January 2010 – 2nd half

Month: 
January
Year: 
2010

 THE LEGISLATURE RACES TO WORK

 The State Senate got right to work on the very first day of the session, January 13, with a meeting of the Senate Education Committee and 2nd Reading by the Senate – all to pass SB 36, Program Results for Educator Preparation, by Senator Johnston. The bill was signed into law on Friday of the first week – a most unusual occurrence. The quick action was needed to help Colorado meet the deadline of January 19 to submit our state’s application for the federal education grant called “Race to the Top.” I think we’ll be racing along all session!

 

SAVING RETIREMENT FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Approximately 440,000 state, school, and local government employees count on Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) for their retirement benefits. The recent economic downturn hit PERA hard. If we allow PERA to follow its current course, the fund will not be sustainable. That is why my fellow Democrats and I directed the PERA Board to provide us with legislative recommendations to ensure the longevity of the fund, and we worked with a broad coalition to develop bipartisan legislation to make sure that retirees, employees, and future employees all get a fair deal. We are working ensure that PERA stays healthy and continues providing for Coloradans now and into the future. If you are interested in observing the first hearing of the bill, SB 1, come to the Senate Finance Committee hearing at the Capitol this Tuesday, January 26, at 1:30 p.m.

 

REVIEW OF JANUARY TOWN HALL

In case you missed my Town Hall meeting on January 16, here’s a brief synopsis:

  • State Treasurer Cary Kennedy spoke to us about the state’s Treasury and budget. The Treasury is the state’s bank, holding all state funds (in about 450 different accounts) and handling the investments for them. Colorado is in better shape than most states because of the Treasurer’s conservative fiscal policy. While other governments lost billions of taxpayers’ money in risky investments, Colorado’s lost none. In fact, we had interest earnings of $177 million in 2009! Nevertheless, the state budget deteriorated by 13% last year because revenue was down $800 million. At the same time, our population increased, the demand for social services like Medicaid increased, and we had more students in our public schools. In order to balance the state budget, we were forced to make cuts to state departments and services. Treasurer Kennedy summed it up this way: “We’re doing less with less.”

  • Our fellow community member Linda Cerva, who works for H&R Block, gave us a little “Tax Talk” about the Making Work Pay Tax Credit, part of the federal stimulus funding. All employees should have received a $400 refund in their April paycheck. (People on Social Security should have received a $250 credit.) People who were working two jobs and received the tax credit twice must pay it back when filing their taxes.

 

THE RECOVERY ACT HAS HELPED OUR COMMUNITY

Treasurer Kennedy pointed out that the cuts we were forced to make in the state budget were “not devastating” because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the federal stimulus money. Good news! More than 8,000 people who might otherwise be out of work in Colorado now have jobs. People who lost their jobs in the recession still have access to unemployment insurance while they strive to get back on their feet, and those who can’t afford health insurance have access to Medicaid. Students in Colorado still have affordable tuition rates at our colleges and universities. And the funds are still coming in to help rebuild Colorado’s economy! To find out how ARRA has helped our community, go to this website and click on Jefferson County.

 

WATCH ME ON COMCAST NEWSMAKERS

During the month of January, you can see Beverly Weaver’s interview of me on Comcast Newsmakers, Channel 37, at the following times:

  • Mondays at 11:54 a.m.

  • Tuesdays at 1:54 p.m.

  • Wednesdays at 3:54 p.m.

  • Fridays at 12:54 a.m.

  • Saturdays at 11:54 a.m.

  • Sundays at 5:54 a.m. and 8:54 p.m.

 

My Legislation

I am the prime sponsor of six bills, two on behalf of interim committees. These are the ones that have been introduced so far:

  • SB 5 – Continuity of Kindergarten Services – This comes from the Early Childhood & School Readiness Commission. It seeks to use federal grant money to pay for high-quality services in kindergarten for at-risk children.

  • SB 7 – Collaborative Management of Multi-Agency Services – This comes from the Economic Opportunity & Poverty Reduction Task Force. It allows and encourages collaborative groups created by county departments of human services for the purpose of supporting youth and their families to include a broader range of community agencies.

  • SB 54 – Education Services for Juveniles Charged as Adults – This requires educational services to be provided to juveniles who are placed in county jails awaiting trial for crimes they were charged as adults for. It is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday, January 27, after 1:30 p.m.

  • SB 66 – Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect – This comes at the request of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. It allows counselors or hotlines to keep confidential child abuse or neglect reported by an adult if it happened when he or she was a child.

 

I am the Senate sponsor on a number of House bills; these have been introduced so far:

  • HB 1023 (with Rep. Waller) – Employer Liability in Negligent Hiring – This comes from the Economic Opportunity & Poverty Reduction Task Force. It prohibits information on the criminal record of former felons to be used in a civil action by an employer if the employee’s criminal history bears no relationship to the cause of action.

  • HB 1026 (with Rep. Solano) – Quality Child Care Grant Incentive Program – This comes from the Early Childhood & School Readiness Commission. It provides incentives with federal grant money for early childhood providers to increase the quality of care through a tiered reimbursement system in the Child Care Assistance Program.

  • HB 1046 (with Rep. Tyler) – Receipt of Tax Payment by County Treasurer – This establishes the recorded date that the County Treasurer receives property tax payments when there is no postmark.

  • HB 1074 (with Rep. Soper) – Consumer Protection in Automobile Insurance – This modifies how auto insurance companies deal with their clients by increasing the accident threshold time, requiring the use of new parts for vehicles under warranty, and creating regional pricing for auto repairs paid for by insurance.

  • HB 1118 (with Rep. Jim Kerr) – Regulation of Distressed Real Property – This gives counties the ability to regulate abandoned and distressed properties that are in foreclosure.

  • HB 1128 (with Rep. Looper) – Registrations Regulatory Efficiency – This repeals duplicative and obsolete provisions regarding the operations of the Division of Registrations in the Department of Regulatory Agencies.

  • HB 1135 (with Sen. Newell and Rep. Ryden) – Define Domestic Violence in Child Custody – This defines “domestic violence” when determining the best interest of a child in child custody cases.

 

Tune In

The proceedings of State Senate and House of Representatives are broadcast live on Comcast Channel 165, as well as live-streamed and archived on the Internet at http://coloradochannel.net. Also, you can listen online to all sessions and committee meetings of the Senate and House at http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2010a/cslFrontPages.nsf/Audio?OpenForm.

 

JOIN ME FOR COFFEE

Come chat with me about whatever is on your mind at my next monthly Legislative Coffee on Thursday, February 4, at Panera’s, 7739 Wadsworth Blvd. Please note that it will begin and end 15 minutes earlier – 7:15-8:15 a.m. My next monthly Town Hall Meeting will be on Saturday, February 20, 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Standley Lake Library.