During the interim, I served on several committees including the Making Higher Education Attainable Committee. The committee's charge was to study the high costs of higher education, college tuition rate setting, roadblocks to obtaining postsecondary education, and the risks and rewards of postsecondary education.
Students from Metropolitan State University and Colorado Mesa University who testified at JBC
At the conclusion of our work, the Committee advanced three bills to the full legislature: SB20-006 Amend the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, HB20-1002 College Credit for Work Experience, and SB20-031 Improve Student Success Innovation Pilot. The first of these bills, SB20-006, on the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) will be heard in the Senate Education Committee this coming Wednesday.
COSI was established by the legislature in 2014 with the goal of boosting financial access and academic support services to Colorado students. Given our state's limited resources, we created a one-for-one community matching fund to make our scholarship dollars go even further. And, to ensure scholarship recipients succeed, we added a series of multi-year grants to provide support programming alongside their tuition assistance.
During our interim committee, we heard from many COSI funded recipients, as well as institutions of higher education, that COSI has been a lifesaver. I am proud to sponsor SB20-006 in order to amend the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative to align statute with best practices in financial aid and to expand the wraparound support services component.
For more information, HERE is a link to the Making Higher Education Attainable interim committee summary report.
Tracking bills of interest
For those of you working full time or busy with kids, grandkids or other Colorado activities (in other words, those of you with a life!), tracking the legislature's activity can be a major challenge. The process can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start. Here are some resources that can help you navigate and track what's going on down at the state Capitol:
Criminal Justice Leader reception with President Leroy Garcia, Mike Honn, CO State Patrol, and Amanda Gall, CO District Attorneys' Council
First, here is a link to a fun video on how a bill becomes a law. This will help orient you to the process. Also, John Frank of the Colorado Sun wrote an excellent excellent citizens' guide to lawmaking and lobbying that you can find HERE.
Second, I highly recommend bookmarking the General Assembly's website: leg.colorado.gov. Here you can find our official schedule, watch or listen to floor action live, contact information for every legislator, and comprehensive information on every bill.
Third, if you can't come down to the legislature in person, you can always keep up with what's happening on the floor and/or in committees. You can watch onlineor on the Colorado channel. Also, you can view House or Senate chamber activity on YouTube Channel 165.
Finally, if you have a particular interest in a bill and would like more information on how to track it, you are always welcome to contact my office at 303-866-4840 or send me an email and we can assist you. You can also catch up with me in person at one of my regularly scheduled events. You can more information on my website rachelforcolorado.com.
Happy MLK Jr. Day!
Senators Rhonda Fields and Angela Williams delivering the MLK Jr. Day Senate Resolution
According to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission website, the law establishing Dr. King's birthday a state holiday was signed into law on April 4, 1985 by Colorado's Governor Dick Lamm. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Wilma Webb, wife of then Mayor Wellington Webb, announced that Colorado would have the first ever "Marade," a word created by merging the words March and Parade. If you'd like to join in the Marade festivities Monday, January 20, you can find more information HERE.
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, and Chair of the Statutory Revision Committee.
Coffee With Constituents
Please join us for the first Coffee With Constituents event of the new legislative session. We will meet Tuesday, January 21 from 7 am - 8 am before I head down to the Capitol. We will meet at the Morning Story Restaurant,
8025 Sheridan Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003. There will be breakfast menus available if you would like to order breakfast on your own; the coffee is on me!
Kelly, a teacher from Delta High School on CEA lobby day
Tracking your Senator
On Monday, the JBC had our hearing for the Department of Higher Education & Colorado Commission on Higher Education including the Community College System, Aims Community College, Colorado Mountain College, Emily Griffith Technical College, Pickens Technical College, and Technical College of the Rockies... On Tuesday, I spoke at a press event on the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative... the JBC heard supplemental requests for the Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Military & Veterans Affairs, Public Safety, and the Treasury... the JBC continued with our Hearing for the Department of Higher Education including Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado Mesa University, Adams State University, Fort Lewis College, and Western Colorado University... I also attended the Criminal Justice Leader reception, the Planned Parenthood reception, and the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare reception...On Wednesday, I attended the Jewish Community Relations Council legislative breakfast... The JBC met with the House and Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committees... I had a stakeholder meeting with school CFO's to discuss the uniform mill levy bill... the JBC continued hearing supplemental requests for the Departments of Public Health & Environment, Human Services, and Health Care Policy and Financing, and continued our hearing for the Department of Higher Education including the University of Colorado System, Colorado State University System, Colorado School Of Mines, University Of Northern Colorado, and History Colorado... I met with the Donnell Kay Foundation... I hosted our first "What's Brewing at the Capitol" event of the new session... On Thursday, I attended the Statutory Revision Committee... I met with the East Central BOCES... The JBC heard supplemental requests for the Departments of Higher Education and Health Care Policy and Financing... I attended the Colorado Mining Association legislative reception... I attended the Colorado Association of Home Builders legislative reception... I attended the One Colorado legislative reception... On Friday, I attended the Arvada Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Breakfast... I attended the joint meeting of the JBC and the House and Senate Local Government Committees... I attended a joint meeting of the JBC and the House and Senate Judiciary Committees... I met with the Department of Higher Education... On Saturday, I hosted a tailgate event at the Womxn's March... I hosted a town hall on Behavioral Health.
2020 Women's Pre-march
tailgate with constituents
If there is an event you think I should attend, please notify me!
Donations to
Rachel For Colorado
Can you help us by making a contribution? While the campaign activity has concluded, we still need your help so that we may continue keeping in touch with constituents. Your contribution helps pay for events, direct mail, the website, newsletter, and other tools that make voters aware of what is happening down at the State Capitol. THANK YOU!
