This year, Colorado's Legislature is likely to pass some bills many of us don't like and most of us don't need. There are some bills they should pass, however, but probably won't. Here are just a few.

1. On managing growth: authorize local governments to levy impact fees on developers that would pay for some of the huge costs of new schools, roads and other services. Most Coloradans are deeply concerned about the large growth expenses borne by taxpayers. In an impact fee law, legislators could require that the fees go into a trust fund to be jointly managed by local elected officials and developers. That would ensure that fairness prevails in allocating funds.

   Next, develop incentives to preserve open space and parks. The Owens administration has decided to hold back on money to purchase more state parks and conservation easements. These are two critical ways to preserve the wild and beautiful lands and the agricultural areas we Coloradans cherish. Voters have been willing to tax themselves to safeguard the beauty of Colorado. The Legislature should also show leadership by investing in open space rather than cutting funding at this critical time.

2. On health care: pass the long-demanded Patients' Bill of Rights. For many of us, "managed care" has come to mean the denial of health care in the interest of saving money and increasing profits for insurance companies. While the Legislature has enacted some patient protection measures, more needs to be done. For example, we should hold HMO's responsible for the medical decisions they make. There need to be protections from improper denials of care. And, patients need to be able to choose and keep their physicians.

3. On education: much needs to be done. Here are a couple of possibilities. Create a Colorado Teachers' Corps which encourages bright high school graduates to teach for four years in under-performing or rural schools in return for full four-year college scholarships.

   Set class size limits for primary grades. Then fund them. We know that very young children need specialized and personal attention from a skilled teacher. Research shows that children in smaller classes, particularly in the first four years of school, are much more successful throughout their education than children in large classes. A good start early on will reap countless rewards later.

4. On personal privacy: pass a privacy law that protects individuals from having their personal information sold to others without their permission. This should hold for all government agencies as well as banks, insurance companies and others. As a state, we ought to guarantee privacy rights to all our citizens.

5. On transportation planning: strengthen regional transportation planning. Currently, we have local governments, the State Department of Transportation, RTD and the Denver Regional Council of Governments all engaged in planning. The Legislature should put teeth into a coordinated effort that encourages mass transit solutions to our stifling congestion. For example, tie some state funding to regional planning that includes all parties and develops regional transit solutions. More highway lanes alone just won't do the job.

6. On sharing resources: share sales tax revenues across local jurisdictions. Right now, when the next Park Meadows Mall opens, it will suck business from local merchants and tax revenues from other local governments. These are revenues that fund critical services such as public safety and snow removal. My city's new bounty is often your city's financial disaster. We've talked for years about remedying these imbalances. It's time to do something about it.

7. On guns: pass a package of bills that keep guns out of the hands of children and require safety mechanisms on firearms. Keep concealed weapons out of public places, including schools, parks, recreational facilities and community centers. And, allow local governments to set more stringent concealed weapons standards than required by any new state law.