Debbie Benefield

• 2010 State of the State Address - Governor Bill Ritter
• 2009 End-of-Session Report - House Speaker Terrance Carroll
• 2009 Public School Finance Interim Committee
• 2009 Long-term Fiscal Stability Commission 
• Federal Stimulus: Impact on Colorado - Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
 

Rep. Benefield's 2009 Legislative Session Wrap-up 
Despite the challenges we faced in the legislature during these tough times, we succeeded in what we set out to do at the beginning of the session: expanding the circle of opportunity for all Coloradans. 
 

As promised, we focused on saving and creating good jobs, providing support for struggling families, and creating a world class education system. And even with a tight budget, the legislature was able to do more with less. We pushed through over a dozen bills that will create good, high-paying jobs throughout the state. Our biggest jobs bill was Senate Bill 108, Funding Advancement for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER), which will create as many as 8,000 good jobs for shovel-ready projects that repair our 125 crumbling bridges. House Bill 1001 provides a tax credit to attract new businesses and new jobs to Colorado by incentivizing the creation of jobs across the state. And we revived the Colorado Credit Reserve Program, giving businesses access to loans and capital to stay afloat and continue growing.   

One of the most effective ways to create good jobs is to invest in the ‘New Energy Economy.’ That’s why we continue passing measures to speed Colorado’s transition to clean technologies of tomorrow. “Solar Ready Homes”, which ensures that new homes are pre-wired for solar energy use or have solar panels installed as part of their home-financing agreement, is just one of those measures. Another bill expands job training programs at community colleges to include new energy companies and specialized training for “green-collar” jobs.

Homeowners and businesses aren’t the only ones to benefit – schools will, too. The “Renewables for Schools” program gives schools access to low-interest loans for the purchase of clean energy assistance, including hybrid-electric buses and on-site wind turbines and solar panels.  Schools will be able to reduce their utility bills, create a buffer against future energy spikes, and put more money toward educating our children. 

Unexpected medical bills are one of the primary causes of bankruptcy in Colorado. In an effort to keep costs low and cover more people, we passed the Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act.  This act will generate $1.2 billion annually, which will provide more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans with affordable healthcare and  make sure that the costs of the uninsured will no longer be passed on to those who can pay for health insurance.  
 

The most important opportunity that government provides is a free public education to every child.  This becomes even more important during tough economic times. So we came up with a number of innovative ideas. We’ll work to increase graduation rates by creating the Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Reengagement. And “ASCENT” creates another way for students to graduate and succeed: Students can be enrolled in both high school and college and work towards a degree. 
 

We also help working Coloradans be both good parents and good employees. House Bill 1057 allows parents to take a small amount of unpaid time away from work to attend important school meetings for their children without the risk of losing their jobs. 
 

During this session, we dealt with the harsh realities of these tough economic times. Just as most families have been doing, we were forced to make some very difficult financial decisions.  While nobody at the Capitol is happy with all of the decisions that had to be made, we know that we did our best to produce a balanced budget, which at its core works to expand the circle of opportunity for every Coloradan.