistakable right to know whether the elected leaders they have entrusted with the reins of power believe this ballot measure is the right economic prescription for the state. We unanimously believe that Proposition 103 is not.

While there has been considerable speculation about whether the proposed recessionary tax hike will result in 30,000 lost jobs or 119,000 lost jobs, what is clear is that the state should not endorse any policy that will beat back a jobs recovery on any level or in any number. We ask you to join us in a strong bipartisan stand against Proposition 103, a measure that will harm our states economic recovery. Tough times like these represent the moment when political leadership is at its highest premium. Voters deserve leadership on an issue as weighty as Proposition 103. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you on whether you will stand with us in opposing this ill-conceived tax hike that will hinder Colorados economic recovery. Sincerely,

Rep. Frank McNulty Colorado Speaker of the House

Sen. Mike Kopp Senate Minority Leader

Rep. Amy Stephens House Majority Leader

Sen. Bill Cadman Assistant Minority Leader

Rep. Kevin Priola Speaker Pro Tempore

Sen. Mark Scheffel Minority Caucus Chair

Rep. Mark Waller Assistant Majority Leader

Sen. Scott Renfroe Minority Whip

Rep. Carole Murray

Rep. B.J. Nikkel

Majority Caucus Chair

Majority Caucus Whip

Rep. Cindy Acree

Sen. Greg Brophy

Rep. David Balmer

Sen. Kevin Grantham

Rep. Mark Barker

Sen. Ted Harvey

Rep. Randy Baumgardner

Sen. Keith King

Rep. Jon Becker

Sen. Steve King

Rep. Don Beezley

Sen. Kent Lambert

Rep. Laura Bradford

Sen. Kevin Lundberg

Rep. J. Paul Brown

Sen. Shawn Mitchell

Rep. Kathleen Conti

Sen. Ellen Roberts

Rep. Don Coram

Sen. Nancy Spence

Rep. Brian DelGrosso

Sen. Jean White

Rep. Bob Gardner

Rep. Cheri Gerou

Rep. Chris Holbert

Rep. Janak Joshi

Rep. Jim Kerr

Rep. Larry Liston

Rep. Marsha Looper

Rep. Tom Massey

Rep. Robert Ramirez

Rep. Ray Scott

Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg

Rep. Ken Summers

Rep. Spencer Swalm

Rep. Keith Swerdfeger

Rep. Libby Szabo

Rep. Glenn Vaad