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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO
IS A COMBO ROAD-RAIL DEAL HEADING TO THE BALLOT? The Denver Post’s Vince Carroll notes that it took Don Hunt less than a year on the job as Colorado’s highways chief to realize that the way we fund transportation in metro Denver is “nuts” — and that someone with his stature needs to step into the breach. So Hunt has been making the rounds among metro groups — last week it was the Denver Regional Council of Governments — pushing a proposal to tie this year’s likely FasTracks vote to a sales tax dedicated to metro road projects.
MR. LEGISLATURE DIES: Former state Rep. Gerald Kopel, who began his career as a journalist before serving 22 years in the Colorado legislature where he earned a reputation for dedication and hard work, died Saturday. Even after leaving the House of Representatives, Kopel, 83, continued to help legislators, reading and analyzing pending bills for his fellow Democrats. Morgan Smith’s tribute. A memorial will be Feb. 4.
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IT’S MILITARY DAY: Colorado legislators are paying tribute this morning to the state’s active duty military and veterans in a State Capitol ceremony for Colorado Military and Veterans Appreciation Day.
BUBBLING OVER? Fight over water regulations.
MORE FROM RAMIREZ on immigrant-tuition bill.
COSTING $1.2 MILLION: TBD Colorado.
HEADING TO DAVOS ECONOMIC CONFERENCE: Hickenlooper. Lund.
TOUGH GUY TO ROAST: Joe Garcia.
EXTENSIVELY QUOTED IN STORY ON WOMEN AND POLITICS: Ex-Rep. Karen Middleton.
COLORADO’S CONTRIBUTION to CU’s Boulder campus has dropped from $80 million in 2002 to a proposed $55 million for 2012 — not adjusted for inflation.
YOU CALL THIS FOCUSING ON JOBS?
COMING DOWN WITH A CASE OF PARTISAN COLD FEET? Kevin Priola.
STATE OFFICES MOST AFFECTED by a new Hickenlooper public-records policy: The governor’s office, the Department of Revenue, Department of Natural Resources, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and the Department of Human Services.
NOW COVERING CONGRESS: Ex-Denver Post reporter Chris Frates.
SORT OF ENCOURAGING STATE FAIR TO MOVE: Denver Post.
HAT IN: David Pigott, HD-33.
TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.
SUBSCRIBERS: Your Virtual Bill Box is here. Your Personal Calendar is here.
YESTERDAY’S BILL ROUNDUP, FROM STATE BILL COLORADO
* 70 — 70! — introduced bills
* Zero signed bills
* Zero bills passed out of committee
* 11 new fiscal notes
* Zero bills passed on third reading
* Zero killed bills
NO HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS. The governor is packing for Switzerland.
TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Legislative Prayer Breakfast 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway Street, Denver. Contact: Brad Wood 303-777-6700
* Colorado Airport Operators Association (CAOA) Reception, 5:30-8:00 p.m., Brown Palace Hotel, 321 17th Street, Denver, CO 80202 Contact: Laura Zimmerman 303-261-9100 Lzimmerman@ftg-airport.com
* Tourism Industry Association of Colorado Reception, 5:30 p.m., Brown Palace Hotel. Contact: Lacee Artist 303-319-0556 laceeartist@gmail.com
IT SAID IT: “Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is embarking on yet another statewide listening tour, plans to ask Coloradans about the future they envision for the state. The state fair ought to be one of the items on the agenda.” — The Denver Post.
HE SAID IT: “I am not a 25-year-old any more. I am an older cat.” — Wil Alston.
SHE SAID IT: “It’s really sad to me. All of a sudden you get punished for being in a purple district.” — Linda Newell.
HE SAID IT: “So apparently their focus is not jobs. It’s guns.” John Morse, on House Republicans.
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