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Under The Gold Dome: One Day, Four Enduring Phrases

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

CERTAIN WORDS AND PHRASES inevitably come to define legislative sessions. On Wednesday at Colorado’s General Assembly, we got four in one day.

* “You’re toast,” as in “I’m frustrated and disappointed in the speaker of the House when last Friday on the phone, when we were discussing this, he said, ‘You’re toast.’” These were the fighting words, allegedly spoken by McNulty, that have GOP Rep. Laura Bradford mulling a House-leadership-altering change in political parties. McNulty confirmed the comment but remembers it a little differently: “It is quite possible that I said that if she’s not honest about what happened, and she doesn’t show remorse for what happened, that she would be toast.”

* “Legislative function,” as in “Someone should open a bar and call it ‘Legislative Function.’” This anonymous quote, originally reported by The Post’s Lynn Bartels, took a wry swipe at Bradford’s claim, or non-claim as it turns out, of legislative immunity. The assembly has made it through the last three days with its sense of humor intact.

* “Windshield time,” as in “My thinking is that four hours of windshield time away from this chaos, away from this building, away from this city will help me clarify what I’m going to do.” Bradford intended it as “down time” or “away time.” Bradford’s specific reference is to her four-hour Friday commute back to the Western Slope town of Collbran. In the business world, windshield time is one of the hidden expenses of operating remote sites, as in “‘Windshield time’ is all the unproductive time that your technicians spend in the car traveling to and from remote sites.”

* “Beautiful parallel park,” as in “I did a beautiful parallel park.” Bradford, quoted today by Bartels, reportedly said this in her defense to allegations that she drove while drunk. Maybe it’s so, but practitioners of the art of PR may counsel against touting your driving prowess after consuming three glasses of wine.

MIKE LITTWIN’S TAKE: The Denver cops have now twice let Bradford off the hook.

THIS IS NO TIME TO GET DISTRACTED: 47 bills are up for consideration today. Check out State Bill Colorado’s quick-look calendar here.

REPORTERS DO THEIR BEST WORK WHEN THEY FOCUS ON PEOPLE, NOT PROCESS. Witness Lynn Bartels’”Colorado Rep. Bradford’s rock-star welcome fizzled” in today’s Post.

RISKS MORE HEADACHES WITH FEDS? Hemp bill.

PHOTOGRAPHY ISN’T Patrick Malone’s strong suit.

EVEN IF BRADFORD WINS IN THE ETHICS COMMITTEE, doesn’t she lose in November?

UP TODAY: School trans-fat ban.

MOVING ON: Student count date.

HAT IN: Ray Watts, HD-47.

PICKS UP TANCREDO ENDORSEMENT: Rick Santorum.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS unveiled proposals to put stricter limits on tax credits that can be taken under the state’s enterprise-zone programs, a move that comes after high-profile criticism of the tax incentives.

WHAT HAPPENS IN DAVOS DOESN’T STAY THERE, APPARENTLY: Hickenlooper took advantage of a chance meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to lobby for federal involvement at the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility.

GIVE YOUR BEST CLIENTS A GOLD BOOK. Order them today in bulk for the best price.

THE[NEWS]SEEN is all over this year’s “Barrister’s Ball.”

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
* Bill action as of 7:15 p.m. Wednesday.
* Subscribers: All of Wednesday’s bill action

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS
11 a.m. – remarks at the Share in the Care Colorado’s unveiling of the scrim on the dome. Location: West Steps, State Capitol, Denver.
5:30 p.m. – participating in Strings of Hope, a tribute to Noel Cunningham. Location: Main Stage, Buell Theater, Performing Arts Center, 1050 13th St., Denver.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Colorado Behavorial Healthcare Council Day at the Capitol, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Colorado State Capitol, 200 East Colfax, Denver 80203, Contact : Selisa Robinson 303-832-7594 x 10 srobinson@cbhc.org
* Reception, Colorado Association of Realtors, 5:00-7:00 p.m., History Colorado Center 1200 Broadway Denver 80203, Contact : Stephanie Fransen 303-785-7118

AND NOW THIS FROM THE RENEGADE LUNCH LADY: Colorado’s best-known school nutritionist says the complete trans-fat ban is do-able.

HE SAID IT: “This is going to be mayhem. Picture an Allstate commercial.” — GOP candidate Owen Hill on the prospect of three GOP primaries this fall.

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Under The Gold Dome: Just Give Me The Ordinary Treatment

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

KEEPING THE EYE ON THE BALL: 37 bills up today.

NOTHING HAS BEEN ORDINARY ABOUT THE LAURA BRADFORD NON-ARREST — especially not Tuesday’s Denver police press conference, where officials summoned the media to declare, “We were wrong.” Lt. Matt Murray, a spokesman for the department, said, “We’re apologizing because we have misconstrued what she said and what she did. We’re impugning her character unnecessarily and wrongfully.” Talk about getting the special treatment: When’s the last time the Denver police publicly apologized to someone they arrested, or didn’t arrest? Police revealed that Bradford was driving with a concealed-carry weapon and suggested it would ask the DA to prosecute her for possessing a gun while driving drunk. So, let’s get this straight: You can’t prosecute her for possibly driving drunk, but you can prosecute her for possibly driving drunk with a gun? How’s that — for extraordinary? You have evidence for one and not the other? Following up on her Monday mea culpa in the House well, the embattled legislator used parts of Tuesday to give interviews to selected media, including her hometown Grand Junction Sentinel, The Denver Post, the AP, KKCO and 7News. For the first time, she denied driving while drunk. By day’s end, some media seemed to be standing up for Bradford. McNulty nevertheless created a House ethics panel to investigate her actions. Bradford, in turn, protested, saying, “I’m highly disappointed with the speaker of the House for choosing to move forward with this.” Oh, and there’s an internal affairs bureau investigation of the Denver police supervisor who let Bradford walk. No, nothing ordinary about this one. Please move along, folks.

THE GUN WAS LOADED, even if Bradford was not.

POLICE SUPERVISOR CENTRAL TO BRADFORD CASE: Six-year vet Bonita Packard.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN DEEP WITH THE MEDIA when they think it’s a good idea to get a photo of you getting into your car.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE: The weekly happy hour reconvenes tonight, “4:30ish,” at Prohibition.

SOMETHING WE’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND: If Bradford gave interviews to The Post and Grand Junction Sentinel, how can 7News say its piece is exclusive? Exclusive to TV stations broadcasting from the corner of 7th & Speer? [KKCO also claimed its interview was exclusive.]

WHAT’S NEWBIE JONATHAN SINGER UP TO?

MOVING SLOWLY: Closing public records.

INTRODUCED: More education bills.

ATTRACTED BIG CROWDS IN FORT COLLINS, DENVER: Ron Paul.

HAT IN: Joe Coors, CD-7.

CHANGING HATS? Brandon Shaffer.

STILL MEETING: Olympics exploratory committee.

UNHAPPY WITH KEN BUCK: Ethics Watch.

INSTEAD OF PROMOTING GOLD STANDARD, Ron Paul should promote Gold Books.

THE[NEWS]SEEN catches up with food lawyer Justin Prochnow.

GOV. HICKENLOOPER MUST SOON DECIDE whether to reappoint a member of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission who likely violated the state constitution’s ban on accepting gifts worth more than $50, or reshape the powerful PUC with a fresh appointment, Vince Carroll writes.

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
* 44 new bills
* Bill action as of 6 p.m. Tuesday

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS: 2:30 p.m. – deliver remarks at the Action 22 Legislative Day at the Capitol. Location: Old Supreme Court Chambers, State Capitol, Denver.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: You mean, besides the happy hour? Tonight, there are events at History Colorado Center. Tours – 4:00-4:15 p.m. Private Reception – 5:00-5:30 p.m. with Hart Award winners. 2012 Preservation Awards ceremony and reception – 5:30-9:00 p.m. History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway (Enter on Broadway), Denver Colorado. Contact : Rebecca Laurie or Debbie Wagner 303-866-3670 or 303-506-6522 budurl.com/HartLegislative. rebecca.laurie@state.co.us

WHO WILL BE STATE BILL’S 5,000TH TWITTER FOLLOWER? Today’s count is 4,957.

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Under The Gold Dome: Is This The End Of Happy Hour?

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

THIRTY-FOUR BILLS are on this a.m.’s quick-look calendar.

BEFORE HER NON-ARREST, REP. LAURA BRADFORD attended a happy hour at Prohibition, a bar just a few blocks east of the Capitol, multiple outlets reported. Sources told The Denver Post that Bradford was at the bar for several hours. ColoradoPols.com described it as a “lobbyist happy hour.” Speaker Frank McNulty told The Post he couldn’t recall whether Bradford told him at that time whether she had been at a legislative function the night she got stopped.

LITTWIN’S ADVICE FOR BRADFORD: “[G]ive up her license for nine months, as if she’d been convicted. Do the community service at an ER. Spend a night or two in a drunk tank. And then she should introduce the bill to set into motion a constitutional amendment, so that if it happens to someone else, she won’t be telling the House she’s ‘deeply sorry.’”

SHOULD REP. BRADFORD BE FORCED TO RESIGN? ColoradoPols.com posts these possible choices:
* Yes, this is a disaster for the public trust
* If any part of her story proves false, yes
* At least Suzanne Williams was investigated…
* No, but she can’t run again
* No, everybody on the Western Slope has a DUI
* No, she’s done her best to cooperate
* Not sure/other/specify

GETTING CASH FOR JOBS: DaVita.

MAYBE INDIANAPOLIS WANTS IT BACK? I-70 pace car not keeping the pace, apparently.

WAIT TILL THEY HEAR ABOUT OUR NEW BAN ON HAPPY HOURS: Denver ranks fifth as a convention city, meeting planners say.

MIKLOSI TURNS HEAT UP on Shaffer to deter switch to 6th District race.

JUST A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED BITCH SESSION: Members of the House Education Committee spent a free-wheeling 90 minutes Monday afternoon raising questions about – and criticizing parts of – Department of Education plans for future state tests and for implementing the educator evaluation law.

IT’S A GOOD THING, THEN, THAT SLAVERY WASN’T ORIGINALLY IN OUR CONSTITUTION: Ferrandino, half-defending the legislative immunity rule, said, “We … don’t want to rush so quickly to get rid of something that’s been in the Constitution since its beginning.”

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW SEN. CADMAN ANSWERED THIS QUESTION: Relationships good this session?

ISN’T THIS OLD NEWS? A cabal of lawyers, politicians and scientists is making a full-throated beg to the federal government to put a U.S. patent satellite office in Colorado.

HOW YOU KNOW THERE’S BEEN A CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATIONS: Hickenlooper signs first bill, adjusting campaign-finance regulations, with no notice and no fanfare.

INCIDENTALLY, SAL PACE voted no on campaign-finance adjustments.

WHO WILL BE STATE BILL’S 5,000TH TWITTER FOLLOWER? 50 signups in the past two days, including Post chatterbox Penny Parker.

WHO HAS THE CONSERVATIVE CRED? House Majority Leader Amy Stephens of Monument and Rep. Marsha Looper of Calhan, embroiled in a bitter Republican primary, have recently evoked a 4-year-old guest-farmworker bill and former Congressman Tom Tancredo.

FEATHER-BEDDING AT COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION? Ramirez said agency’s proposal to spend Race To The Top moolah was “a lot of top-heavy money in terms of directors, executive directors and office space. … This can be done a lot less expensively.”

WE HEAR COPS CAN’T CHARGE YOU WITH ANYTHING so long as you produce a copy of the 2012 Gold Book. Buy yours here.

THE[NEWS]SEEN seeks your party photos — and probably is especially interested in pix of last Wednesday’s happy hour at Prohibition. Email: sarah@circuitmedia.com.

STOPPED: PERA flexibility for local governments.

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
* 34 introduced bills and resolutions. Inexplicably, no bill text for the supplemental budget bills was released as of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, raising the question: If a bill is introduced but no text was filed, was it really introduced?

IT’S BEEN A FULL WEEK WITHOUT HICKENLOOPER, but at 9 a.m., Lt. Gov. Garcia will deliver remarks and present awards at the Breakfast Champions Challenge Phase II. Location: Clayton Elementary School, 4600 S. Fox St., Englewood.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: Colorado Farm Bureau Legislative Conference Reception and Dinner, 5:30 p.m. Reception; 6:30 p.m. Dinner, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1450 Glenarm Place, Denver. Contact: Kashmira Mistry 303-749-7504 kmistry@colofb.com

NO INVITE YET to Wednesday’s happy hour at Prohibition. Definitely … will … go … this … week. Promise!

SHE SAID IT: “I am not above the law.” — Rep. Laura Bradford.

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Under The Gold Dome: Media Fill In Missing Gaps Of Bradford’s Non-Arrest

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

MEDIA OUTLETS DIDN’T BREAK THE STORY OF REP. LAURA BRADFORD’S NON-ARREST, but they distinguished themselves in the aftermath. KRDO’s Lindsay Watts quoted two prominent legislators on both sides of the aisle directly questioning Bradford’s application of the law. 7News’ Jaclyn Allen scored the Denver Police operations manual, which appears to indicate that Denver police policy was correctly followed because there wasn’t an accident. The Grand Junction Sentinel’s Charles Ashby used the legislature’s new archived audio system to divine that Bradford concluded her work before noon, 10 hours before the incident, and obviously wasn’t going to or coming from the General Assembly. The Post’s Lynn Bartels reminded readers of incidents involving Russ George and Betty Boyd where legislative immunity was not invoked. Finally, The Post’s Chuck Murphy provided the really historical context, noting that King Charles I dissolved Parliament, made Oliver Cromwell famous and is as responsible as anyone for the get-out-of-jail-free card Bradford used.

MCNULTY’S ENTIRE PRESS RELEASE OF INCIDENT: “State Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Grand Junction, was suspended from her post as chairman of the House Local Government Committee for reasons related to a traffic citation issued on Jan. 25th. Rep. Libby Szabo, R-Arvada, will serve as the chair of House Local Government, and Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, will serve as the committee’s vice chair. ###”

HAD HER CUPCAKE AND ATE IT TOO? In a case of unfortunately timed PR, Bradford one day before her non-arrest posed for this photo with a cupcake maker.

THE FLAP SHOULD HELP DENVER BAR, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T DRIVE THERE. Jimmy Callahan keeps it simple at Prohibition, 504 E. Colfax, with four specialty cocktails and five classics.

IF I’M RAY SCOTT, I’ve just decided to run in Bradford’s HD-55.

THIRTY-TWO BILLS are on State Bill Colorado’s quick-look calendar for today.

HICK CHECKED IN LIVE FROM DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, with CBS4 news anchors. Gotta love the graphic of the Blackberry emblazoned with the CBS4 logo.

MASSEY SEEMS TO GET MISTY-EYED in his final year in legislature.

DESCENDING ON COLORADO. Rick Santorum. Ron Paul.

OFFICIALLY LOWER PROFILE, ACCORDING TO THE AP: Colorado GOP caucus.

KEFALAS PRESIDES over mobile-home forum.

WHO WILL BE STATE BILL’S 5,000th TWITTER FOLLOWER?

EX-CHIEFTAIN CAPITOL SCRIBE’S tribute to Jerry Kopel.

THIS YEAR’S GOLD BOOK WILL SELL OUT. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by; order now.

THE[NEWS]SEEN wants your party photos. Email sarah@circuitmedia.com.

THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW: Cell-phone stalking.

UP TODAY: Animal-abuse registry.

OVERDONE? Tanning beds.

IN THE CASE OF LOBBYIST RON SMITH, convicted for stuffing chicken parts into his ex-wife’s air ducts to rot, a Denver Police Department analyst determined not only which cell towers Smith’s cellphone used as he drove around the Stapleton neighborhood on the day of the vandalism but also from what direction those signals came.

TODAY’S CALENDARS. House. Senate.

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

NO HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS TODAY, but Lt. Gov. Garcia will deliver remarks at 3:45 p.m. at the Loening Trophy presentation. Location: Metropolitan State College of Denver, 1250 7th St., Denver.

WHAT’S THE HELL IS A LOENING TROPHY? You ask, we answer.

A SLOW MONDAY. There’s nothing on the social calendar, but tomorrow is the Colorado Farm Bureau Legislative Conference Reception and Dinner. 5:30 p.m. Reception; 6:30 p.m. Dinner, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1450 Glenarm Place, Denver. Contact: Kashmira Mistry 303-749-7504 kmistry@colofb.com

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Under The Gold Dome: Hushed And Rushed

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

WITH HIS CAMPAIGN STOP in the Denver suburb of Aurora on Thursday, President Barack Obama courted a voting bloc that is key to determining who wins the presidential contest in the swing state of Colorado. The Post’s Bartels called Obama’s speech “hushed and rushed.”

WHO ATTENDED: The president spoke to a crowd of about 400 invited guests, a mix of active-duty troops and energy students, businesspeople and VIPs such as former Gov. Bill Ritter. About 200 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines sat opposite the TV cameras under a blue sign bearing Obama’s new slogan from the State of the Union, “An America built to last.”

SPOTTED, BESIDES RITTER: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Lt. Governor Joe Garcia, State Senator Morgan Carroll, recent Denver mayoral candidate James Mejia and Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley,

WHAT OBAMA WANTS: 10 gigawatts.

CRITICIZED OBAMA VISIT: Ramirez, Szabo.

DOES THE CANNED POLITICAL MUSIC SEEM WAY TOO LOUD in this Denver Post video?

GETTING NATIONAL EXPOSURE: “Super” Mario Carrera.

GETTING NATIONAL EXPOSURE, PART II: Colorado’s marijuana-legalization initiative.

TWEAKS PINNACOL PRIVATIZATION: John Hickenlooper.

LIKES IMMIGRANT TUITION BILL: The Denver Post.

LESS THIRSTY? The state is slowly trying to wean itself from tapping into funds once designated for water projects, Colorado lawmakers told the Colorado Water Congress Thursday.

MOVING ON: Cottage foods. Home kitchens. Immigrant tuition.

THE NO. 1 LEGISLATIVE-MARKETING TOOL IS THE 2012 GOLD BOOK. Order some in bulk and give them to your current and prospective clients. They will remember that you thought so highly of them.

THE[NEWS]SEEN, a political and legal website, needs your party photos. E-mail sarah@circuitmedia.com.

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
* 1 introduced bills
* Zero signed bills
* 11 new fiscal notes
* 2 resolutions passed on third reading

IN DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, PROMOTING COLORADO’S BRAND OF ‘INNOVATION, COLLABORATION AND GOOD GOVERNMENT:’ John Hickenlooper, who nevertheless phoned home to talk to reporters about his Pinnacol plan.

GET OUT OF DENVER, BABY, GO: There’s nothing on the social calendar.

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Under The Gold Dome: Now, Who Runs The Show When The President’s In Town?

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

SPEAKING TODAY at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, President Obama is expected to highlight the expanded use of clean energy by the Defense Department. The Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array on the base and it tested jets last year that are powered by advanced biofuels.

SPEAKING OF OBAMA, unaffiliated voters scored him well in his SOTU speech when he talked about making the rich pay their fair share in taxes, pursuing clean energy and funding education.

FIRST POLL: Tipton 46%, Pace 39%.

SAYS POST WAS WRONG TO COMPARE OCCUPY DENVER TO MLK CIVIL-RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: Mike Rosen.

HICK’S MISSING TONIGHT’S BREWERS GUILD RECEPTION. Social calendar below.

AN ILLEGAL RUN FOR A THIRD TERM? Aspen DA Martin Beeson.

WHILE WE’RE AT IT, LET’S ALSO TELL THEM TO BE NICE TO THEIR PARENTS: Colorado students would have to know CPR and how to operate automated external defibrillators in order to graduate from high school under a new bill introduced Wednesday.

AP WEIGHS IN on Massey’s military-service-earns-college-credit bill.

UP TODAY: Immigrant in-state tuition.

FIRING BACK: State Fair.

IN NEW MEXICO, when someone stares at you in an angry, direct manner, it’s known as “mad dogging.” As in, ‘That guy is mad dogging me after I insulted his green chile.’) The next time he visits New Mexico, Al White should expect to be seriously mad dogged, Huffington Post says.

NOTABLE: Suthers’ endorsement of Liston.

CHRONICLES INDEPENDENCE INSTITUTE’S MOVE TO DENVER: Post’s Tim Hoover.

HAS DEETS ABOUT NEW MOVIE ABOUT COLORADO STATE CAPITOL: The[news]Seen.

MOVING ON: County commissioners elected by district.

MOVING SLOWLY: Late-fee registrations.

STOPPED: Union wages on public projects.

HAT IN: Jeffrey Hare, HD-48.

FAILED TO CREDIT POST FOR ITS ENTERPRISE ON BEETLE-KILL STORY? Associated Press.

PEOPLE WHO READ THE GOLD BOOK LIVE LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES. Buys yours here.

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
* 7 introduced bills and resolutions
* Zero signed bills
* 7 bills passed out of committee
* 12 new fiscal notes
* 8 bills and resolutions passed on third reading
* 2 killed bills

HICKENLOOPER IS IN DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, maybe rubbing shoulders with these notables.

MEANWHILE, Joe Garcia will deliver remarks at the Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic. Location: The Broadmoor Hotel, International Center Ballroom, One Lake Ave., Colorado Springs.

LOTS ON THE SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Today is LiveWell Colorado Day at the Capitol — Festivities will be all day at various locations, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Old Supreme Court Chambers. Contact: Karen Ryan (720) 353-4120 ext. 215 karenryan@livewellcolorado.org
* Colorado Retail Council Legislative Reception, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., The University Club, 1673 Sherman Street, Denver. Contact: Charlie Sheffield 303.810.0669 charlie@chrishowes.com
* Colorado Brewers Guild Reception, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Ghost Plate & Tap, 800 18th Street, Ste 100, Denver. Contact: RSVP to Caitlin Tedesco 303-579-1251 caitlin@bswpolicy.com

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Under The Gold Dome: Hanging With The One-Tenth Of The One Percent

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

NOW THAT’S REALLY RUBBING IT IN: Administrators behind the E-470 toll road appeared before lawmakers to answer questions about high collection bills for delinquent payments and toll money going to massages for employees.

OFF TO DAVOS: At least 70 billionaires this week are joining Colorado’s John Hickenlooper, Ken Lund and more than 2,500 business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

DEATH WATCH BEGINS for bill attempting to limit school-board campaign contributions.

WHAT BILLS ARE BEING HEARD TODAY? Check out quick-look calendar.

THAT’S … SO … HEAVY: Colorado’s far-reaching new education agenda aims to guide the next generation of citizens from the womb to the graduation line, and ultimately the workforce.

MAKE YOUR CLIENT HAPPY: Buy them a Gold Book.

POLIS’ DEFENSE against insider-trading allegations.

PREDICTABLE: Colorado delegation SOTU reax.. Also: The SOTU view from Pueblo.

IN FACT, THE LOOPER-STEPHENS PRIMARY has been nasty for some time, now.

HALF OF THE APPLICANTS for new tax incentives under the Regional Tourism Act have hired a lobbyist to persuade legislators to broaden the law so that more than two projects are eligible each year.

YOU WANT TO DRILL WHERE? New technology is putting oil and gas drills closer to populated areas than ever before – creating tension in Colorado over who regulates where drilling can and can’t be done.

AGAIN THIS YEAR: Baumgardner’s tag-fee reduction bill.

LOCAL WOMAN MAKES GOOD: Giron’s foreclosure bill gets writeup today in Pueblo Chieftain.

HAT IN: Crestina Martinez, SD-35.

HAT IN: Ron Roesener, HD-57.

HAT IN: Joe Coors Jr., CD-7.

PULLED ITS ADS: Pinnacol.

REST IN PEACE: Margaret Ramirez, mother of former Colorado Sen. Paula Sandoval.

OPEN LETTER TO NORTH KOREA: Please return the USS Pueblo.

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
* 1 introduced bill
* Zero signed bills
* 7 bills passed out of committee
* 10 new fiscal notes
* 8 bills or resolutions passed on third reading
* 1 killed bill

GOOD MORNING, JOHN HICKENLOOPER: Here’s the weather report today in Davos, Switzerland.

MEANWHILE, Lt. Gov. Joe Garica will deliver remarks at Club 20’s Day at the Capitol. Location: Old Supreme Court Chambers, State Capitol, Denver.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR:
* Colorado Medical Society Legistative Reception, 6:00 p.m., Warwick Hotel, Contact: Andrea Chase 303-249-0032

HE SAID IT: “Regrettably, facts offer no defense against propagandists.” — Jared Polis.

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Under The Gold Dome: OK, We Hear You, Some Of The Time

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

AMONG THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE OFF-SESSION was Legislative Council’s work to scrap the old Dictaphone archived audio system (basement access only) in favor of a new one from Granicus, providers of the state’s video feed (accessible to anyone over the Internet). It’s a vast improvement — one that we’re happy to incorporate within our State Bill Colorado bill-tracking service. You may have noticed, however, that some users have access to this archived audio faster than others. It turns out that people using Microsoft Silverlight on PCs get the first crack at listening, while other formats — including iPad-friendly ones — are processed by Granicus later in the day or, sometimes, the next day. So now you know.

EXCLUDING TABOR from the state’s defense of its school funding system was one of several reasons AG John Suthers’ office listed in its appeal of of Denver District Judge Sheila Rappaport’s decision in Lobato vs. Colorado.

TODAY’S BEST LEDE COMES FROM THE DURANGO HERALD: A bipartisan group of legislators wants to bring new meaning to the term “joint checking account.”

IN A REVERSAL FROM LAST YEAR, Regents may endorse immigrant in-state tuition bill.

NINETEEN BILLS ON TAP TODAY. State Bill rounds ‘em up.

ARE YOU PHOTOGENIC? Send your party photos to The[news]Seen, a new Colorado website “dedicated to social events for those in law and politics.” Email: sarah@circuitmedia.com.

QUICK — IDENTIFY THE REPUBLICAN!

SHOOTING BLANKS: Tim Neville.

THINGS NOT TO START A SENTENCE WITH: “Here’s my thought process.”

WINS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT: New rules for judging good, bad teachers.

DEEMED LEGITIMATE: Maroon Bells access fee.

BEGINS HOSPICE: Paul Sandoval.

COLORADO YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL conducted a survey of 712 young people and found that 70 percent were “very concerned” about suicide

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CHAIR Bob Schaffer will help kick off National School Choice Week tonight in Castle Rock, one of 50 events organized across the country this week. Tonight’s event will include Schaffer, a former U.S. congressman, along with political commentators Dick Morris and Hugh Hewitt.

GOLD BOOKS ARE GOING FAST. Order them in bulk to get reduced rates!

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
* Zero introduced bills
* Zero signed bills
* 5 bills passed out of committee
* 11 new fiscal notes
* Zero bills passed on third reading
* 1 killed bill

HICK’S OFF TO DAVOS, SO HERE’S WHAT JOE GARCIA IS DOING
9:00 a.m. – hosts a community conversation: “K-12 and Higher Education Working Together”. Location: University Center Panorama Room, intersection of 10th Ave. and 20th St. on the UNC Campus.
2:00 p.m. – hosts community conversation on early childhood literacy. Location: Dos Rios Elementary School, 2201 34th St., Evans.

DUELING RECEPTIONS TONIGHT AT THE U-CLUB:
* Colorado Hospital Association, 5:30-7:30 p.m., The University Club, 1673 Sherman Street, Denver 80203 Contact: Susan Rudy 720-330-6032
* Community Pharmacies Legislative Reception, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., The University Club,
1673 Sherman Street, Denver. Contact: Charlie Sheffield 303.810.0669 charlie@chrishowes.com

HE SAID IT: “For me, law-abiding citizen is not a permanent condition. All of us, on certain occasions, can snap.” — Bob Bacon.

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Under The Gold Dome: Do You Feel Lucky?

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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.

DO YOU GET UNDER THE GOLD DOME AS AN E-MAIL AND DO YOU FEEL LUCKY? The 13th person to click on this link through the daily “Under The Gold Dome” email (not the website) will receive a free 2012 Gold Book ($10 value). If you don’t win, don’t fret — you can buy Gold Books here.

NOT GETTING THIS AS AN EMAIL? Sign up here.

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: “It’s a tax-increase tour. People who come out to these things are self-selecting, and the message will be, ‘We need more government services, better roads, more choo-choo trains.’ This is standard operating procedure before a tax-increase initiative gets rolling.” — Jon Caldara.

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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Under The Gold Dome: Thanks For The Two-Hour Break

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Compiled by STATE BILL COLORADO

IF THE LEGISLATURE IS A THREE-RINGED CIRCUS, then the sideshow took center ring Thursday. “State House members used their first vote of the year to pummel each other over a politically heated issue – repeal of President Barack Obama’s national health-care law,” The Durango Herald noted, without saying that most lobbyists and other Capitol denizens used the meaningless, two-hour debate to grab an early lunch or empty their clogged e-mail boxes. Ever the peacemaker, The Post’s Bartels sent a Tweet saying “Both parties waste time fighting about things they can’t change. Don’t just blame Rs.” Her former editor, Curtis Hubbard responded, “They went 1st this year.” The Camera, even more disappointed, editorialized today, saying “Colorado Representatives Disappoint With Partisan Stunt.”

FLEXING HIS MUSCLES: John Walsh.

GOVERNOR COOL: AP’s Moreno snaps Hick at Wilco.

GOVERNOR RULE: Hick signs a CACI-drafted executive order encouraging biz-friendly regs.

JUST AS LONG AS THE LEGISLATORS DON’T HAVE THEM: Bill would let kids have knives.

THE ANGRY INCH: The right-leaning American Spectator rails against Denver ticketing drivers even an inch over the painted line on the road before which a vehicle is supposed to stop when the light is red.

THIS IS NOT GOING TO HELP THE IMAGE OF THE COURTS: DA sex-harasser Myrl Serra will serve only 60 more days in jail, a judge determines.

REMIND MYSELF TO POST AN AD SEEKING BETTER ACCOUNTANTS: The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife will shelve $16.7 million in construction projects as a result of accounting mistakes totaling about $30 million.

GOVERNMENT CREATING JOBS IN DURANGO?

MAYBE THEY STEPPED OUT TO MAKE A CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? A House committee spent more than an hour Thursday on a bill that proposes to limit campaign contributions in school board races, but a vote was put off because the chairman had lost two of five Republican members, leaving Democrats with a temporary majority.

FORMER SEN. KEN GORDON and his CleanSlateNow.org are rallying outside the Capitol today.

QUESTION: What’s CleanSlateNow.org?

MAY GET SIX-MONTH REPRIEVE? Fort Lyon.

BOND IT? State’s unemployment insurance obligation.

LIKE ZOMBIES, BILLS ARE COMING BACK FROM THE DEAD

KEEP THAT SPACE JUNK OFF OF ME: Colorado’s biggest obstacle in becoming a center of commercial space travel is not a lack of infrastructure or marketing, but the threat of injury-related lawsuits, economic development leaders believe.

2012 GOLD BOOKS, now available, are selling at a record pace. Order using this form or online!

HAT IN: Robert Blaha, CD-5.

HAT OUT: John Morse.

WHO WILL BE STATE BILL’S 5,000TH TWITTER FOLLOWER?

NOW PROSECUTING EX-SHERIFF SULLIVAN: John Suthers.

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
* 31 introduced bills
* Zero signed bills
* Four bills passed out of committee
* Eight new fiscal notes
* Zero blls passed on third reading
* Zero killed bills

HICKENLOOPER PUBLIC EVENTS
9 a.m. – meet with and tour Radius Media Holdings’ companies including sign language, Proxy Partners, Denver Digital Network and NRC365. Location: 275 Mariposa St., Denver.
Noon – joining TeleTech’s CEO Ken Tuchman and Greeley Mayor Tom Norton to announce TeleTech’s opening of a new state-of-the-art customer management delivery center that will add more than 500 jobs. Location: TeleTech Press Conference, 2400 W. 29th St., Greeley.

TODAY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR: It’s Mental Health of America’s Colorado Advocacy Day at the Capitol, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Old Supreme Court Chambers, Contact : Moe Keller 720-208-2224 mkeller@mhacolorado.org

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