Senate Republicans are positively giddy that a drug prescription bill Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter touted in his first year is now being repealed.

Senate Bill 1 in 2007 directed a state agency to negotiate discounts on generic drugs for up to 264,000 Coloradans who don't have health insurance and whose income is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

But only about 40 people have taken advantage of the program, Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said Tuesday.

"This is a red line through the Colorado Promise," chortled Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield.

Ritter's campaign blueprint in 2006 was called the Colorado Promise, and included health care reform.

Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dryer, questioned why Mitchell wasn't happy that the administration isn't going to spend money on a program that isn't needed.

The Senate on Tuesday gave initial approval to Senate Bill 132 by Boyd, which cuts the number of employees for the program from four full-time positions to one part-time spot. That person will answer questions about where people can get cheaper or free drugs.

Much of the money allocated for the program was never used, Boyd said.

Ritter signed Senate Bill 1 on Feb. 5, 2007, before plenty of cameras.

"Today, we make the cost of prescription medications for hundreds of thousands of Coloradans more affordable," Ritter said at the time.

When the Colorado Cares Rx Program was implemented on Jan. 1, 2008, the state chose to contract with a private firm to provide a mail-order discount prescriptions.

"When programs don't work or are no longer necessary we should modify or stop funding them, not resuscitate them just because it seemed like a good idea three years ago," Dryer said.