Schools, religious organizations and community organizations got together Thursday night to tell state policymakers where they stood on health insurance, education, immigrant rights, home foreclosures and payday loans.

Metro Organizations for People staged skits and monologues to dramatize the issues its members support. The event drew prominent statehouse Democrats, including House Speaker Terrance Carroll, policy advisers to Gov. Bill Ritter, and local legislators.

Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, the son of a teacher, spoke passionately in support of making in-state tuition rates available to any student who has attended a Colorado high school for three years and graduated - regardless of immigration status.

"To me, it's about creating more education opportunities, and when we are together we are stronger," he said of what he calls tuition equity.

Said Maria Esperanza, a community activist on education: "Having these people educated will allow them to give back more to their communities."

Ritter adviser Cody Belzley said the governor's proposed Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act could dramatically cut into the state's number of uninsured "without having to raise taxes at all."

The plan would place a fee on Colorado hospitals that would raise $600 million a year to match $600 million in federal money to provide benefits through Medicaid and CHP+. The bill would block hospitals from passing the fee on to patients or insurance companies.

The governor's office said the bill would extend health coverage to 100,000 uninsured state residents. An estimated 800,000 Coloradans are uninsured, including 180,000 children.

"Health insurance is breaking my back," manufacturing supply company manager Carlos Ramirez said of his payroll. "Government has put off making changes too long. Small businesses can't go much longer in this economic mess without some kind of health care insurance coverage that makes sense for working people."

The event was the fourth annual for the 30-year-old community group, which says it represents 65,000 city residents, including 33 religious organizations.

Local organizations pick the issues to present to legislators as "things that are important to their lives," said Desi Westlund, a MOP community organizer.

"Instead of us going to the Capitol, we ask the policymakers to come here so we can lobby them on our turf," she said.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com