Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

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STATE BILL COLORADO is now taking your votes for our “Best of the Capitol 2011.” It’s our first fun look back at the session that was. The results will be revealed at a special event later this year, but why wait until then to make your voice heard? Categories include: best dressed, best places to unwind and rising starts in Colorado’s legislature. Take the survey here.

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YET ANOTHER REASON TO DISLIKE OUR ELECTION SYSTEM: Negative anonymous phone calling.

PLANNING TO REAPPLY FOR RACE TO THE TOP: Colorado.

NEARLY HALF OF TABOR PLAINTIFFS have education ties.

WANTING TO JOIN FIGHT AGAINST TABOR LAWSUIT: El Paso County Attorney.

SAYING HICK SHOULDN’T SIGN MED POT CLEANUP BILL: Rob Corry.

LOBBYING FEDS ON FORT LYON: Bill Long.

IN DENVER MAYORAL RACE, big focus is on Latino vote.

HONORING BILL RITTER ON JUNE 16: Jewish Community Relations Council.

SHAFFER’S RUNNING FOR THE 4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: He’s just not saying so yet.

OUT TO PRESERVE SAN LUIS VALLEY: John Hickenlooper.

WHERE WAS JOHN HICKENLOOPER YESTERDAY? Talking transit in Nashville.

WHERE IS JOHN HICKENLOOPER TODAY?
* 10:45 a.m. – joining Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and to announce pilot conservation and recreation projects being undertaken as part of President Barack Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Immediately after the announcement, Secretary Salazar and Gov. Hickenlooper will host a media availability. Location: Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Visitor Center, 6550 Gateway Rd, Commerce City.
* 12:20 p.m. – remarks at the Alliance for Choice in Education luncheon. Location: Marriott City Center, 1701 California St., Denver.
* 2 p.m. – joined by legislators, business and community leaders to sign two bills: HB 1115 “Public Entity Construction Retainage,” sponsored by Reps. Kevin Priola, John Soper and Sen. Lois Tochtrop and HB 1288 “Unemployment Insurance Solvency Reform,” sponsored by Reps. Larry Liston, Daniel Pabon and Sen. John Morse. Location: *NOTE: the event location has changed to the West Steps, State Capitol, Denver.
* 4:30 p.m. – joined by elected officials and members of the clean energy industry to sign SB 47 “Colorado Science and Technology Innovation Reinvestment Act,” sponsored by Sen. Rollie Heath and Reps. Cheri Gerou and Jim Reisberg. Location: Colorado Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver.
* 7 p.m. – remarks at the Mizel Museum Annual Dinner Honoring Sharon Magness Blake. Location: Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Parkway, Denver.

DINNER ON LARRY MIZEL: Mizel dinner, referenced above, is tonight’s big social event.

HE SAID IT: “Rep. Hoyer doesn`t make decisions for my family.” — Brandon Shaffer.

SHE SAID IT: “It’s not something that I’ve heard of or something the campaign has any connection to.” — Laura Chapin, spokeswoman for Chris Romer’s campaign, on mysterious phone calls.

SHE SAID IT: “Mejia’s not running for anything. Why is he on the campaign sign?” — Helen Giron, a former Mejia supporter.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

HICKENLOOPER SAID HE WAS FULLY PREPARED to call a special session today and had drafted an executive order to do it just in case. “I never thought it was bluster,” the governor said of Republicans’ actions to sacrifice a rules bill by amending it to appease payday-lending businesses, adding that he wasn’t sure there would be a resolution when he sat down with McNulty, Shaffer and other lawmakers for the second time that day. Leaders in both parties said that working together this year proved harder than they thought. “It’s been extremely frustrating, if on some days not impossible,” concluded House Republican Leader Amy Stephens.

DUELING MEDIA BRIEFINGS: Shaffer at noon, McNulty at 1.

SUPPORTS THE HEATH TAX-INCREASE IDEA: Great Education Colorado.

KILLED, THROUGH FORMAL NEGLECT: Ballot-initiative reform. Amazon-tax repeal.

SAVED: Funding for mental health Circle Program. Air-permit relief.

LEGISLATIVE REVIEW planned next week in Loveland.

IN THE GLASS-HALF-FULL CAMP: Bob Gardner. Marsha Looper.

TESTY, Denver mayoral debate is.

TAKING SIDES IN MAYOR’S RACE: Prominent Latinos.

POOR TURNOUT IN DENVER ELECTION: Sun Valley neighborhood.

REDISTRICTING JUDGE: William Hood, a former colleague of Dem lawyer Grueskin.

THE BEST WORK THE DAILY SENTINEL HAS DONE ALL YEAR, AND THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING: Rubber-band ball drop video.

TODAY’S HICKENLOOPER SCHEDULE:
11:45 a.m. – remarks at the 24th annual Colorado Pray Luncheon. Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Korbel Ballroom, 700 14th St., Denver

ON THE SOCIAL CALENDAR: Rest and relaxation away from the Capitol.

LOTTERY CELEBRATES ITS NEW LOBBY: Honest. A celebration. Of a lobby.

MOSTLY HAPPY: Teachers.

HE SAID IT: “I actually have a lot of respect for Chris Romer, but I’m very scared of Chris Romer. I’m glad (former mayoral candidate) James Mejia has joined his campaign and brought some sense to it. . . . I think Chris plays games with the facts — they’re fuzzy facts.” — Michael Hancock.

HE SAID IT: “They’re hijacking this bill and putting the entire state at risk just to pay back a special interest.” — Rep. Mark Ferrandino.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

COLORADO HOUSE REPUBLICANS made a last-minute amendment involving payday lending to a typically non-controversial annual rules bill late Tuesday that could jeopardize the implementation of 594 rules drawn up by state government departments between November 2009 and November 2010. “The governor feels strongly that it’s irresponsible to play games with this bill,” said Eric Brown, Hickenlooper’s communications director. House Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, defended the change: “It is the House’s prerogative … to bring clarification that allows our economy to grow, allows jobs to be created and allows us to move forward.”

ON-TIME START IN THE SENATE. Late start in the House.

HOW TO MAKE 120 DAYS go faster?

TODAY’S SINE DIE CHATTER on ColoradoPols.com.

PLEASE, GOD, NO: Special session.

THE ELEGANT GOVERNMENT WE WERE HOPING FOR? It’s lost in the abyss that was redistricting.

REDISTRICTING VENUES: Democrats are thought to find Denver District Court more friendly; Republicans believe their best hope is in U.S. District Court.

JAMES MEJIA “doesn’t neet another gig at city hall.”

ANGRY: John Suthers.

PROGRESSING: Clean-tech funding. Tax ban on download software. Auto-dealer franchise agreements. Marijuana grower rules. Synthetic marijuana ban. Tax-interest amnesty.

KILLED: Amnesty for bad farm appraisals. Bail-bond avoidance.

STILL BUZZING OVER DEATH of stoned driving bill.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

NO HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS TODAY: Maybe there’s a beer summit on redistricting, but probably not.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: Party upon adjournment, TBD.

FLIP-FLOPPING ON SAFETY MANAGER? Chris Romer.

GLOOMY CAPITAL PHOTO BY IAN SILVERII: Expresses our thoughts on the session nicely.

HE SAID IT: “I expect the Senate Democrats to adhere to their position. If that happens — special session. This bill has to pass.” — House Minority Leader Sal Pace, D-Pueblo.

HE SAID IT: “I don’t do these things lightly. I put a lot of thought into whether or not to do this…but this is really about Michael Hancock.” — Bill Ritter.

HE SAID IT: Frank McNulty is “playing the blame game, and the rest of us are trying to be adults in the room, bring a certain level of maturity to the negotiation and get something done.” — Brandon Shaffer.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE muddled past midnight with no agreement on congressional redistricting, one of only two things — the budget is the other — it had to accomplish this year. It’s either an ‘F’ or .500, depending on how you score it. The non-decision possibly closes the door on any agreement this term. As the clock ticked past midnight, there was more finger-pointing than cohesive argument, Ivan Moreno of the Associated Press reports. The debate went so late it missed the morning edition of The Post. SILVER LINING: If it goes to court, that’s good news for our sister news org, Law Week Colorado, winner of 14 journalism awards recently.

LATE START TODAY for both House and Senate.

BUT YOU HAVE HALF THE POWER: “Circumstances beyond our control” derailed negotiations, McNulty says.

HICKENLOOPER MAKES STEALTH TOUR to proposed NASA innovation park site in Loveland.

SHOULDN’T THE COLORADO CHANNEL AUTHORITY televise Hummers?

PROGRESSING: Synthetic marijuana ban. Higher-ed performance funding. Educational mandates. Unemployment insurance trust fund. Governor’s energy-office overhaul. Auto-dealership upgrades. Reinstate tax ban on downloaded software.

KILLED: Driving while high. Med-pot activists call it “huge victory.”

SIGNED BILLS: Here.

MIKE LITTWIN on “Romejia.’

COLORADO NEVER FOLLOWED THROUGH ON PLAN for Fort Lyon.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

BEER SUMMIT TODAY? No public events for Hickenlooper.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: There’s a party on sine die, but not before!

STATE ETHICS PROBE REQUESTED by Adams County commissioners.

STATE RETIREMENT PLAN could use more taxpayer representatives, Hick suggests.

HE SAID IT: “Why have we never seen them step up like the alcohol industry and say, ‘Hey, if you’re going to smoke THC marijuana, smoke responsibly. Why have we never seen them run an ad that says, ‘Friends don’t let friends drive high.’” — Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction.

HE SAID IT: “Finally, we have an association. I joined the night of the kick off party. Every lobbyist should be a member of this association. If you haven’t joined do it now.” — Corky Kyle

SHE SANG IT: “Wake up, Massey, I’ve got some great dope to smoke with you.” — Rep. Millie Hamner, in annual Hummers show, to Rod Stewart’s “Wake Up Maggie.”

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

LAWMAKERS PREDICT TUG-OF-WAR over new congressional boundaries will dominate the final days of the legislative session, which must end by midnight Wednesday. Nine El Paso County legislators pointed to a hefty number of remaining bills, which range from technical rulemaking to a bill about the sex offender management board. “My life has been all things redistricting,” Rep. Balmer tells the Associated Press. FALSE OPTIMISM? McNulty expresses hope about redistricting deal.

BACKING ROMER, James Mejia is.

SIGNED: Budget bill.

HERE ARE BUDGET BILL FOOTNOTES VETOED by Hickenlooper.

DO I REALLY HAVE TO READ THIS? “Concerning the promulgation of cost-effective rules for the control of nutrients in Colorado waters by the Colorado department of public health and environment pursuant to authority under the ‘Federal Water Pollution Control Act.’ “

STATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS got some good news Thursday when the House gave preliminary approval to an amended version of the school finance act. The House plan could shrink the $250M cut districts faced.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS:
* 10 a.m. – on The Mike Rosen Show on radio station 850AM KOA.
* Noon – joined by Reggie Bicha, Executive Director of the Department of Human Services, to deliver remarks at the 2011 Colorado Foster Parent Recognition Luncheon. Location: Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, 400 E. 8th Ave., Denver.
* 1 p.m. – remarks at the Firefly Autism Center’s first annual spring luncheon. Location: 2065 East Exposition Avenue, Denver.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: Surely, you jest.

NOT SURE I CARE: Gingrich announcing presidential bid Wednesday.

NEW ON THE RELIGION BEAT: Lynn Bartels.

ANOTHER UNEMPLOYED POL STILL LOOKING FOR A POLITICAL JOB: Ryan Frazier.

UP AND RUNNING: Colorado Association of Professional Lobbyists.

HE SAID IT: “I’m astonished by how much is left to do on the calendar. We don’t really have sufficient time” to read the remaining bills. — Rep. Pete Lee.

HE SAID IT: “We’re going to work long days, but we always work long days.” — Rep. Bob Gardner.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

SO TODAY THERE ARE COMPETING MAP HEARINGS, in the House and in the Senate, but if you’re thinking this political theatre will be high drama, think again. It will be political farce. “Both sides know it’s a total charade,” Fox31′s Eli Stokols writes. By day’s end, we’ll have two approved maps that barely resemble each other, neither with any chance of passing the other chamber. For some reason, John Hickenlooper holds out hope. Even if a special session is called — and as Speaker Frank McNulty says, why bother — a judge will be given the assignment to make the final call. Let’s call it what it is: the legislature’s chief failure of 2011. MEANWHILE: El Paso County never bought Dems’ division-makes-us-stronger argument. Result: The county is unified in latest map-drawing attempt.

VOTE NOT ALL THAT CLOSE: Health exchanges.

PROGRESSING: Online sales tax repeal.

HE WINS, BUT HE LOSES? Chris Romer.

SIGNED: Educator licenses.

A VETO? Hick has to decide whether to charge kids for health care.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS
* Noon – remarks at the Public Education and Business Coalition Annual Luncheon. More than 600 statewide business and community leaders, as well as educators and legislators, will address issues that affect Colorado’s schools, workforce and economy. Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Four Seasons Ballroom, 700 14th St., Denver.
* 2:30 p.m. – remarks at the Colorado Restaurant Association Board Meeting. Location: Ritz-Carlton Denver, 1881 Curtis St., Denver.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Colorado Association of Professional Lobbyists End-Of-Session Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Brownleigh Court, 1410 Grant St. (across street from Capitol), weather permitting, Contact: Kim Hall 720-542-3017

EVERYBODY’S NEW BEST BUD: James Mejia.

SHE OWNS THE BABY BEAT: Lynn Bartels.

THE COUNTY THAT GETS NO LOVE: Bent.

CAN’T BELIEVE SHE DOESN’T ALREADY HAVE ONE: Pat Stryker getting honorary degree from CSU.

FUNNY: NORML honors “Westworld,” not Westword.

LIBERAL TV CHANNEL wants spot on Comcast.

SUPPORTS LATINO ARTS MUSEUM: Ken Salazar.

HE SAID IT: Brandon Shaffer is a “snappy dresser.” — Frank McNulty.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

THE UNOFFICIAL FINAL NUMBERS from Denver’s mayoral election: 28.49 percent for Romer, 27.07 percent for Hanock and 25.74 percent for Mejia. Only 37.74 percent turned out in the all-mail campaign. Best Hancock quote: “In the words of the Duke, John Elway, we got ‘em right where we want ‘em.” Romer counters: “This world-class city is ready to go to the next level.” There wasn’t a lot of precinct-by-precinct post-election analysis last night, but the final data, when it comes in, should be fascinating from this three-way horse race between racially diverse candidates. I’ll be checking Floyd Ciruli’s website for trenchant analytics.

IS HE THE SECRETARIAT OF DENVER POLITICS? Dennis Gallagher.

FIGHTING WORDS? Former Speaker Terrance Carroll referred to his ex-Senate colleague Romer as “the man who will be disappointed on run-off day.”

CHOOSING BUSINESS OVER TEA PARTY: Amy Stephens.

STILL DUBBING IT AMYCARE: Gazette’s John Schroyer, Post’s Tim Hoover, DBJ’S Ed Sealover.

MEDICAL-MARIJUANA LOBBYISTS OUT IN FORCE during 1043 debate.

POLITICIAN WITH A GUN: John Hickenlooper.

LADIES AND GENTS, STEP UP AND BEHOLD THE MAN WHO CAN FORETELL THE DEATH OF LEGISLATION: John Morse.

PROGRESSING: Health-care exchanges.

UP TODAY: Synthetic pot ban.

STILL UNABLE TO DO THEIR JOBS: Unless a mediator gets involved, Republicans, Democrats will never agree on a congressional map.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

GOOD NEWS FOR AARP: Americans 45 and older are voting majority.

MAYBE HE’S AT THE SHOOTING RANGE AGAIN TODAY: No public Hickenlooper events.

DINNER ON YOUR OWN: Nothing on the social calendar, either.

PARTY ON: Newly formed Colorado Association of Professional Lobbyists has an early end-of-session party Thursday. Let ‘em know you’re coming.

HE SAID IT: “At the end of the day, all you can ask of yourself and all you can ask of your team is that you competed and that you left everything you had out on the field.” — James Mejia

SHE SAID IT: “This bill, I think, has come alive. It’s come alive to the business community. It allows us a pro-market opportunity to have insurance.” — Amy Stephens.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

TONY KOVALESKI’S REPORTING STYLE HASN’T ENDEARED him to his news subjects or to some journalists, but the effect of it can’t be disputed: Intentionally or not, some Colorado legislators looked terrible in a four-minute report last night on whether they paid for dinners with lobbyists. 7News referenced 16 lawmakers who dined with Pinnacol Assurance-contracted lobbyists from Axiom Strategies, but only a handful appeared on or were heard on camera: Senators Boyd, Brophy and Mitchell, and Representatives Terrance Carroll, the former speaker, and Casso. [The Denver Post separately identified Representatives Ferradino, White, McNulty and DelGrosso.] Casso denied attending an event for which Pinnacol was billed $350, raising his right hand to swear it didn’t happen. The other representatives stumbled over their words — surprised, no doubt, by Kovaleski’s controversial ambush reporting style. Most lawmakers assured Kovaleski they had paid for their portion of the meals, whether in cash or by check, but couldn’t produce the necessary documents. “We’re just bad at keeping papers,” the former speaker is heard telling the reporter in a brief audio excerpt. PREDICTION: After this, legislators will become pretty good at asking for and keeping receipts.

TWO WHO CAME OFF LOOKING GOOD: Jenny Flanagan, Colorado Common Cause director, who was allotted about 30 seconds of the 7News report to explain Colorado’s Amendment 41 and her organization’s role in writing it. Mark Ferrandino, who produced to The Denver Post a credit-card statement showing he paid for Starbucks coffee.

GRATUITOUS? BOMBASTIC? UNNECESSARY? Kovaleski’s on-camera comment to a departing Mitchell, “I don’t want to show you running away, senator, but that appears what you’re doing.”

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW: Larry Liston.

TODAY’S DENVER ELECTION DAY. Check back at 7 p.m. for results.

UP TODAY: Johns schools.

PROGRESSING: “School to jail” reform. MMJ law clarification. Wildlife-Parks merger.

KILLED: Business personal property tax timeout.

KILLED, SORT OF: Arizona-style immigration.

FIND YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT’S BUDGET NUMBERS: Education News Colorado.

GOVERNOR’S PLAN TO HELP SMALL BUSINESS: Fix education.

FAMILIAR FACE: Lieutenant governor giving Saturday commencement address at CSU-Pueblo.

SOLE ED COMMISSIONER FINALIST: Robert Hammond.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENT TODAY
6:30 p.m. – remarks at the Anti-Defamation League’s 30th Annual 2011 Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program. The program will highlight the stories and messages of more than 30 Holocaust survivors who live in Colorado. Location: Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Boettcher Concert Hall, 1245 Champa St., Denver.

DINNER ON YOUR OWN, OR WITH PINNACOL: There’s nothing on the social calendar today.

INCREASED SECURITY IN COLORADO after bin Laden’s death.

UNVEILED: Obama portrait.

DENVER SCHOOLS CELEBRATE five years of ProComp.

NOT AS GOOD AS A RAISE: Hick gives proclamation to state employees.

HE SAID IT: “I can say with certainty it’s an accounting error. Didn’t happen.” — Rep. Ed Casso.

HE SAID IT: “I’m sure any of my colleagues from now or former colleagues from now on because of a situation like this will change their practices and take receipts with them. If I was their counsel, I would advise them to do that.” — Former House Speaker Terrance Carroll, now with Greenberg Traurig.

HE SAID IT: “The people of Colorado said, that’s against the law. Can you explain it?” — Tony Kovaleski, to Sen. Shawn Mitchell.

HE SAID IT: “There are people with drug felonies from when having a half-ounce of pot was a felony. Today it’s a petty offense. So we’re backing away from some of those restrictions, because we want people to have jobs in this state.” — Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver.

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Compiled by Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

ABOUT 30 PEOPLE WITH STRONG TIES to Colorado died in the Sept. 11 attacks, The Denver Post reminds us this morning. “Some grew up or went to college here. Others had family in the area. At least two were Colorado residents. Sandy Dahl’s husband was the captain of United Flight 93, which crashed into a Pennsylvania farm field as passengers and crew members struggled with terrorists for control of the plane. “I feel like I can close the door on Osama bin Laden,” said Dahl, who lives in Lone Tree, of bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. special forces. “I feel like he does now have the justice he deserves and will be meeting his maker.”

NOT TIED TO THE BIN LADEN NEWS: Obama portrait unveiled today. State Bill readers got first peek way back in February.

$25M STILL OFFERED for al Zawahiri.

KOPP COMMENTS on bin Laden’s death.

OTHER COLO. REACTIONS here and here.

BIN LADEN’S DEATH confirms war’s importance, Loveland mother of dead soldier says.

BECKER’S HB10-1312 would require governor’s energy office to promote all forms of it, now just renewables.

PROGRESSING: Marijuana bill, despite fed concern. Energy efficient home improvements.
Cottage foods.

WHAT DAY DOES THE JUDGE start drawing Colorado’s congressional map?

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

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HICK AWAY TODAY: Gov. Hickenlooper will attend the National Governors Association’s Governors Education Symposium in Cary, N.C.

GREYHOUND ADOPTION EVENT is from 11 to 2.

CAPITOL SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Today, Mental Health Month Proclamation read by Lt. Governor Garcia, 2:00 p.m., West Foyer of the State Capitol, Contact : MacKenzie Lintz, Assistant to Senate President Shaffer 303-866-3342
* Thursday, Colorado Association of Professional Lobbyists End-Of-Session Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Brownleigh Court, 1410 Grant St. (across street from Capitol), weather permitting, Contact : Kim Hall 720-542-3017. Reservations here.

CU BOULDER STUDENTS take break from tests with bouncy castles.

HE SAID IT: “The bill allows us to look at innovative traditional energy as well as solar and wind. Wind and solar can’t meet all of our demands, so we need to find a way to put in our traditional energy to help all of Colorado.” — Jon Becker.

SHE SAID IT: “Vindication is a very heavy word for a Christian and one I do not use. I’m happy that this has happened but I have very bad feelings for what this brings back to me and my family. My son is gone.” — Elma Palomarez of Loveland.

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