220px-Cory_Gardner,_Official_Portrait,_112th_Congress Remember that scam Gov. Hickenlooper fell for in 2013 when he fronted the feds $300,000 large Colorado taxpayer dollars to reopen Rocky Mountain National Park during the government shutdown?

Yeah, we still haven’t been repaid.

Forcing that refund from the National Park Service was actually the first piece of legislation Sen. Cory Gardner cosponsored in January after he was sworn into office.

The bill finally got a Senate hearing Wednesday, so with any luck, we might get repaid before the next government shutdown this fall.

Lawmakers are also working on legislation what would keep park gates open during the next shutdown, which seems to happen as often as Swallows returning to Capistrano.

The Obama administration opposes this, of course, as using the threat of park shutdowns is the favorite blackmail of Democrats whenever they want something.

We’ll keep you updated if the legislation reaches the floor, so we can see where the Colorado delegation stands – blackmail, or national treasures that should actually be treasured?