Hudak’s Senate Notes – July 2009

Month: 
July
Year: 
2009

THINGS ARE HEATING UP!

 

  The goings-on at the Capitol are heating up, as the interim committees get into action. These committees will be working steadily for the next few months, because decisions need to be made by October about what legislation to put forward for the 2010 legislative session. I am on two committees (Early Childhood/School Readiness Commission and Economic Recovery/Poverty Reduction Task Force) and working on subcommittees of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and for the Race to the Top grant.

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING AS YOUR SENATOR

Here are some of the things I’ve done since mid-June, when the last newsletter went out:

  • Held a Town Hall Meeting on June 20, with a presentation on senior citizens’ issues.
  • Gave a legislative report at the Arvada Chamber’s 3rd Friday Issues Breakfast.
  • Met several times with the Economic Recovery/Poverty Reduction Task Force to take input from the stakeholders and plan the committee’s scope of work for this year.
  • Attended the conference put on by the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
  • Attended the first meeting of the School Finance Interim Committee and participated with the subcommittee on the School Finance Formula and Factors.
  • Went with other legislators on a two-day tour of 10 state prisons.  [See article below.]
  • Continued working on implementation of SB 90, my bill on parent involvement in education.  [See article below.]
  • Attended the COGA (Colorado Oil and Gas Association) Legislative Breakfast.
  • Toured the Metro Community Provider Network’s medical facility in Arvada.
  • Attended the monthly meeting of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and volunteered to work on the Drug Laws subcommittee.
  • Attended the conference put on by the Colorado Association of Career and Technical Educators.
  • Worked on plans for the implementation of SB 163, my bill aligning the state’s accountability systems.  [See article below.]
  • Attended a meeting of early childhood stakeholders to help Lieutenant Governor O’Brien plan for how to incorporate early childhood in the Race to the Top grant application.

 

MY TOUR OF COLORADO’S PRISONS

I accepted the offer from the Department of Corrections staff to go with other legislators on a two-day tour of several state prisons; we went on June 30 and July 1.  (The travel and lodging were entirely at our own expense, as well as meals, except for lunch both days prepared by inmates.)  We saw 10 facilities in Canon City, Pueblo, and Crowley County.  We saw maximum, medium, and minimum security facilities; prisons for men and for women; the prison housing the inmates with severe mental illness; a private prison; and the facility for the Youth Offender System.  We learned about the behavior incentive system, treatment programs, Correctional Industries, and the death chamber, and we got to speak with some inmates.  See the Issues page on my website for details, www.eviehudak.com.

 

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

I have been working with COPINE (Colorado Parent Involvement Network for Education) and CDE (Colorado Department of Education) to organize the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education.  This council is authorized by SB 09-90, a bill I sponsored.  The State Board of Education is required by the bill to appoint 20 people from various organizations, no later than October 1.  Because the SBE meets on the second Thursday of each month, their appointments will be made on September 10, so the timeline is short for the application process.  Interested persons need to apply by submitting of a letter of intent by 5 p.m. on July 27 to the following e-mail address: hinojosa_r@cde.state.co.us, with the subject line of “SB09-90 Letter of Intent.”  For information about the requirements for the various seats on the Council , go to www.civiccanopy.org/media/Edocs/SB_90_letter_for_recommendations.doc . Questions about the application process may be directed to Rosana Hinojosa at 303-866-6897.

 

NEW STATE ACCOUNTABILITY LAW

CDE has been working on the implementation of SB 09-163, another bill I sponsored.  The first part of the bill’s implementation will occur on August 7, when the results of this year’s CSAP exams will become available after a press conference at 10 a.m. CDE will be posting the results on its website (www.cde.state.co.us) through “School View,” which incorporates the test results in the Colorado Growth Model.  SB 09-163 eliminates the School Accountability Reports (SARs) and the ratings of schools that they provided.  Instead, schools and districts will be held accountable through the measurement of student growth and achievement, gaps in growth and achievement among different populations, and postsecondary readiness – this information will be posted on the CDE website and on every district’s website.  Accountability committees will play a stronger role in helping schools and districts do their planning for improvement.  Both SB 09-90 and SB 09-163 require all districts and schools – including charter schools – to have accountability committees and require greater parent involvement on these committees. CDE is working with CSAN (Colorado State Accountability Network) to update the Accountability Handbook that will help accountability committees learn about the new requirements.

 

CAPITOL QUILT SHOW

The annual exhibit of quilts made by Coloradans is on display at the Capitol through August 20.  You can pick up the guidebook on the 1st Floor.  The quilts are beautiful and demonstrate outstanding artistry and skill.  You can cast your vote for the ones you think are the best!

 

THE VOTERS’ VOICE

Don’t forget that if you didn’t receive a copy of The Voters’ Voice, you can see it online on my website.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

These are some of the meetings I will be hosting or attending in the next month:

  • Monday, July 27 – First official meeting of the Economic Recovery/Poverty Reduction Task Force; 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Old Supreme Court Chambers.
  • Tuesday, July 28 – First meeting of the Early Childhood/School Readiness Commission; 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in HCR 109.
  • Wednesday, July 29 – I’ll be presenting part of a workshop at the annual summer conference of CASE (Colorado Association of School Executives) in Breckenridge.
  • Thursday, August 13 – Meeting of the Drug Policy Subcommittee of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
  • Tuesday, August 18 – Economic Recovery/Poverty Reduction Task Force meeting.
  • Friday, August 21 – Arvada Chamber’s 3rd Friday Issues Breakfast.

 

To get further information about the State Legislature, go to the General Assembly website at http://www.leg.state.co.us.  For more information about the Senate Democratic Majority, go to http://coloradosenate.org/home/.