DENVER – A review of the first half of this year's Colorado Legislature reveals a sharp contrast in the workload and success rate of Telluride's two-man delegation.

Democrat Sen. Jim Isgar of Hesperus is a member of the majority party and chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy. He has introduced nine measures in the Senate and is the Senate sponsor of 14 more initiated in the House. Of the five bills that have reached the governor's desk, two have already been signed.

"I've got a lot of bills moving and a lot of negotiations taking place on oil and gas and water," said Isgar, who is attempting to legislate compromises in conflicts over both recreational water rights and damage to land, water and air from energy exploration.

By contrast, Republican Rep. Ray Rose of Montrose is in the minority and already has seen three of his six House bills killed in committee. He has had more success with two uncontroversial Senate bills he carried in the House, which did reach the governor's desk.

Isgar and Rose also have very different perspectives on controversies involving ethics that have swirled around the Capitol the last couple of weeks.

"It hasn't been distracting to me because I've got to get my work done," Isgar said. "I know what's going on but I haven't had time to even look at the newspapers."

Rose, on the other hand, said the controversies have made this his most difficult session in four years as a state legislator.

"We are constantly thinking about something other than the business of the people," Rose said. "Anything we do at any given moment of the day can be twisted and tainted in the public eye to the point it appears some wrongdoing has taken place."

Sen. Deanna Hanna, D-Lakewood, is resigning her Senate seat effective later this month over a letter she wrote seeking "reparations" from a Realtor's group. Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, stepped down as House minority leader earlier this month after published reports showed he claimed per diem expenses while on vacation in Hawaii and the two days he took the state bar exam.

"I don't defend the actions of some of our members that range from totally illegal to lapses of extremely poor judgment," Rose said. "But how many of us have never had a moment of poor judgment?"

Rose blamed powerful lobbying groups for the death of two of his bills aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs to rural residents and reducing fraud in civil lawsuits seeking recovery of medical expenses for alleged injuries.

"My (House Bill 1194) died because of the lobbying of those that are making exorbitant profits at the expense of the consumer," said Rose. The bill would have allowed retail pharmacies to match the discounts for maintenance drugs that currently are given by mail order houses and pharmacy benefit management plans.

"This bill would have reduced the overall cost of prescription drugs to the consumer by allowing more competition," he said.

Trial lawyers and medical providers were among those opposing Rose's House Bill 1205, which would have granted courts access to medical reports of people filing damage lawsuits. They argued it would violate patient/doctor confidentiality.

"Right now you can't get to the past medical history of people filing claims on existing injuries," Rose said.

Still pending for Rose are his bills exempting some greenhouse operations from sales and use taxes they now have to pay on agriculture products and extending a Montrose-based pilot program aimed at reducing teen pregnancies. One Rose bill that has reached the governor's desk changes the requirements for getting an antique car license plate.

Isgar said he expects more of the same for the last 60 days of the legislative session.

"Things are coming together on the oil and gas bill; I don't have everyone on board but I think we're close," said Isgar of House Bill 1185, which passed the House under the sponsorship of Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison.

Isgar said he had met lobbyists for homebuilders and environmentalists who were concerned about language in the bill that gives oil and gas drillers "reasonable use" of the surface to get to the mineral rights they own underneath.

"The industry has said they weren't using that language to get out of paying for what they disturbed," Isgar said.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing Thursday before Isgar's committee. He said he hoped for eventual support from environmental and landowner groups who are advocating for stronger protections from drilling activity.

"Some will say we go too far and others say not far enough," Isgar said. "That's what compromise is all about and just like the RICD bill, we're not going to get everybody happy."

Isgar's Senate Bill 37, which clarifies water rights for recreational in-channel diversions, is scheduled for a hearing next Monday in the House Agriculture Committee. Curry chairs the committee and is the House sponsor of Isgar's bill.