VETERANS USING PRIVATE INSURANCE FOR WAR WOUNDS IDEA DIES: Following a letter sent by a bipartisan group of 68 House members, including U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Colorado, it was announced that the Obama Administration has decided not to move forward with a controversial proposal that would have required veterans to use private insurance to pay for treatment of their combat and service-related injuries. “I’m pleased that the Administration has heeded the concerns of veterans and those of us in Congress who stand with them,” Markey said. “We hold a sacred trust with our men and women in uniform and caring for them when their service is ended is a promise we are honored to keep.”
FORECLOSURE TIME-OUT BILL MOVES ON: Legislation that will create a three-month time-out for “responsible borrowers” facing foreclosure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday by a vote of 5-2. House Bill 1276, sponsored by Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, gives the time-out to borrowers that contact a certified HUD certified counselor, such as the ones at the Foreclosure Hotline at 877-601-HOPE, within 20 days of receiving their notice of foreclosure. The bill now heads to the full Senate for debate.
POLICE AWARDS: The Denver Police Department held its 1st Quarter Awards Ceremony yesterday at the Denver Police Training Academy. The Distinguished Service Cross award was given to numerous officers for various acts of heroism. Officers Chris Cesarec, Chris Pappas, Jared Feher, Jason Simmons and Sergeant Vince Lombardi were given Medals of Honor. Sergeants Jerry Heimbigner, Robert Organ, Corporals Robert Broden, Justin Dodge and Technician Richard Eberharter were given Medals of Valor and numerous officers were given awards for Life Saving.
OIL/GAS RULES BILL MOVES ON: Legislation that contains oil and gas rules has passed the Committee on Legal Services of the Colorado General Assembly and will head to a full debate before the state Senate next week. House Bill 1292, sponsored by Rep. Anne McGihon, D-Denver, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, includes guidelines such as prohibiting new oil and gas facilities within 300 feet of a new public water supply and requiring companies to disclose the chemicals used in drilling operations.
SCHOOL WORKER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT: A 31-year-old middle school worker has been charged of having a sexual relationship with a teenage student. Roberto Rodriguez, who worked in a school library and was a girls soccer coach, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student that began in December 2008. School administrators allegedly learned of the allegations and called Denver police to report it. The investigation resulted in Rodriguez’s arrest on March 11. He remains in custody in the Denver County Jail. His bond is set at $100,000.
EDUCATION BILLS SIGNED: Two education bills sponsored by Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver and Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, were signed by Gov. Bill Ritter yesterday. Senate Bill 32 creates the first Center for New Politics and Policy in Colorado at the University of Northern Colorado, which will study classroom innovation relative to teacher instruction and student learning. Senate Bill 86, known as the CSU Global Campus Bill, will allow students to take classes online to get undergraduate or graduate degrees at Colorado State University.
PINON CANYON BILL INTRODUCED: Reps. Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, and Wes McKinley, D-Walsh, introduced House Bill 1317, known as “The Pinon Canyon Landowner and School Protection Act,” on Tuesday. The legislation will prohibit the sale of State Land Board land for the expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, as well as direct the Colorado Attorney General’s office to withhold any attempt by the Army to condemn those sections of state land. HB 1317 now goes to the House Agriculture Committee for testimony.
FORECLOSURE REPORTING: Legislation that identifies the foreclosure information that provides the most accurate numbers, and sets the Colorado Division of Housing as the official agency to report foreclosure data for Colorado, passed the House yesterday. House Bill 1197, sponsored by Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, seeks to ensure accuracy so reporting of economic indicators show the direction the state’s economy is headed, according to McNulty’s office. The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk to be signed.
SENIOR NUTRITION FUNDING: Vice President Joe Biden announced yesterday that the Department of Health and Human Services will award approximately $1.2 million in economic stimulus funding to provide meals to low-income seniors in Colorado. The funding is expected to provide nearly 14 million meals nationwide. Visit www.hhs.gov for more information about senior nutrition programs.
WILLING SELLER ACT: Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colorado, has introduced legislation aimed at allowing willing land owners to sell their property to the government in order to aid the completion of nine different trail systems in the U.S. “The Willing Seller Act” will help finish the Continental Divide Trail, which passes through Colorado, by allowing land owners to sell their land to the federal government if they own any parts of the trail, according to Coffman’s office, which went on to say that no land owner will be forced to sell land to the government under the legislation.
APRIL NATURAL GAS PRICE LOWER: Xcel Energy announced yesterday that natural gas bills for April should be 41-45 percent lower than this month and 36-37 percent lower on a year-to-year comparison with April 2008. Xcel said the lower bills are the result of expected warmer weather and lower customer use, and natural gas commodity prices.
CHILDREN’S HEALING HOME OPENS: The Brent Eley Foundation welcomes the public for a grand opening tour of Brent’s Place, a new, $7.5 million housing and community complex near the Fitzsimons Medical Center in Aurora. Brent’s Place offers families of cancer patients a home-away-from-home while their children receive cancer treatments at nearby Children’s Hospital or Anschutz Medical Center/University of Colorado Hospital. The event takes place this evening at 5:30 at 11980 E. 16th Ave. in Aurora (entrance to the site is at Colfax and Owego). Brent’s Place asks families to donate $20 per night during their stay. The actual cost is $93 per night, which is recouped in fundraising activities and donations. Call 720-343-2800 for more information.
COMMUNITY ACTION MEETING: Community members will meet with public officials, including Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, to discuss the economy, healthcare and education issues. Six-hundred people are expected to promote an “Agenda for Hope,” that addresses the concerns of the families, faith communities and schools that make up the membership of Metro Organization for People tonight from 6:15-8 at the Cole Arts and Science Academy Auditorium, located at Martin Luther King and Franklin. Visit www.mopdenver.org for more information.
