TABOR: The Colorado Experiment

In Colorado, where the so-called "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" or TABOR was adopted in 1992, public services have deteriorated significantly. For example, between 1992 and 2001, Colorado declined from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending as a share of personal income.

Colorado now ranks 48th in higher education funding as a share of personal income- down from 35th in 1992. Between 1991 and 2004 - a period in which the percentage of children who are uninsured declined nationally - the proportion of low-income children who lack health insurance in Colorado doubled. Colorado now ranks last in the nation on this measure.

In addition, between 1992 and 2002, Colorado declined from 23rd to 48th in the nation in access to prenatal care, a sign of funding shortages in local health clinics.

In Colorado - the only state with a TABOR, voters decided in November 2005 to suspend their TABOR amendment for five years so that the state could begin restoring cuts in public services and avoid making even more drastic cuts. Yet organizations dedicated to shrinking government - such as Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Limited Government, the CATO Institute, and Americans for Prosperity Foundation, among others - are still pushing for the adoption of TABORs in other states. In 2005, TABOR proposals were introduced in about half of the states - none passed. In 2006, TABOR legislation and ballot initiatives are being pushed aggressively in at least a dozen states.