SENATE RISES AGAINST DISCRIMINATION OVER GOP OBJECTIONS

Senators “Disgusted” by

Intolerant Comments from Far Right

DENVER—Today the full Senate gave initial approval to SB08-200, but not without considerable and at times heated debate.

Sponsored by Senator Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver), the bill would add sexual orientation to Colorado’s non-discrimination statutes for 23 areas, including housing, employment, education, public accommodations and health care.

Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver) objected to a joke amendment offered by Republican Senator Greg Brophy, which attempted to include a person’s height in non-discrimination statues.

“Making light of the fear and disadvantage suffered by gay Coloradans is disgusting,” said Groff. “Discrimination is the birth defect of our country – discrimination is not a joke.”

Some Republican senators also argued that there is a lack of statistical evidence that proves the existence of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

“I can understand that some people may choose to ignore discrimination in their day to day lives,” said Veiga. “But I can tell you that discrimination still exists and is very real for so many Coloradans.”

SB08-200 was passed on a voice vote and will next be considered by the full Senate on third and final reading.

SCHWARTZ BRINGS BROADBAND TO RURAL COLORADO

DENVER—Today the full Senate gave initial approval for a measure that would help bring broadband internet service to rural areas in Colorado.

Sponsored by Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass), the bill would direct Colorado’s Chief Information Officer to identify broadband telecommunications service areas within Colorado and to develop a map of those areas, with the goal of using the map to help plan the deployment of broadband service to unserved areas of the state.

“This bill is a huge step into the 21st century for Colorado,” said Schwartz. “Many parts of rural Colorado have fallen behind Front Range areas in access to broadband communications. Broadband communication is crucial for economic development, and extending this technology will dramatically improve health care and educational services and strengthen local businesses in rural Colorado.”

SB08-215 will next be considered by the Senate on third and final reading.

SENATE APPROVES LANDMARK EDUCATION PACKAGE

DENVER—Today the Senate passed a package of landmark education bills aimed at giving all Colorado students the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in tomorrow’s globally competitive 21st century economy.

The Senate gave final approval to the following two bills:

Building Excellent Schools Today (Schwartz & Groff/Romanoff) – Makes up to $1 billion available to repair and rebuild Colorado’s crumbling schools.

Safe Schools (Morse) – Establishes a school Safety Resource Center and Advisory Board in the Department of Public Safety. The center will develop safety/emergency readiness plans to ensure safety in schools through prevention and intervention.

The Senate also gave initial approval to the following five bills:

Cap4K (Romer/Scanlan) – Aligns rigorous course content standards with meaningful proficiency assessments with standardized college admission requirements. Cap4K is a complete redesign and realignment of Colorado’s education systems from pre-school through college.

Teach for Colorado (Shaffer/A. Kerr) – Provides scholarship incentives for college students to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and other high-demand teaching areas in Colorado.

College Opportunity Fund for National Guard Members (Shaffer) – Makes members of the Colorado National Guard eligible for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend.

Streamlining Rural Education (Schwartz) – Streamlines the delivery of administration programs and services in rural school districts. Expands regional service areas throughout the state, leverages resources and encourages collaboration locally to meet varying needs and priorities.

Child Nutrition School Lunch Program (Sandoval/Madden) – Provides school lunches for all eligible children under the federal “National School Lunch Act.”

BILL TO REBUILD AND REPAIR COLORADO’S CRUMBLING SCHOOLS CLEARS SENATE

DENVER—Today the full Senate gave final approval to HB08-1335, which would address health and safety issues by providing funds to rebuild, repair or replace our most dangerous and most needy K-12 facilities.

Sponsored by Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver), Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) and House Speaker H. Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver), the bill calls for a statewide needs assessment for the selection of schools and projects, and leverages as much as $1 billion in funds while keeping within our balanced budget.

“It’s time the state steps up to address the condition of our schools, especially those in our rural districts,” Schwartz said. “We included measures in this bill to give schools a fighting chance to teach their children in safe environments.”

Colorado's public school buildings across the state are aging. Hazards include failing roofs, structural problems, inadequate fire safety, faulty and dangerous boilers, asbestos and carbon monoxide contamination.

“By investing in school safety we are also investing in the overall education of Colorado students,” Groff said. “This bill not only offers a solution to crumbling schools, but it does it in way that is fiscally reasonable.”

The plan will leverage $30-40 million of revenue annually from the School Trust Lands to raise up to $500 million in capital. Local matching could raise another $400-500 million, bringing the total to nearly one billion dollars, enough to repair hundreds of existing schools or to build scores of new ones.
The School Trust Lands are property the federal government granted to the state in 1876 for the benefit of Colorado’s schoolchildren.

HB08-1335 now returns to the House for concurrence .

GIBBS BILL HAILED AS ANTI-WILDFIRE MEASURE

Amid Talk of Forming Committees to Study Wildfires,
Bill Takes Action to Reduce Threats to Colorado Forests

DENVER—Today the Senate unanimously gave final approval to SB08-71, which would address the bark beetle devastation and reduce the threat of wildfires posed by thousands of acres of dead standing trees in Colorado’s forests.

Sponsored by Senator Dan Gibbs (D-Silverthorne) and Representative Christine Scanlan (D-Dillon), the bill would extend the repeal date for the Forest Restoration Pilot Program and its related technical advisory panel from 2008 to 2012.

Gibbs created the Forest Restoration Pilot Program in 2007 as part of the Colorado Forest Restoration Act. It directed the Colorado State Forest Service, the Division of Forestry and the Department of Natural Resources to solicit proposals for experimental forest restoration projects that protect water supplies. It also established a technical advisory panel to assist the state forest service in the proposal selection process.

“Colorado is blessed with 22.6 million acres of forests. Sadly, 1.5 million of that forest now stands dead,” Gibbs said. “It’s heartbreaking to see the extent of the devastation in our mountains. With passage of this bill we’re tackling this crisis head-on; finding uses for all that dead timber will greatly reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires and will help protect our forests, our water, and our way of life.”

Gibbs is a Type II Wildland Firefighter and last year spent a month fighting wildfires in California.

SB08-71 next heads to the House for consideration.

GIBBS HAS Rx FOR AILING COLORADO FORESTS

Senate OKs Forest Restoration Act

DENVER—Today the Senate gave initial approval to SB08-71, which would reauthorize last year’s forest health measure to address the devastating infestation of bark beetles in Colorado.

Sponsored by Senator Dan Gibbs (D-Silverthorne) and Representative Christine Scanlan (D-Dillon), the bill would extend the repeal date for the Forest Restoration Pilot Program and its related technical advisory panel from 2008 to 2012.

Gibbs created the Forest Restoration Pilot Program in 2007 as part of the Colorado Forest Restoration Act. It directed the Colorado State Forest Service, the Division of Forestry and the Department of Natural Resources to solicit proposals for experimental forest restoration projects that protect water supplies. It also established a technical advisory panel to assist the state forest service in the proposal selection process.

“Colorado is blessed with 22.6 million acres of forests. Sadly, 1.5 million of that forest now stands dead,” Gibbs said. “It’s heartbreaking to see the extent of the devastation in our mountains. With passage of this bill we’re tackling this crisis head-on; finding uses for all that dead timber will greatly reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires and will help protect our forests, our water, and our way of life.”

Gibbs is a Type II Wildland Firefighter and last year spent a month fighting wildfires in California.

SB08-71 will next be taken up by the Senate on third and final reading.