The Forum (formerly NSRF)

The 2016 General Assembly has been underway for about 6 weeks now and in that time, many bills have been heard in committees, on the floor, and have been passed by the House of Representatives. Some of these bills focus on helping the Colorado State Government operate more efficiently and remain accountable to the citizens. Others attempt to further regulate business and private lives. As I always have, I will continue to advocate for small businesses, rights of the individual, and small government. Government has grown in recent years, out pacing the growth in family budgets and even private sector GDP growth.

Bills proposed by me to represent your interests:

HB16-1130– Concerning Changes to Annual Reports Prepared by the Department of Education

I ran this bill after speaking with many folks in the district last fall.  Some constituents asked me to reduce government and get rid of outdated or pointless laws. After reaching out to many departments, I settled on HB 1130.  One of the reports required less than 1 month of turnaround from when the department received the numbers to when the report had to be submitted. This required the department to assign a larger than average workforce for the single report meaning other projects were not getting done in the meantime and not allowing the report submitted to be %100 statutorily acceptable. HB 1130 adjusted the reporting deadline to allow the Department of Education to manifest an meaningful report while still completing other necessary projects. There were also two reports that were meaningless to submit at a state level. To make these reports worse, the Department did not have proper permission to access the information necessary anyways. I removed their obligation to submit these reports. Overall, HB 1130 will simultaneously make the Department of Education more accountable to the General Assembly and you, as well as operate more efficiently and cut down on wasteful spending.

HB16-1130 passed the House of Representatives by a unanimous vote and will be heard in the Senate Education Committee.

HB16-1010 – Concerning the Authorization Process for the Release of Destructive Rodent Pests into a County

This bill was brought to me by constituents in eastern Adams County. When transferring rodent pests within a County, there are no state laws requiring notice to land owners. This leads to the inevitable possibility of these pests being released somewhere they shouldn’t. Often the problem is confronted by Conservation Districts. Other times, Farmer and Ranchers find themselves dealing with rodents illegally or innefectively relocated. This was the case with District 56 resident Tom Feeney who found himself spending hundreds of dollars on licenses and suppression tactics to protect his pasture land from an unlicensed rodent transfer. Cattle now have to compete for foraging ground and crops potentially get destroyed. Because of the rapid population expansion of these species, within a year of transfer, colonies could be spreading up to a mile away. HB-1010 would place in statute that, any transfer of destructive rodent pests must be reported to the County Commissioner and that official notification should be given to any applicable Conservation Districts. This small requirement would simply ensure that citizens, who have the right to know about these transfers, would in fact be made aware.

HB16- 1225– Concerning a requirement that school districts with a minimum number of enrolled pupils post information online that is submitted by director candidates prior to the election

Another idea that came from speaking with constituents this fall, HB 1225 allows citizens more information about the candidates running for the position of School Board Director.  It’s important that citizens be informed about who exactly is running for School Board Director.  School Districts can encompass so many people that voters may have never heard of the individual they are voting on. This bill requires that school districts post a candidate submitted short statement on the school board website so that citizens can gain a little information about the candidate that they are voting for.

HB16-1225 is scheduled to be heard in committee on March 9^th upon adjournment of the House ( about 10:30)

Concerning bills:

HB16-1054 – Concerning end of life options for individuals with a terminal illness

I want to be very clear, to start, that this is not one of my bills. This bill continues to be a hot topic at the capitol.  For those members of our society that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, this bill would allow them to request a poison pill from their Dr. that would allow them to “confront death on their own terms”. Beyond the moral issue of this bill, providing a death medicine to patients violates many statements within the Hippocratic Oath taken by most physicians to this day. Still more concerning is the accountability, or lack thereof, with this bill. Once the dosage leaves the physicians hands, there are no accountability measures in place to ensure that that “medication” is used properly. I can assure you that I stand in strong opposition of this bill. It violates the fundamental sanctity of life that I hold so dear. Life is sacred both at its origins, and its end.  Any bill that allows for a method of determining when people live and when they die, is one that I fundamentally cannot support.

HB16-1054 is awaiting 2nd reading in the House