Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law nine measures that will help lead Colorado forward, including bills to expand broadband access to rural communities and improve Colorado’s public schools.
“This legislation will continue making Colorado a national leader in education reform, improve the quality of life for our citizens, and position us to recover from the downturn stronger than ever,” Gov. Ritter said.
Archive for the ‘Education’ Category
GOV. RITTER SIGNS 9 BILLS TO LEAD COLORADO FORWARD
Thursday, June 4th, 2009SENATOR SCHWARTZ’S BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009DENVER— Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) has had a productive year for Senate District 5 and Colorado. As chair of the Joint Select Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth it produced over two dozen dynamic bills to help build and sustain jobs in Colorado. Sen. Schwartz also sponsored more than 30 bills to revive rural Colorado by strengthening local economies, encouraging job creation, and expanding the new energy economy.
Supporting Rural Colorado:
Tuesday, Senator Schwartz stood by as Governor Bill Ritter signed into law two of her bills which are important to rural Colorado: HB 1111 and HB 1119. HB 1111 will help the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment increase the availability of health care to under-served areas while growing local economies. The legislation helps coordinate available federal and state programs that capitalize on medical reimbursements, grants, and the placement of health care professionals in those areas. This bill also uses a federal visa program designed to bring foreign medical professionals into under-served rural areas. This visa program is a unique and exciting opportunity to bring Spanish-speaking health care professionals to our Spanish-speaking communities. The program also attracts new doctors to underserved areas by offering a student-loan payment program to help young doctors retire their debt.
Sen. Schwartz worked with Representative Ed Vigil to address rural substance abuse problems. HB 1119 establishes a grant program that will provide alcohol and substance abuse programs with prevention and treatments services to youth and adults in rural areas. These new programs will provide much-needed assistance to rural communities in their efforts to manage and prevent substance abuse. The bill was supported by a number of state health programs.
“I want to let the people in Senate District 5 know that your needs are represented and your voices heard at the capitol,” said Sen. Schwartz. “This session we passed several dynamic bills to support citizens living in rural parts of the state. This new legislation will help revive rural Colorado by strengthening local economies, encouraging innovation, and improving access to health care by bringing more resources to existing healthcare providers.”
“This year I worked with Senator Boyd, Rep. Vigil and Rep. Massey to sponsor a bipartisan piece of legislation that addresses urgent health care needs in our rural communities. HB 1111 recruits doctors to rural or underserved areas of the state to ensure that everyone in Colorado has access to quality health care. More importantly, this bill takes full advantage of significant federal funding opportunities to fill physician shortages without increasing state expenditures.”
“With HB 1119, Rep. Vigil and I created a rural substance abuse program to help rural communities in their efforts to manage, treat, and prevent drug and alcohol addictions. I firmly believe that everyone in Colorado should have access to quality care and services regardless of where they live. These two bills will promote a healthy Colorado and I am proud to see them become law.”
Coming up: Wildfire bill signing Wednesday
Wednesday, Governor Ritter will also sign SB 13 that was co-sponsored by Sen. Schwartz, sponsored by Sen. Dan Gibbs (D-Summit County), and endorsed by the Interim Committee on Wildfire Issues. This bill provides limited civil immunity for fire departments and other entities that donate surplus firefighting equipment. It also protects from personal liability volunteer firefighters, their commanders, and the organizations which employ them.
Coming up: Electric Cars bill signing Thursday
Thursday morning Sen. Gail Schwartz will join the Governor at the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado in Denver to sign SB75. This bill will open more of Colorado’s low-speed roads and city streets to neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs). Currently, Colorado has a patchwork of conflicting regulations for these vehicles. By establishing statewide legislation for their operation, it will be easier for more Coloradans to use energy-efficient electric cars and paves the way for future electric transportation and integration into the smart grid.
“Colorado has been and will continue to be a leader in the New Energy Economy,” Sen. Schwartz said. “I sponsored SB75 to promote low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles as one aspect of our larger energy goals this session. This bill will help Colorado move toward a local sustainable electric transportation system, reduce carbon emissions and support communities throughout the state.”
“Many important bills were supported by the Joint Select Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth,” continued Sen. Schwartz. “These bills will promote construction of green, solar-ready homes, green businesses, and green jobs and grow Colorado’s work force. Green industry saves our environment, but more importantly it develops reliable jobs for Colorado.”
Coming up: Broadband and B.E.S.T. bills signing Thursday
Thursday afternoon, Governor Ritter will sign many bills at the Capitol including SB 162 and SB 257. For rural Colorado, one of the most important pieces of legislation to come out of the Joint Select Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth is the inventory of broadband service areas (SB 162). Sponsored by Sen. Schwartz and Rep. Larry Liston, this bill creates an inventory of state broadband areas and removes any restrictions on private gifts and grants needed to fund this program. This also extends the deadline to complete the inventory. This bill will initiate the mapping of broadband connectivity throughout the state.
“Schools, hospitals, and businesses cannot succeed where there is limited or no broadband access,” said Sen. Schwartz. “It is important for us to focus our economic development state-wide: in rural areas in addition to our cities. This bill will expand broadband access and pull down federal recovery dollars for investment. With SB 162 Colorado will be taking a critical first step to identify the gaps in broadband access and continue our plans to expand infrastructure and service throughout the state.”
“Mapping will provide us with a comprehensive inventory of broadband service areas to guide policymaking and form a consensus around the future of broadband,” continued Sen. Schwartz. “The faster we can get broadband access to rural areas, the faster we can level the playing field and ensure that healthcare, education and businesses will thrive in all parts of the state. This is essential to a successful Colorado.”
SB 257 amends the Building Excellent Schools Today Act (B.E.S.T.) which was created last year to construct $1 billion of new schools in Colorado. It allows more efficient implementation of the act without reducing funding or restricting lease-purchase agreement authorizations. The B.E.S.T. program was created to provide school districts especially in rural areas with much-needed funding for capital construction projects. The first round of funding received from this program will create a safe and supportive learning environment for the children in five districts of Southern Colorado.
“Colorado’s children are our most important asset,” said Sen. Gail Schwartz. “We need to make sure they have top-notch schools, which includes top notch energy-efficient facilities. This landmark achievement of state funded school buildings is the result of a long-term, collaborative commitment to provide all students in Colorado with a 21st century education. In Colorado’s current economic climate, the approval of these grants for new school construction is critical in creating jobs and stimulating the economy in our rural communities. We are making an investment in Colorado’s educated work force of tomorrow. I am grateful to the State Board of Education for their commitment to improving Southern Colorado’s public school systems and supporting the families who rely on them.”
This summer the work continues…
This summer, Senator Schwartz will continue working throughout her district and at the Capitol as a member of the Task Force on Health Care, the Water Resources Review Committee, Capital Development Committee, Heritage Tourism Board and higher education efforts. She intends to continue meeting with her constituents to discuss emerging issues and new opportunities before next session starts in January, 2010.
GOV. RITTER JOINS LAWMAKERS AT FORT COLLINS TOWN HALL
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
FORT COLLINS — Gov. Bill Ritter joined Fort Collins state Reps. John Kefalas and Randy Fischer and Sen. Bob Bacon at a town hall meeting here this evening, discussing Colorado’s economy, taking questions from residents and signing six bills into law.
“Working with lawmakers like Reps. Kefalas and Fischer and Sen. Bacon, our focus this legislative session was on creating jobs, helping existing businesses and recruiting new companies to Colorado,” Gov. Ritter said. “We provided immediate relief to businesses and working families to help them get through this downturn, and we made smart, long-term investments in education, workforce development and innovation.
“We’re leading Colorado forward and positioning ourselves for a strong recovery and a sustainable future,” Gov. Ritter said, “and several of the bills I’m signing here in Fort Collins tonight directly help advance those goals.” Those bills include:
Senate Bill 09-052 (Bacon/Pommer), which will provide state matching funds to Colorado colleges and universities seeking federal research grants. This will help level the playing field for Colorado institutions competing against universities nationwide, and will help recruit high-caliber faculty to Colorado.
“When Colorado has been facing declining revenue and cuts in most state departments, I am proud that we were able to find some meaningful funding for higher education,” Sen. Bacon said. “This bill will increase funding for the Innovative Higher Education Research Fund to attract matching federal research grants and create a greater number of jobs in Colorado.”
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GOV. RITTER ENACTS SWEEPING EDUCATION REFORMS
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Sens. Hudak, Sandoval and Williams join the Governor
New laws will increase graduation rates, help secure federal education funding
Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law a comprehensive package of education-reform measures, including bills to help reduce the dropout rate, allow students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a college associate’s degree, and give Colorado a better chance of landing federal “Race to the Top” funds.
“In my first State of the State Address, I set out aggressive and bold objectives for education, including cutting Colorado’s dropout rate and achievement gap in half over the next 10 years and doubling the number of college degrees earned by Colorado residents,” Gov. Ritter said.
GOV. RITTER VISITS SCHOOL, SIGNS NEW ENERGY ECONOMY BILLS
Friday, May 15th, 2009LAKEWOOD — Gov. Bill Ritter today visited hundreds of students at Foothills Elementary School to sign into law three major New Energy Economy bills, including one that will help schools invest in solar panels, wind turbines and hybrid or electric buses.
House Bill 1312, sponsored by Rep. Andy Kerr and Sens. Gail Schwartz and Chris Romer, creates an innovative “Renewables for Schools” loan program to help schools afford clean-energy projects and electric or hybrid buses so they can reduce utility costs and invest those savings back where they belong – in the classroom. In January, with the help of the Governor’s Energy Office, Foothills Elementary installed a 9.5 kilowatt solar system on its roof.
“Schools all across Colorado spend more money on their utility bills than on computers or books combined,” Gov. Ritter told students during a schoolwide assembly. “This new law will help schools cut down those utility costs so they can invest the savings in you, in your teachers and in your classrooms. The reason we are building a New Energy Economy today is so we can lead Colorado forward for you.”
“By producing energy on-site with wind and solar, schools can reduce their utility bills, create a buffer against future energy price spikes, and put more money toward educating our kids,” Rep. Kerr said. “As a teacher, I look forward to seeing kids driven to school in 21st century school buses powered by hybrid electricity, and then teaching them 21st century skills in buildings energized by 21st century solar, wind and geothermal technologies.”
House Bill 1126, the solar thermal jobs bill, sponsored by Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst and Senate President Brandon Shaffer, will create hundreds of good-paying green-collar jobs by offering incentives to lower the cost of manufacturing and installing solar hot-water heaters.
“Providing financial incentives for the Colorado solar thermal industry will create clean-energy jobs and strengthen local economies all across the state,” Gov. Ritter said. “These new manufacturing and installation jobs will improve energy efficiency in our buildings and grow Colorado’s New Energy Economy.”
“It’s not hot air to say that solar hot water cuts energy costs and creates jobs,” said Rep. Hullinghorst. “Besides reducing our carbon footprint, solar hot water will put more money into people’s pockets and more jobs into the economy.”
Senate Bill 124, sponsored by Sen. Jim Isgar and Rep. Ellen Roberts, is a bi-partisan measure that helps farmers and ranchers participate in the New Energy Economy. It allows the state’s Department of Agriculture to extend the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) Program, which develops energy-related projects that helps farmers and ranchers use renewable energy.
“The ACRE Program helps create new jobs and economic activity in Colorado’s rural communities, and I am glad to see that it will continue to do so,” Gov. Ritter said. “This is a great tool that contributes to the sustainability and profitability of Colorado’s agriculture industry because it creates new markets for our agricultural products and encourages farmers and ranchers to participate in the New Energy Economy.”
“If we want Colorado to continue to grow and develop, we need to keep promoting its agriculture projects, which is Colorado’s number one industry,” Sen. Isgar said. “This bill will increase funding for the research and development of agricultural energy-related projects. As these projects grow, so will Colorado’s economy, agriculture industry and valuable workers.”
Gov. Ritter also signed two bills into law sponsored by Sen. Betty Boyd and Rep. Kerr, who represent the district that Foothills Elementary School is in. HB 1359 sets some new rules for board members of Homeowner’s Associations, and SB 223 improves public health and safety by ensuring the highest standards for restaurant inspections all across the state.
Visit www.colorado.gov/governor or click here for a list of 2009 legislative action by Gov. Ritter.
GOV. RITTER SIGNS BILL TO HELP KIDS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES
Thursday, May 14th, 2009In honor of National Food Allergy Awareness Week, Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law a bill that will help teachers and parents better respond to students with severe food allergies. Senate Bill 226, sponsored by Sen. Paula Sandoval and Rep. Sara Gagliardi, will help schools provide quicker responses to incidents of anaphylaxis and other food allergy emergencies.
About 84 percent of Colorado schools enroll children with a known food allergy, and the numbers are increasing. “As the number of students with food allergies continues to grow, we must help teachers and parents create safe, responsive school environments,” Gov. Ritter said. “This measure takes the appropriate steps to ensure every child feels safe.”
Senate Bill 226 establishes the “Colorado School Children’s Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Policy Act.” The act requires the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to work together to develop a statewide policy for the management of food allergies among public school students by Jan. 1. School districts will be required to:
· Notify parents annually about their policy regarding student food allergies;
· Encourage parents to give schools detailed information about their child’s allergies;
· Create strategies to reduce a students’ risk of exposure to allergens;
· Identify staff that should be trained in responding to an allergic reaction;
· Ensure staff will be able to access medicine should a child suffer anaphylaxis.
“There is nothing more important than protecting our kids,” Sen. Sandoval said. “Food allergies are increasing nationwide, and we must do what we can to make sure these kids have safe environments around them. I am happy to see this bill signed into law today to make sure there are policies and plans in place in our schools to treat and protect kids who are dealing with food allergies.”
“Food allergies are becoming increasingly common. That is why it is essential to prepare our public schools to deal with what can be very serious situations,” Rep. Gagliardi said. “In many cases, if a student has an allergic reaction, knowing how to administer the proper care fast can be the difference between life and death for our kids.”
Visit www.colorado.gov/governor or click here for a list of 2009 legislative action by Gov. Ritter.
GOV. RITTER SIGNS MAJOR JOB-CREATION LEGISLATION
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law landmark legislation that will help companies create new jobs, allow Colorado to compete against other states for new businesses, and strengthen community college job-training programs to better meet the workforce needs of emerging industries of the future.
“The two bills I signed today mark a key step toward our long-term vision of creating a modern, knowledge-based economic ecosystem in Colorado,” Gov. Ritter said during an outdoor signing ceremony on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. “This ecosystem depends on controlling healthcare costs, reforming education and building a 21st-century transportation system.
“Last year we made great headway on the strategy – cutting taxes for businesses, making historic investments in the bioscience industry and expanding our rural incentive program. People called it the most significant economic-development package in a decade.
“This year’s bipartisan bills are even better,” Gov. Ritter said. “They reflect the hard work that legislators, business leaders and economic-development groups statewide devoted to making job-creation, business-development and workforce training Job One during this legislative session.”
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Majority Leaders Announce Bill: “Transparency in Higher Education Leadership Selection”
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Lawmakers concerned about lack of openness in CSU leadership selection process
(DENVER) House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann and Senate Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer announced legislation today to bring openness, transparency and accountability to the selection of leaders of Colorado public colleges and universities.
“With our colleges and universities facing millions in budget cuts, now more than ever our students deserve top notch leaders. The people of Colorado should have trust and confidence in the leaders chosen to educate our children and prepare them for the jobs of the 21st century,” said Majority Leader Shaffer. “For Colorado to pick the right leaders for our colleges, we need the right process. We need a process that is open, transparent, accountable and inclusive.”
The legislation seeks to put into law basic requirements for the hiring process public colleges and universities use when choosing new leadership. The bill requires schools to use search committees to advertise available leadership positions, develop job qualifications and to take ample time to make thoughtful decisions.
The legislation was in part prompted by concerns about the current search process at Colorado State University.
LONG BILL, PINNACOL BILLS PASS FINAL VOTE
Monday, April 13th, 2009SB 259, 273 and 281 head to the House
DENVER— Monday, the Senate passed the 2009-10 budget (SB 259) and the two Pinnacol bills (SB 273 and 281) on final vote. The budget passed by a vote of 22 to 12 (with Republican Senator and JBC member Al White voting with the Democrats). SB 273 passed on a vote of 19 to 14 and SB 281 passed on a vote of 18 to 14. Sen. Rollie Heath and Sen. Josh Penry recused themselves from the vote because a conflict of interest.
Senator Moe Keller (D-Wheat Ridge) is the chair of the Joint Budget Committee and asked all Senators to support the long bill before sending it over to the House. “The Joint Budget Committee has wrestled with the problem of limited revenues at a time we try to meet demands to maintain state services that citizens want,” said Sen. Keller. “We began this process with the question, what is the core mission of government? Since we are cutting core programs, like prisons, the question has changed. We need to ask the citizens: what are you willing to pay for? And what do you want in Colorado state government? The process of balancing two budget years at the same time, without sufficient revenues to maintain services, has been a nightmare for all of us. It’s is a lengthy process and we are not finished yet.”
PRESIDENT GROFF TO JOIN DEPT. OF EDUCATION
Monday, April 13th, 2009Accepts position directing faith-based and community initiatives
DENVER – Today Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver) issued the following statement:
“It is an honor to be appointed to this position within the Department of Education. I look forward to working with Secretary Duncan to address the challenges facing schools across our great nation. My focus will be increasing community involvement in schools to help foster a culture of excellence for all of our children – no matter where they live.
I will continue serving as Senate President through the end of the session. We have much at stake and I want to see the ideas we committed to at the beginning of the session become reality.
It has been an honor serving the great state of Colorado and its people. I will miss my colleagues and friends in Colorado but look forward to this new chapter of public service.”
