Debbie Benefield - Statewide Updates

Statewide Updates

LEGISLATIVE SESSION REPORT
May 10, 2008

Strengthening Our Schools

Make Schools Safe Places to Teach and Learn
BEST (Build Excellent Schools Today – HB 1335, Speaker Romanoff, President Groff & Sen. Schwartz Makes as much as $1 billion available to repair and rebuild the state’s crumbling schools.

Click here to see pictures of some of Colorado's crumbling schools.
Click here to read Rep. Benefield's opinion editorial

Ensure Safe Schools – SB 1, Sen. Morse, Rep. Stephens
Creates a school safety resource center to assist in preparing and responding to school crises.
Give Kids a Smart Start
Expand Early Education – HB 1388 (School Finance Act), Reps. Pommer, Sen. Windels Allows 25,000 more 4- and 5-year-olds to enroll in preschool and full-day kindergarten.

Help Dyslexic Students – HB 1223, Rep. Merrifield, Sen. Williams
Identifies dyslexia early on to help kids with special needs become effective learners.
Attract and Retain Top-Flight Teachers
Teach for Colorado – SB 133, Sen. Shaffer, Rep. Andy Kerr
Provides incentives for college students to teach math and science after graduation.

Recruit & Retain Teachers – HB 1384, Reps. Todd & Merrifield, Sen. Bacon
Awards stipends to teachers who focus on hard-to-serve districts and streamlines the licensure process.
Ensure High Achievement and Access to Higher Education
Create a Plan for All Kids To Achieve – SB 212, Sens. Romer & Penry, Reps. Scanlan & Witwer
‘CAP for Kids’ aligns Colorado’s pre-school, K-12 and college educational systems and content standards.

Allow Schools to Innovate – SB 130, President Groff & Sen. Spence, Rep. T. Carroll
Encourages schools and school districts to innovate to improve student performance by creating Zones of Innovative Performance (ZIPs) free of certain district and state regulations.

Raise College Opportunity Fund – HB 1375 (Long Bill), Rep. Buescher, Sen. Keller Adds $50 million to increase stipends to put higher education within reach for more Colorado students.

Increase Higher Ed. Capital Construction – SB 218, Sens. Schwartz & Penry, Reps. Buescher & Balmer
Re-allocates Federal Mineral Lease dollars to help the state’s underfunded college campuses maintain their infrastructure.

STATEHOUSE GOES LIVE!
January 20, 2008

"At 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon, we will catapult this Capitol into the 21^st Century. For the first time in the history of Colorado, our legislature will go live on television and on the Internet."
-House Speaker Andrew Romanoff

Beginning Monday, January 21, “Colorado Open House”, live video coverage of the House of Representatives, will appear on the World Wide Web, at www.coloradochannel.net, and on Comcast Digital Cable, on Channel 165. Both the cablecast and the webcast will be archived so that viewers can search past programs.

Roughly a decade ago, audio broadcasts of the House and Senate began. Starting tomorrow, House floor debates will be televised. The hope is to add the Senate, and, eventually, committee hearings as well, next year.

Lawmakers' goal is to make Colorado’s government the most transparent, the most accountable, the most citizen-friendly in America. Speaker Romanoff states, "Too many citizens just don’t have the time to come to the Capitol in person, so we’re bringing it home. We’re bringing the statehouse to your house. That’s important, because this is a statehouse, not a clubhouse. This is the people’s house. We encourage Coloradans to tune in or log on to “Colorado Open House.” It’s the ultimate reality TV show."

Romanoff continued, "No one’s likely to confuse us with 'Entertainment Tonight.' This is more like 'Education Today.' What most Coloradans want to know is whether they’ll have a place to sleep or a job to go to when they get up in the morning. That’s what keeps most of us up at night - wondering whether our kids are going to get a good education, how we’re going to afford to fuel our cars or heat our homes this winter, and what we’re going to do if somebody in our family gets sick. That’s what this program - and this building - are all about. I’m not the star of “Colorado Open House,” and neither are my colleagues. The stars of this show are the people we represent: their schools, their jobs, their quality of life. Those are the ratings we care about."

Colorado Open House FAQ's
Why is the launch of Colorado Open House historic?
This is the first time in Colorado history that live and archived video of House proceedings will be available simultaneously on television and the Internet.

Where can I find the Colorado Channel on television?
The channel will be broadcast on Comcast Cable TV Channel 165, the Colorado Channel.

Will the broadcasts be available on Comcast's On Demand service?
Yes, floor proceedings will be available On Demand one week after they’re shown live.

Who do I contact to get the Colorado Channel on cable television?
Go to http://www.comcast.com or call 1.800.266.2278.

How do I get live webcasts of the Colorado Channel?
Just go to http://www.coloradochannel.net click on the Live Video link.

Will archives of the sessions be available on the web?
The Colorado Channel will also be archived and indexed on the Internet; just go to http://www.coloradochannel.net and click on the Archived Video link. Archives of each session will be available for 18 months.

How do I obtain a copy of a video recording?
Send an email to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or call the Office of Legislative Council at 303.866.3521.

GOVERNOR RITTER DELIVERS 2nd STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
January 10, 2008

Major education overhaul, economic-development plans and health-care reform are hallmarks of Governor's second annual speech to the people and legislature

Gov. Bill Ritter delivered his second annual State of the State Address to the people of Colorado and the legislature today, announcing major bi-partisan plans to revitalize Colorado's education systems, strengthen businesses and the economy, and address health-care cost, quality and access issues.

"It's my hope that each of us approaches this new legislative session with a sense of hope, of promise and of immense possibility," Gov. Ritter said. "My hope for the next 120 days is that we strengthen what is great about Colorado and build on the work we started in 2007. We must make steady progress across the board, doing what we know is right and what we can afford. This will take discipline, focus, leadership and courage."

Gov. Ritter offered a bold and ambitious vision for building a better Colorado -- a vision that calls for aggressive progress on education reform and business development, and steady building-block strategies for health-care reform, higher-education and transportation funding and continuing broad-based on how best to address the conflicting provisions in our Constitution.

Click here to read the full text of the Governor's speech.
Click here to read House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's opening remarks.

Click here to read earlier Statewide Updates.

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