March 2010 - 2nd half

GOOD NEWS, AND PAINFULLY BAD

The good news is that the March revenue forecast showed state revenues to be up enough to prevent any more reductions to the state budget (i.e., the good news is that things aren’t worse).  The bad news is that we still have to make the cuts planned for the 2010-2011 budget.  The 2010 session will go down in my personal history as the time I cast the most painful and ironic vote of my career, in favor of HB 1369, which reduces school funding by $260 million.  It’s ironic because I first got involved in politics to play a role in providing better funding for education, after watching the Legislature reduce school funding year after year from the late ‘80s through the ‘90s, and because I was part of the group that initiated Amendment 23.  Such is the fate of legislators serving during this Great Recession.  

JOIN ME FOR MY LEGISLATIVE COFFEE

My next Legislative Coffee is coming soon – on Thursday, April 1, 7:15 - 8:15 a.m. – at Coffee at Panera’s, 7739 Wadsworth Blvd.  There’s no program – you can take advantage of the opportunity to chat with me about issues of concern to you.  I do this on the first Thursday of every month, at the same time and place. 

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR SENATOR

I invite you to join me at the State Capitol any time during the session (through May 12 – so you have only 6 weeks left) to “shadow” me and see what a day in the life of a legislator is like.  It’s busy!  Just call my office at the number listed at the end of this newsletter to let us know when you’d like to come.  Here’s a little snapshot of my schedule (not including early morning meetings or luncheons, which occur almost every day):

• Monday – Senate in session 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Judiciary Committee at 1:30 p.m. (this committee meeting has ended as early as 3:00 p.m. and as late as 10:00 p.m.).
• Tuesday – Senate in session at 9 a.m., ending anytime between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; Judiciary Committee upon adjournment, often running through lunchtime; and Finance Committee at 2:00 p.m. (this committee meeting has ended as early as 2:30 p.m. and as late as 12:30 a.m.).
• Wednesday – Joint Education Committee from 7:30 a.m. to about 8:30 a.m.; Senate in session at 9 a.m., ending between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; Education Committee upon adjournment; and Judiciary Committee at 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday – Senate in session at 9 a.m., ending between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; Finance Committee upon adjournment; and Education Committee at 1:30 p.m.
• Friday – Senate in session 10:00 a.m. and ending about12:00 p.m., depending on how full the agenda is (we have gone until 5 p.m. a couple of times); if necessary, the Judiciary Committee meets at 1:00 p.m.

CENSUS MAKES SENSE

You should have received your Census 2010 questionnaire by now.  Please fill it out, if you haven’t already.  By doing so, you help Colorado and your community.  More than $400 billion in federal funding is distributed across states and communities based on Census data.  Colorado receives $880 per person each year!  Filling out your Census questionnaire is like writing a check to your community to fund schools, roads, senior services, libraries, health services, and more—it just makes sense.  There are only 10 questions, and it will likely take fewer than 10 minutes to complete.  If you have questions, please visit www.colorado.gov/census2010.  

REVIEW OF MARCH 20 TOWN HALL MEETING

We had a special guest at the meeting, Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, who gave a brief overview of what his office does.  The business licensing division does about 80,000 transactions per month, at less than half the cost charged by other states.  His office handles the registration of lobbyists and charitable organizations.  In regard to the latter, Buescher said to beware of phone calls from charities asking for donations, because generally 90% of the money donated that way pays the caller only – he said to go to www.checkthecharity.com before making a donation.  He called attention to a bill passed last year that made changes regarding people seeking signatures on petitions for ballot issues; the law now requires paid circulators to be licensed and prohibits them from being paid per signature.  His office is bringing forward a referendum for this year’s ballot to move the division of bingo and raffle licensing to the Department of Revenue. 

The main topic of the meeting was how state funding impacts education.  Scott Groginsky, Senior Policy Director for the Colorado Children’s Campaign www.coloradokids.org , made the presentation.  He began with some information from the report “Leaving Children Behind:  How Colorado’s Fiscal Policies Hurt Our Most Vulnerable Citizens”. This report shows that child poverty in Colorado increased by 85% from 2000 to 2007, making us the fastest-growing state in child poverty, while only 7 other states saw increases in child poverty during this period.  Support services like preschool, child care assistance, food stamps, and health coverage have been proven to reduce child poverty, but these supports are the first to be cut in bad economic times.  Furthermore, Colorado’s constitutional and statutory restrictions on revenue collection and expenditures (primarily because of TABOR) have prevented our state from investing adequately in these.  An analysis of student scores on CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program) shows that poor students – those eligible for free or reduced lunch (FRL) – have significantly lower scores than students not eligible for FRL.  This is the case whether scores are considered by proficiency levels or by growth.  Furthermore, their dropout rates are significantly higher.  Lower achievement and graduation rates translate into lower earnings, higher crime, and other costs to society.  “Placing children and families at risk places all of us at risk,” concluded Groginsky. 

MY BILLS

Here are special updates on some of the bills I am sponsoring:

• SB 7 – Collaborative Management of Multi-Agency Services – Passed the Senate and the House.
• SB 66 – Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect – Passed the Senate and the House Judiciary Committee.
• SB 129 – HCBS Autism Services Coordination – Passed the Senate and the House.
• HB 1023 (with  Rep. Waller) – Employer Liability in Negligent Hiring – Passed the House and the Senate.
• HB 1026 (with Sen. Hodge and Rep. Solano) – Quality Child Care Grant Incentive Program – Passed the House and the Senate.
• HB 1118 (with Rep. Jim Kerr) – Regulation of Distressed Real Property – Passed the House; passed the Senate on 2^nd Reading.
• HB 1128 (with Rep. Looper) – Registrations Regulatory Efficiency – Passed the House and the Senate.
• HB 1135 (with Sen. Newell and Rep. Ryden) – Define Domestic Violence in Child Custody – Passed the House and the Senate.
• HB 1228 (with Rep. Benefield) – Dependent Coverage Health Benefits – Passed the House and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
• HB 1364 (with Rep. Ryden) – Sunset Sex Offender Management Board – Passed the House Judiciary Committee.
• HB 1373 (with Rep. T. Carroll, Speaker of the House) – Sentencing Changes for Escape Crimes – Introduced in the House on March 23.