Today, I announced the Colorado Senate will return $627,000 from its operating budget to the State’s General Fund on June 30. That’s more than twice the usual amount reverted in past years. In January I froze all funds for legislative out-of-state travel. Since then I reduced the average staff salaries by 17% in the President’s office, for a total savings of $74,000, and barred the practice of giving staff bonuses.
The freeze on travel resulted in the return of $38,600 to the state. Savings on Interim Committees, lower operating costs and no special session provided the balance of the funds returned.
The cuts start here. We must be first in line to demonstrate fiscal restraint. I intends to make further reductions in legislative operating expense in next year’s budget. I will ask the Legislative Management Team to review next year’s budget to seek a 10% reduction in the cost of running the legislature.
I support the Governor’s call to reduce the cost of government by ten percent. As former naval officer I intend to bring military rigor to the budget process, and will work with Governor’s staff to cut every unnecessary expense from state government.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog, Budget at 2:41 PM MDT []
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COLORADO FACES $249M BUDGET SHORTFALL FOR REMAINING FISCAL YEAR
DENVER— Monday, Colorado’s Legislative Council released its economic forecast. For budget year 2008-09, which ends June 30th, 2009, there is an estimated $249 million shortfall. Thanks to the hard work of the Joint Budget Committee Colorado has a balanced budget and, despite these numbers, the General Assembly will not have to reconvene for a special session. For fiscal year 2009-10 Colorado faces a $384 million shortfall according to Legislative Council. Nearly all the decrease in the General Fund Revenue forecast was due to a decrease in income tax and sales tax revenue as a result of the economic downturn.
The numbers are bleak but these are not the numbers I agonize over. It’s the nearly 47,000 Coloradans who are out of work, the 17,000 children who lost access to health clinics, the middle-class college kid who can no longer pay the ever-increasing tuition bill - these are the numbers I’m focused on. While tough times don’t last, tough people do. We’ll lead the state through this recession and move forward to a brighter future.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog, Budget, Economy at 11:26 AM MDT []
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Today was the last day of the 2009 legislative session. Tomorrow, I become the President of the Colorado Senate. I am proud of the work we’ve done this session to support struggling families, and I pledge to continue to help Coloradans with the work we will do next year.
In this economy, we knew families across Colorado would need our help. Whether it’s helping to pay for health care, or provide their kids with a good education. Whether it’s helping people find good jobs after losing them or keeping their neighborhoods safe. We were prepared to help. We have families of our own, and we’ve heard the concern coming from our homes and the questions coming from our districts. “How are we going to get through the recession?” “How are we going to support our families?” “How are we going to make sure our kids our healthy and happy?”
We listened to those questions as we went into the session, and we heard those concerns from our districts while we debated on the floor. And this session we passed significant legislation to provide affordable health care, support our children and their parents in school, help people avoid foreclosure, and support autistic families statewide.
When we heard people ask how they will pay for healthcare, we answered with the Colorado Health Care Affordability Act. This Act will help the people of Colorado by covering more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans and lowering health care costs for those who already have insurance. The hospitals supported this bill because they knew they will benefit from the increased Medicaid and Colorado Indigent Care Program rates. It will also help the state of Colorado, which will benefit from the $600 million coming in from the federal government.
When we heard people ask how they could support their children’s education, we answered with parental involvement. This bill allows parents to take limited unpaid leave from their jobs without the fear of being fired to participate in important meetings with their children’s teachers. This will allow parents to be a part of their child’s education, whether it’s for teachers’ conferences to talk about their child’s progress or principal’s office visits to talk about their child’s problems.
When we heard people ask how they could stay in their homes despite debt and job loss, we answered with Foreclosure Assistance. This bill keeps people in their homes by helping responsible borrowers work with their lenders during a 3-month time-out period. They can work together to get back on track, stay in their homes, and avoid foreclosure.
And finally, when we heard from the autistic community about how medical bills were impacting their child’s treatment and their families’ finances, we introduced SB 244. This was a bill I sponsored to make sure insurance companies cover the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders. With an approximate cost of 5 million dollars to care for a person with autism throughout his or her life—two-thirds of which could be avoided by early intervention treatments—this bill could not have come at a better time.
We are supporting families throughout the state and will keeping supporting them in years to come. As you can see, we listened to your concerns and did what we could to continue to support all families in Colorado. But we are just getting started! Our work is not done, and we will continue this work next session.
Personal Legislative Summary
Here’s a rundown of the bills I passed this year:
SB09-062
Troops to Teachers
Provides financial incentives for our troops to become teachers, strengthening our economy and our education system. Puts prospective teachers into the classroom, especially in rural and high-needs areas, without any fiscal impact to the state’s budget.
HB09-1291
Veterans Resource Info Clearinghouse
Helps our brave servicemen and women get back on their feet by establishing a resource for veterans and their families to access information about support services through governmental and nonprofit entities.
HJR09-1007
Military Veterans, Missing in Action, and Prisoners of War Appreciation Day
Salutes Colorado’s ranks of military servicemen and women for their dedication, courage, heroism, and sacrifice.
SB09-244
Insurance Coverage Autism Spectrum Disorders
Makes healthcare manageable for autistic people and their families by requiring insurance companies to cover treatments such as behavior management, medication, and occupational, physical, and speech therapies.
HB09-1237
Developmental Disabled Early Intervention Services
Improves lifelong learning for children with special needs by making it easier for kids with developmental disabilities to receive early intervention services.
SB09-281
Pinnacol Assurance
Pinnacol Assurance is Colorado’s insurer of last resort for workers’ compensation. It is a state entity but operates with a lot of autonomy from the state. This bill calls for a performance audit of Pinnacol and convenes an interim committee to investigate the organization’s operations.
SJR09-044
Interim Commission to Study Fiscal Stability
Establishes an interim committee to study the fiscal stability of the state, including long-term solutions for higher education, transportation funding, and affordable access to healthcare. The committee will also develop a five-year strategic plan that may be amended annually to reflect existing economic realities.
HB09-1346
Recovery and Reinvestment Financing Act
Improves our schools, increases our investments in clean energy projects, and brings more jobs to our state by allowing local governments to maximize the federal stimulus money to finance energy conservation projects, school construction, and economic development bonds.
HB09-1126
Encourage Solar Thermal Installations
Brings more green-collar jobs to Colorado, expands the New Energy Economy, and promotes sustainability and eco-consciousness by letting local governments provide incentives for solar thermal installations. Also establishes a corresponding exemption from state sales and use tax.
HB09-1326
Integrity of Citizen-Initiated Petitions
Strengthens our direct democracy and ensures the integrity of our ballot initiatives by preventing petition fraud, streamlining and strengthening the petition review process, and expanding the residency status review.
SJR09-031
Braille Literacy
Recognizes that Braille provides people who are blind the power of knowledge, expanding their opportunities, and equipping them with the tools to be productive and imaginative contributors to society.
HB09-1316
Judge and Law Enforcement Info Private
Protects the privacy of peace officers by forbidding the posting of personal information about a law enforcement official online.
HB09-1318
Overweight Vehicle Permits
Strengthens the economy in rural areas by improving the permitting process for overweight vehicles hauling agricultural products and other goods.
HB09-1307
Colorado Channel
Expands television coverage of state government proceedings by establishing the Colorado Channel Authority.
SB09-139
Uniform Principal and Income Act Amendments
Aligns our state’s laws concerning the “Uniform Principle and Income Act” with those of other states.
HB09-1248
Business Entities Regulation
Streamlines filing and record keeping operations in the Business Division in the Department of State.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 6:25 PM MDT []
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This afternoon, Governor Ritter signed the budget bill for fiscal year 2009-2010. Colorado’s constitution requires that we balance the budget every year—no deficit spending—even when revenues keep shrinking and economic activity continues to slow down. There are no easy choices, and we left no stone unturned.
We made difficult decisions in forming this budget and demonstrated principled leadership. Even in a recession, we created thousands of jobs, developed stable funding for transportation, and maximized federal funds to expand educational opportunities and provide healthcare to 100,000 more Coloradans.
More importantly, we took steps toward fiscal reform so lawmakers will have more flexibility to meet the state’s needs in the future.
The people of Colorado are strong, and so are its leaders. Together, we can weather this storm, confident that we will have economic stability again soon.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 4:41 PM MDT []
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I’m going to be doing a live chat with Channel 2, News on the Deuce, from 7-8pm tonight. Go to Channel 2’s website to join the chat room and ask me any questions you might have.
I look forward to chatting with you.
If you can’t join the chat room tonight, please feel free to leave a comment here on the blog and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 6:15 PM MDT []
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The Senate gave initial approval to my bill that will provide expanded coverage to autistic children. For more information, click here. The Senate will have its final vote on the measure on Monday, then it must move through two House committees and be approved by the full House before heading to the Governor for his consideration. So while the vote today is a victory for autistic children and their families, the fight is not over. The legislative process can be chaotic and unpredictable, but I do believe this bill is necessary and hope it will become law.
For those of you whose lives are touched by someone who has autism, I would like to let you know about an invaluable resource, the Autism Society of Colorado. Their mission is to promote quality of life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families, and their services range from connecting people to the professionals they need, to providing child care, and more. The Executive Director, Betty Lehman, has been a tireless advocate for Senate Bill 244, and I am grateful to have had her help.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 5:29 PM MDT []
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The United States has always stood for democracy and freedom, and essential to that freedom is our judicial system. Public safety and justice are equal priorities in this state, and in an effort to preserve fairness and public safety for all Coloradans, we introduced SB 286—a bill that would address sentencing reform.
In Colorado 1 out of 29 adults are under correctional control, which has translated into $686 million of funding to Corrections this year. We only give more funding to Medicaid and K-12 education. When we face the threat of closing community colleges, we clearly need to take a look at fair and just sentencing. But we realized that with a little more than two weeks left in the session, this needs a full and fair discussion.
We need a collaborative approach and everyone must be and will be at the table for it: Governor Ritter, law enforcement, district attorneys, the public defender, and those of us in the legislature. That is why tomorrow we will offer a strike-below on SB 286. This strike-below will offer some guidance on the work the state needs from the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. We will ask the Commission to look at sentencing reform and come back to the legislature in a timely manner with proposed solutions. We need the best policies and the best long term solutions for our budget problems, including sentence reform. Let’s be clear—sentencing reform is not synonymous with sentence reductions. Reform means just that: making changes to our correctional system to help it run more efficiently and to keep Colorado safe. All of us involved will make sure we are doing the right thing for our budget, for our correctional system, and for Colorado.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 2:58 PM MDT []
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On Sunday, the Longmont Times-Call printed an article I wrote about what will guide me as I lead the state as president of the Colorado Senate. Please see below.
Guiding Values
On Friday, my colleagues elected me to serve as President of the Colorado Senate. I’m honored to be given the opportunity to guide Colorado—a state blessed by 300 days of sunshine a year—back to brighter days.
Colorado is marked by rugged mountains that withstand the changing winds. Her people are no different. We are stable and resilient.
As elected officials during these uncertain economic times, we must embody the sturdy spirit of those we represent. We must remain steady like the mountains amidst the changing winds of the economy.
While this recession may try our nerves and test our principles, we will not let it erode our beliefs and the values that guide us. We must act in ways that leave no gap between our conscience and our conduct.
During these uncertain economic times, one thing is certain: only by working together can we build a better Colorado. I’m confident that this General Assembly has the courage to come together, push partisan politics aside, and focus on the needs of the people of Colorado. That means putting people above the pressures of special interest groups, lifting up all those who live and work here, protecting the vulnerable, preserving the environment, enhancing access to healthcare, and expanding educational opportunities. And all of those things become more important—not less—in times like these.
My goal is to guide our state according to Colorado values: honesty and integrity, compassion and respect, justice and fairness, courage and humility. I hope that each of us, regardless of party affiliation, will keep these principles in mind as we make important decisions on policies that affect every Coloradan.
The first action I will take as President will be to convene an interim commission to craft long-term solutions to our state’s fiscal situation that will allow us to budget according to our values instead of being constrained by conflicting formulas. By bringing together a bipartisan group of legislators and community leaders, we will create a budget process that is strong and stable so we can enrich our education system, strengthen the middle class, and support those who need help the most.
As we continue to make difficult decisions at the Capitol, we must do what’s best for the people of Colorado. We must balance the outcries of our critics with the credibility of our values. Even in these tough times, we will not sink into cynicism or be weighed down by doubt. Instead, we will rise out of the current economic downturn with optimism and confidence and do the job you sent us here to do-to make Colorado the very best place in America to live.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 1:28 PM MDT []
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President Groff will resign from the Colorado Senate after the session to take a position as the U.S. Department of Education as the Director for the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center.
Today, my colleagues elected me to replace him as the President of the Colorado Senate. Senator Morse will take my place as Majority Leader.
These are the remarks I made to my caucus following the election:
We have an incredible group of people in this caucus. By working together, we can create a better Colorado.
Some of you will remember when Gary Hart, former Colorado Senator, visited our caucus a year or two ago. He gave a talk about the conventional wisdom surrounding political analysis: that we tend to view the political spectrum as left versus right, and we characterize ourselves as being somewhere on that continuum.
However, Senator Hart expressed his belief that it’s not left versus right. It’s past versus future. Leaders who look to the future-those who come up with a plan so there’s stability, predictability, and confidence in our government, economy, schools, health care, and public safety-those are the ones who are ultimately successful.
A philosopher once said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
That’s what I intend to do as your next president. I intend to work with each of you and our Republican colleagues to invent a better future for Colorado.
This future will be based on Colorado values: honesty and integrity, justice and fairness, courage and humility, compassion and respect.
I am humbled by this great honor you have bestowed upon me.
Thank you.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 3:34 PM MDT []
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I am happy to report that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved my bill to provide insurance coverage for people who have autism. We still have a long way to go, but that vote is encouraging for the future of autistic kids.
As you probably know, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a condition the scientific community still has a lot to learn about. Autism can be treated, but no cure is yet available. While the research for the cure continues, we need to take good care of the affected kids and their families. An autistic person can incur up to $5 million in medical expenses throughout his or her life–far too big of a burden for any one person to bear. That is the reason why I am sponsoring SB 244, and I hope that it continues through the process to become law. For more information about the bill, click here.
Next step: consideration by the full Senate.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog, Colorado Kids at 5:35 PM MDT []
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