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Peter Groff « Colorado Senate Democratic Majority

Archive for the ‘Peter Groff’ Category

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SEN. SHAFFER ELECTED NEW SENATE PRESIDENT

Friday, April 17th, 2009

               
SEN. MORSE TO BECOME MAJORITY LEADER

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DENVER—    Friday, the Senate Democratic Majority elected Senator Brandon Shaffer (D-Longmont) as the new President of the Colorado State Senate.   Senator John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) was elected to replace him as Senate Majority Leader.    Sen. Shaffer and Sen. Morse were chosen unanimously by the Democratic Caucus.  These positions will take effect May 7, 2009.

Senator Shaffer was elected to replace President Peter Groff (D-Denver) who has been in the position since 2007 and has been appointed by the U.S. Department of Education as the Director for the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center in the Office of the Secretary. 

Senator Brandon Shaffer:  “We have an incredible group of people here and by working together I know we can build a better Colorado.  The issues we face are not about left versus right, but about past versus future.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity to lead the caucus to create that future.”

Senator John Morse:  “You say I have taken on the tough issues.  I say we have taken them on together and they are the issues that matter to all of Colorado.  We have a great team, I’m proud of the work they have done this session and I’m looking forward to working with them next session.”

Senator Peter Groff:  “We have a unique ability to move this state forward.  We have so much talent in this caucus and as long as we remember what is important to us we can keep the majority years from now.  Sen. Shaffer and Sen. Morse will help lead this caucus to come up with a Colorado solution to create a better future for this state.”

Sen. Groff will continue to serve as Senate President and Senator from District 33 until the end of the session.  A vacancy committee will be searching for a replacement for his Senate seat.

Posted in Brandon Shaffer, John Morse, Peter Groff | No Comments »

SENATOR JOHN MORSE ELECTED SENATE MAJORITY LEADER

Friday, April 17th, 2009

 Majority Caucus unanimously elects first-term Senator from El Paso County

DENVER—  Today, the Colorado Senate Majority unanimously elected Senator John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) Senate Majority Leader.

Senator Morse will replace outgoing Senate Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer ( D-Longmont) who was voted Senate President-elect in the wake of Senate President Peter Groff’s appointment to a position with the U.S. Department of Education.  Both men will assume their new Senate positions on May 7th.

Senator Morse was nominated by Senate President Pro-tem Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood). 

Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver) hailed Morse as the “moral compass” of the Senate citing his leadership and courage when facing difficult decisions. “Sen. Morse has made some tough votes and has taken the lead to bring the caucus together,” said President Groff.

Senator Abel Tapia (D-Pueblo) praised Morse saying, “John brings a long list of qualifications to the role of Majority leader. As a legislator from Southern Colorado, I appreciate having a member from our region representing our interests in a leadership position.”

Senator Tochtrop (D-Thornton) said, “Senator Morse has taken the lead on many issues. He’s put the people of Colorado first and is willing to make tough decisions.”

“I am honored to count on the support of my colleagues for this important position,” said Majority Leader-elect Morse. “I came to the Senate to represent my community and fight for a better Colorado. That is what guides every decision I make here in the Senate. What many people would consider tough decisions are really opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the people who count on us to do the right thing.”

Senator Morse is serving his first term in the Colorado State Senate. He was first elected to the seat in 2006 after defeating a Republican incumbent. He is a former Colorado Springs police officer, former police chief of Fountain, and former CEO of Silver Key Senior Services Center in Colorado Springs.  Senator Morse has a B.A. in Public Affairs from Regis University, an M.B.A. from UCCS, and a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from University of Colorado-Denver.

Posted in Abel Tapia, Awards, Betty Boyd, Brandon Shaffer, John Morse, Lois Tochtrop, Peter Groff | No Comments »

PRESIDENT GROFF TO JOIN DEPT. OF EDUCATION

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Accepts position directing faith-based and community initiatives

h-peter-groff-11DENVER – 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.”

Posted in Awards, Education, In the News, Peter Groff | No Comments »

LONG BILL PASSES INITIAL VOTE IN SENATE

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Pinnacol bills also pass, protecting higher education from a $300m cut

DENVER—     After hours of debate, the Senate passed the 2009-10 budget on an initial vote. 

 Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver):  “The long bill is always a long process, hence the title, “Long Bill.”  I remain concerned about our ability to find a long-term solution for funding our institutions of higher education, but believe there are still solutions to come this legislative session.  Finding our way out of this crisis required leadership and innovative thinking.  I’m glad we had the support necessary from the JBC to balance Colorado’s budget and preserve our most valuable resource: the education of Colorado’s students.”

Earlier this afternoon, in an historic moment, Senate leadership from both the Majority and Minority parties united to send the budget bill back to the Joint Budget Committee to review the $300 million in cuts to higher education.  However, after revisiting several scenarios, the Joint Budget Committee voted to send the original bill back unchanged saying they had been reviewing painful cuts for months and stood by their work.

Against this backdrop, the Senate Majority worked to save higher education from hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts while responsibly providing state services and protecting Colorado’s infrastructure.
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Posted in Brandon Shaffer, Budget, Education, Peter Groff | No Comments »

1ST TIME IN HISTORY SENATE REJECTS LONG BILL

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

DENVER—  In an unprecedented move, the Senate has rejected the long-bill presented by the Joint Budget Committee.  Today, a bipartisan group decided to send the budget bill back to the Joint Budget Committee and refused to allow almost $300 million in cuts to higher education which was laid out in the 2009-10 budget.

groff-2007 “It is unconscionable to allow these kinds of cuts to higher education,” said Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver).  “After meeting with leadership on both sides of the aisle, it was clear that the Joint Budget Committee had to go back to the drawing board.  The long bill cannot balance the state’s budget on the backs of the students, parents and teachers we have spent so many months and years trying to elevate through our educational policies.  This long bill needs to be deliberative and sensitive to the very serious needs of higher education in this state.”

The Joint Budget Committee will meet at 1:30p today to go back over the long- bill and make changes before the Senate hears it on the floor.

Posted in Budget, Education, Peter Groff | 2 Comments »

GROFF STATEMENT ON VEIGA’S UPCOMING DEPARTURE

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

h-jennifer-veiga-1DENVER—    Senator Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver) is planning to resign from the Colorado Senate soon.

President Peter Groff issued the following statement Tuesday:

“I am deeply saddened by this loss.  With Jennifer’s departure I’m not only losing a trusted colleague, but also a close friend and confidant.  Her leadership and ability to speak with passion and intellect are unmatched and will be greatly missed in the Senate.  I know this is the right thing for her to do and wish her and her partner, Bronwyn, the best.”

Senator Veiga is moving to Australia with her long-time partner Bronwyn Russell to be closer with Ms. Russell’s ill mother.  It is not yet clear exactly when the resignation will take effect.

Posted in In the News, Jennifer Veiga, Peter Groff | No Comments »

WE ALL KNEW COLORADO WAS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE. NOW IT’S OFFICIAL!

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Forbes names 4 Colorado’s cities in top 20 best-places-for business

DENVER—    Ski slopes, majestic mountains, beautiful farms and fields, art museums and fine dining.  These are just some of the things that come to mind when you think of Colorado.  Now you can add “great place for business” to the list.

Four Colorado cities made Forbes’ top 20 best places for business and careers in 2009.  The top Colorado city went to Fort Collins at number 2 and Colorado Springs ranked 10.  Denver came in at number 14 and Boulder ranked number 20.  (Raleigh, North Carolina ranked #1).

The rankings were based on several criteria including job growth over the last five years and projections through 2011.

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Posted in Awards, Bob Bacon, Education, Energy, Jobs, John Morse, Peter Groff, Rollie Heath | No Comments »

COLORADO FOLLOWS OBAMA’S LEAD ON EDUCATION REFORM

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Today: the School Finance Act (SB 256); Tomorrow: Win the Race to the Top

DENVER– A bipartisan group of Senators, led by President Peter Groff (D-Denver), have called for Colorado to take bold steps on school reform.  First, the Senate introduced the School Finance Act today (SB 09-256) which will lay the foundation for a companion bill (to be introduced soon) that will position Colorado to receive federal Race to the Top dollars (more details on each bill below).

President Peter Groff said: “We should be moving from saying ‘Yes, we can!’ to “Now, we will.’  It’s time for Colorado to make a commitment and announce our intent to follow the Obama administration’s lead.  When Colorado wins the Race to the Top competition we intend to set up a ‘Colorado Race to the Top’ fund to incentivize districts to establish cutting-edge education reform procedures including pay for performance, closing the achievement gap, and time on task for students and teachers.”

MUCH more information about the School Finance Act and Colorado’s Race to the Top Fund after the jump:

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Posted in Bob Bacon, Chris Romer, Education, Peter Groff | 1 Comment »

Sen. Groff sees Obama, fills in CNN

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

The Denver Post  Posted: 03/21/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT

Colorado Senate president Peter Groff and other lawmakers from across the country met with President Barack Obama on Friday.

Afterward, Groff got his 15 minutes of national fame, telling CNN that the meeting was a “great opportunity for us to sit down and talk about the role state legislatures would have.”

Obama spoke to a gathering of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Washington.

“Part of my job as president is to ensure that we’re a good partner with you, because you’re where rubber hits the road; you’re where people actually see the benefits of a good education and high-quality health care, transportation, energy plans that actually make sense,” Obama told the group.

Groff told CNN that Colorado was at the front of the foreclosure crisis and how that has ebbed a bit, and how the unemployment rate isn’t as high as in some states but is high for the state. He closed with Democrats’ favorite sales pitch — new-energy economy.

“We’ll need stimulus dollars to put Coloradans back to work and we’re ready to do that with our new-energy economy,” the Denver Democrat said.

Groff also attended a board meeting of the national Policy Consensus Initiative.

Posted in Budget, In the News, Peter Groff | No Comments »

ECONOMIC FORECAST WORSE THAN EXPECTED

Friday, March 20th, 2009

SENATE DEMOCRATS RESPOND

DENVER—   This morning the Colorado Legislative Council released a troubling forecast for the next four years.  This sobering news projects that General Fund revenue will be $208 million below the amount budgeted in the fiscal year 2008-09 meaning the General Assembly will have to look for $208 million in cuts for the current budget which ends this July.  The shortfall over two years (FY 08-10) will be $1.4 billion, an increase from the $1 billion which was projected in December. 

The Legislative Council estimates a shortfall of $922 million in General Fund Revenue in FY 2009-10.  This will necessitate budget cuts which the Senate will begin during the budget discussions March 30th, 2009.    The Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting said that they anticipate the economy to turn positive near the end of 2009 and the recovery will be more gradual than previously thought.

click here for the link of the full report of the economic forecast from Legislative Council.h-peter-groff-11

Senate President Peter Groff (D-Denver):  “We knew the numbers would be bad, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you realize what impact this will have on our ability provide services for the citizens of this state. As I meet with other legislators from across the country, I am reminded that Colorado, in many ways, has not been hit as hard as other states.  As I said in my opening day remarks, Colorado’s foundation is based on this pioneering spirit.  We are used to hard work and tough decisions and these latest challenges before us will be met with determination to get through this economic downturn and the deep responsibility to protect the most vulnerable populations in the state.”

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Posted in Abel Tapia, Budget, John Morse, Moe Keller, Peter Groff | No Comments »

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