Highways top Colorado legislative talk, but agreement elusive

DENVER (AP) — There's no debate — Colorado needs a big plan to pay for billions in needed highway upgrades.

But that's where agreement ended Wednesday as the state's divided Legislature began work for the year.

Republicans in the House and Senate gave differing takes on whether Colorado should ask voters to pass a new tax to pay for more than $8 billion in transportation projects.

And Democrats are talking up different ways to pay for roads.

New Republican Senate President Kevin Grantham took the unusual step of not rejecting a tax hike in his kickoff remarks. But House Republican leader Patrick Neville insisted that Colorado doesn't need more money — it just needs to spend more wisely.

House and Senate Democrats, meanwhile, laid out different plans for paying for roads.