Last week, I was very pleased that my bill, SB19-102 on Community Schools, passed out of committee. You may recall that I carried this bill last year, but it was killed in the Senate Education Committee. (Here's an article from Chalkbeat describing the purpose of the bill.)
Teachers who came to testify in favor of
SB19-102 on Community Schools
Between this year and last year, however, the Education Leadership Council concluded its 18 month process toward creating a vision and a strategic plan for education in Colorado. And in that vision, the Council specifically noted a key principle (#2) whereby, "All children and youth from every background are able to achieve and maintain physical, mental, social, and emotional health."
Furthermore, one of the three strategies to meet this principal named in the report was to: "Research effective and sustainable models of community schools or other integrated service models appropriate for a variety of communities in Colorado."
So there you have it! I was apparently ahead of the game in introducing my bill last year prior to the Council calling out Community Schools as an important strategy in achieving our vision for education in Colorado. I am thrilled that we are now one step closer to having this innovative, evidence-based approach officially in our statutes!
First Approps Committee approves of supplementals
On Tuesday of last week, I chaired the first Senate Appropriations Committee of the session. The Appropriations Committees from each chamber conduct hearings on bills that change expenditures or revenues and affect the budget. We are charged with keeping the discussion focused on the fiscal impact of bills. Most of the bills we consider have hearings in other committees before they are referred to Appropriations.
Chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee
Over the last few weeks, the JBC conducted hearings for supplemental appropriation requests, a process whereby departments can request additional funds due to a technical error in calculating the original appropriation, data comes to light that was not available when the original appropriation was made, or an unknown contingency crops up, such as workload or caseload changes.
After our committee approved the supplemental requests, the next stop was the full Senate where they all passed on third reading. The requests will now move to the House. Here is a link to the
Supplemental Narrative that explains each of the requests.
Committee gives green light on check engine light bill
Another bill I've been working on this session,
SB19-92, made it out of committee this week but hit a snag moments before the second reading debate on Friday. The bill aims to eliminate the 'Check Engine Light' as the sole criteria for failing an emissions test. After coming out of committee 4-3, the bill was laid over on Friday until next week.
Here's the issue: When you are due for an emissions test, if the check engine light is on, you automatically fail the test. (This only applies if your vehicle is between 8 and 12 years old.) When vehicles are tested, they are plugged into an computer that performs an onboard diagnostic test, known as the OBD. The OBD scans your vehicle and spits out a code that means you could have a problem. In the majority of cases, that code is related to emissions, but not always. And sometimes that code is an indicator of a
potential problem--but not an
actual problem. Nevertheless, if the check engine light comes on or is already on--you FAIL.
We contend that automatically failing the test without conducting a tailpipe test to verify whether or not there really is an emissions problem, just isn't fair. Often, people are turned away and forced to spend quite a bit of money to fix something that is not actually causing an emissions problem. And they can't EVER pass the test until the check engine light comes off. If your check engine light is on, and the OBD spits out a warning code, then retesting the car through a tailpipe test will confirm if there's a problem.
Unfortunately, I can't predict where this bill will end up at this point. The bill has bipartisan support from a majority of the Senate, so I hope we are able to move forward with debating the merits of the bill on Monday as scheduled.
Rachel Zenzinger
Rachel Zenzinger won election to the Colorado State Senate, representing District 19, in November 2016. She also served as Senator for SD19 in 2014. Sen. Zenzinger is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a member of the Statutory Revision Committee, a member of the Interim School Finance Committee, and a board member of the Statewide Internet Portal Authority.
Town Hall Meeting to feature education issues
Please join Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp, Rep. Brianna Titone, and myself for our monthly town hall meeting on Saturday, February 16 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. This month's topic is education, featuring Sen. Bob Rankin (R) to discuss the work of the Education Leadership Council, and Leslie Colwell, of the Colorado Children's Campaign, to discuss mill levy equalization. The meeting will take place at Covenant Village, 9153 Yarrow St, Westminster, CO 80021.
Meeting with the Colorado chapter of the March of Dimes
'What's Brewing' at SomePlace Else
Our next 'What's Brewing at the Capitol' event will take place at SomePlace Else Brewery, on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:30 pm. This nifty little brewery is located at 6425 W 52nd Ave #6, Arvada, CO 80002. The
brewery is in the middle of the small complex just east of Marshall Liquors, and the entrance is located on the east side of the building. They also have a whole room full of pinball machines--so bring your quarters! We look forward to seeing you there.
CO Kids Dyslexia Advocacy Group
'Coffee With Constituents' rescheduled for 2/28
We were sorry to cancel the 'Coffee' event last week due to the weather, but we figured it is better to be safe than sorry! We are rescheduling the event for Thursday, February 28 from 7 am - 8 am. Since the Senate Appropriations Committee meets on Fridays, and I am the chair, we must shift the event from Fridays to Thursdays. We are trying out a new location as well: Morning Story Restaurant, 8025 Sheridan Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003 (where the Egg & I used to be located). They will have menus available to order breakfast (at your own expense) and the coffee will be on us!
Constituent Jonna Levine testifying to the JBC on the budget
Tracking your Senator
On Monday, Senate Bill 68 on Campaign Electioneering Disclosure passed on second reading... the JBC conducted its first ever public hearing on the budget where 54 individuals testified on topics varying from full-day kindergarten to solar panel paved roads...
On Tuesday, I chaired my first Senate Appropriations Committee where we approved 18 Supplemental Bills.... We celebrated the SCFD Day at the Capitol, where I read a tribute on the Senate floor... I met with CO Kid, an advocacy organization for dyslexia... I also met with the Colorado March of Dimes chapter... I passed SB92 on check engine lights out of committee... The JBC began FY19-20 Figure Setting for the Departments of Agriculture, Military and Veterans Affairs, Treasury, and Tobacco Revenue... I also attended the Colorado Brewers Guild Legislative Reception...
On Wednesday, I met with the President of the Colorado School of Mines... The JBC undertook figure setting for the Departments of Transportation, Public Health and Environment, and the JBC Operating Budget...
On Thursday, I attended the Western Colorado University legislative breakfast... I also attended the SIPA board meeting... I passed SB102 on Community Schools out of committee... The JBC heard figure setting for the Departments of Local Affairs and Regulatory Agencies... I met with the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind superintendent, Carol Hilty...
On Friday, I attended the Colorado Wheat Growers Association legislative breakfast... I chaired Senate Appropriations... On Saturday, I attended the Second Saturday event at the American Legion.
First Public Testimony on the budget
If there is an event you think I should attend, please notify me!
This week in JBC...
Tuesday, February 12
Upon Adjournment Consideration of Figure Setting Recommendations for the Department of Public Safety
2:00 Continuation of Figure Setting Recommendations as Needed
Thursday, February 14
Upon Adjournment Consideration of Figure Setting Recommendations for the Department of Personnel, and Operating Common Policies
1:30 Continuation of Figure Setting Recommendations as Needed
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