STATE BILL COLORADO

John Hickenlooper will sign seven bills on Tuesday, his first as governor.

The bill signing will be at 11:15 a.m. in the West Foyer of the state Capitol.

A press release follows.

Gov. Hickenlooper to sign first bills into law

DENVER — Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 — Gov. John Hickenlooper will sign seven bills into law tomorrow. These are the first bills to emerge from the 2011 General Assembly.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
11:15 a.m. – Gov. Hickenlooper will sign the following bills into law. Location: West Foyer, Capitol.
HB11-1001 Enactment of 2010 CRS
HB11-1006 Regional Tourism Board
HB11-1009 Concerning Interstate Compacts for Adult Criminal Supervision
HB11-1015 Licensing of Accountants
HB11-1022 Seller Financing of Real Property
HB11-1023 Continue Foreclosure Deferment Program
HB11-1037 Military Family Checkoff Extension

###

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From The Associated Press: Unpopular “crash taxes”, in which local governments charge out-of-town drivers who cause car accidents for emergency services, could be limited in Colorado.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From Colorado News Agency: A proposed small-business assistance program, debated on the House floor last week, passed the Republican-led chamber today despite reservations expressed by a number of GOP lawmakers. The measure, House bill 1209, would create a small-business “navigator” under the Small Business Assistance Center within the governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The program would provide information and guidance to small businesses regarding state rules and procedures as well as referrals to other resources.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

STATE BILL COLORADO

HB11-1209, a bill authorizing the creation of a “small business navigator,” passed Colorado’s House of Representatives today.

A press release follows.

COLORADO
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC COMMUNICATIONS
STATE CAPITOL

Rep. Jones Steers Small Business Navigator Bill Through House

(Denver) – State Representative Matt Jones (D-Louisville) passed a bill through the House today that will help Colorado small businesses navigate through red tape and access important services so they can grow and prosper. House Bill 11-1209 passed a final reading in the House on a 44-21 vote.

“This bill will help our small businesses thrive by giving them a streamlined resource to cut through red tape and help locate and use services,” said Rep. Jones. “This commonsense bill will energize our economic recovery, as small businesses are the backbone of Colorado’s economy.”

The bill creates a “small business navigator” which will provide a single point of contact for small businesses to aid them in diagnosing problems, streamlining referrals, and cutting through red tape.

More that 98% of Colorado businesses are classified as small businesses and more than 82% employ 15 people or less.

###
About the Colorado General Assembly House Democrats
Thirty-two Democrats comprise the minority of Colorado’s 65-member House of Representatives. Leadership for the House Democrats includes Democratic Leader Sal Pace, Asst. Democratic Leader Nancy Todd, Democratic Whip Claire Levy, Asst. Whip Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, Caucus Chair Lois Court, and Asst. Caucus Chair Su Ryden. Current and past House proceedings can be seen on Comcast Channel 165 or at www.coloradochannel.net. Breaking news, legislator biographies, and photos are available at www.coloradohouse.org

.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

STATE BILL COLORADO

The governor’s office today released a settlement pact, reached Friday with plaintiffs’ lawyers, in which Colorado agrees to achieve a turnaround by 2013 in its troubled Colorado Benefits Management System, or CBMS.

The agreement is published below.

CBMS

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

STATE BILL COLORADO

Sen. Rollie Heath will have a noon press briefing at which he’s believed to announce he’ll sponsor a tax increase proposal to offset proposed cuts to the state’s education budget.

The full release follows.

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HEATH TO UNVEIL EDUCATION FUNDING PROPOSAL
State Senator seeks to protect Colorado’s education systems from probable future cuts

Feb. 28, 2011

DENVER, COLORADO – Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, is saying “Our kids can’t wait” for adequate education funding in Colorado. Today, Monday, Feb. 28, Heath will hold a press conference to explain his idea for an initiative that would prevent potential major cuts to education budgets of the future. For the details:

· Today, Monday, Feb. 28, noon until 1:00 p.m.
· West Foyer, first floor of the State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax, Denver, CO 80203
· Sen. Rollie Heath, featured speaker
· Sen. Heath will be available for questions from the press after his presentation
· Contact information: (303) 866-4872 or rollie.heath.senate@state.co.us

The state cut about $260 million from its K-12 education budget in FY 2010-11. The most recent proposal for FY 2011-12 would impact K-12 by another $375 million, and it includes a $36 million general fund cut to higher education. The FY 2011-12 budget has not been finalized yet, however.

“This is unacceptable to me,” said Heath about the cuts. “As a businessman, I fully understand that we need economic development in Colorado to continue climbing out of this recession. I also understand that education equals economic development, which in turn equals jobs. If we want to compete in a knowledge-based and technological world of the future, we’ll need excellence in education, and that requires funding.”

Heath is in his third year as a member of the Senate Education committee, and was named a “Champion of Education” by the Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC) in 2008. He co-chaired and co-founded the Career Coach Program at Manual High School in Denver, and was an adjunct professor in International Trade with the University of Denver.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From Education News Colorado: Two of the session’s higher profile education bills, on resident tuition for undocumented students and on charter school facilities, were set up Friday for initial floor consideration. Both measures passed from committee on party-line votes, perhaps prefiguring divisions during floor debate and problems if and when each measure moves to the second house.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From RealAspen.com: While the battle over controversial FASTER vehicle registration fees rages on in the state House, Rep. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon – whose legislative predecessors made a priority of transportation funding – is pushing hard to find solutions for the growing gridlock along the Interstate 70 corridor. Hamner, who was appointed to replace Christine Scanlan when she took a key post in Gov. John Hickenlooper’s administration, is following in Scanlan’s footsteps by shepherding through a bill aimed at compelling the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to find short-term fixes for traffic congestion along the critical east-west corridor into the mountains.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From The Colorado Springs Gazette: House Majority Leader Amy Stephens put the kibosh on a bill that would have given city leaders more leeway to use proceeds from the potential sale of Memorial Health System. The Hospital Transfer Act requires local governments to use proceeds from hospital sales for charitable purposes, such as health care programs.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >

From The Denver Post: A restraint method linked to the deaths of four people in state custody over the last decade is closer to being banned in Colorado. The state Senate gave preliminary approval Friday to a ban on “prone restraint,” in which a person is laid face-down and held or tied. The method is sometimes used in prisons or mental health hospitals to subdue unruly people.

Stay ahead by signing up for State Bill E-News! >