Hold onto your hats folks, because we are off and running! The legislature re-convened last week and despite the month-long pause--or perhaps because of it--the process was off to a quick start. Over 200 bills were introduced the first day, and many of them were assigned and even heard in committee in our first week back. I've included a list of my bills introduced thus far further down in the newsletter.

If you want to keep up-to-date on the introduction of bills, you can track them in a few different ways. First, you can check the Senate and House Status Sheets. After you have the number or bill title, you can then track its progress on our legislative website. If you hover over the "Bills" drop-down menu, you can see there are a variety of options to find bills. Once you find a bill that you are interested in, you can read the bill's text, see the bill's sponsors, and track its progress. And, if you want to know which bills are being heard on the floor or in committee, you can find that information on the Session Schedule.

We also had the privilege of hearing Governor Polis outline his legislative priorities in his "State of the State" address last week. I was pleased to be selected as a member of the escort committee, and I listened to the speech from behind the House podium. Here is a link to the Colorado Sun's annotated transcript of the Governor's speech. I was very pleased with the emphasis the Governor placed on thanking all of our first responders, healthcare workers, emergency personnel, and even teachers, for their hard work in response to the pandemic.

In addition to the Governor, we also heard from Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian Boatright, who delivered a "State of the Judiciary" address. As noted by Colorado Public Radio, Chief Justice Boatright delivered a tearful speech where he recognized a "crisis of confidence" in leadership and vowed to address the issues with a change in culture. Here is a link to the CPR article that outlines key points of his address.

Overall, it was a very productive and exciting week. If you would like to keep abreast of news about my legislative work and bills that I'm sponsoring, you can find links to online and print articles on my website HERE. And, as always, you are free to reach out and share with me your views any time.

Last week the legislature reconvened and several of my bills were introduced. Senate Bill 53 and Senate Bill 110 are both supplemental budget bills and will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee this coming Tuesday at 8:00 am. If the fiscal note is prepared in time, I will also present Senate Bill 39 on the Elimination of the Subminimum Wage in the Senate Business, Labor and Technology on Wednesday at 1:30 pm.

On the House side, my House Bill 1099 on Policies and Procedures to Identify Domestic Abuse in Child Welfare, will be heard Tuesday afternoon in the House Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee at 1:30 pm. Also, House Bill 1083 on State Board Assessment Appeals Valuation Adjustment will be heard in the Transportation and Local Government Committee on Wednesday at 1:30 pm.

Here are the bills I am sponsoring that have been introduced thus far:

SB21-017 Sexual Contact By An Educator: Concerning sexual contact between a student and an educator in violation of the public trust.

SB21-038 Expansion of Complementary And Alternative Medicine: Concerning an expansion of the complementary or alternative medicine pilot program for a person with a primary condition resulting in the total inability for independent ambulation (spinal cord injury).

SB21-039 Elimination Of Subminimum Wage Employment: Concerning the elimination of subminimum wage employment by providing supports to ensure successful transitions for individuals currently working in subminimum wage jobs.

SB21-053 Adjustments To School Funding Fiscal Year 2020-21: Concerning adjustments to school funding for the 2020-21 budget year, and, in connection therewith, making appropriations.

SB21-104 Sunset Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee: Concerning the continuation of the special education fiscal advisory committee, and, in connection therewith, implementing the recommendations contained in the 2020 sunset report by the department of regulatory agencies.

SB21-110 Fund Safe Revitalization Of Main Streets: Concerning funding for the safe revitalization of Colorado's main streets.

HB21-1083 State Board Assessment Appeals Valuation Adjustment: Concerning the modification on appeal of property valuation set by the county board of equalization.

HB21-1094 Foster Youth In Transition Program: Concerning the transition of youth in Colorado's foster care system to successful adulthood.

HB21-1099 Policies And Procedures To Identify Domestic Abuse: Concerning authorization to implement best practices for child welfare caseworkers to recognize domestic abuse, and, in connection therewith, addressing domestic abuse as a form of child abuse or neglect.

HB21-1125 Suspend State Assessments In 2020-21 School Year: Concerning suspending the administration of state assessments for the 2020-21 school year.

On Monday... we celebrated President's Day... On Tuesday... the State Legislature reconvened... I attended my first committee hearing as a member of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee... On Wednesday... I escorted the Governor to the podium for his "State of the State" address... I also recorded a video for a graduate course on "Educators as Social Change Agents" for Andrea Laser, professor at UCD for the School of Education and Human Development... I hosted an education stakeholder meeting... I attended the Two Ponds Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Education Pavilion... On Thursday... I attended the "State of the Judiciary" address by Chief Justice Brian Boatright... I chaired my first Senate Education Committee meeting... I attended a meeting with Congressman Perlmutter to discuss education issues... On Friday... I attended the Arvada Chamber of Commerce meeting... I participated in a Workplace Harassment Training session... I attended the public caucus on the Budget Supplemental bills... I was a guest speaker for the Democratic Education Initiative on the CMAS pause bill I am sponsoring... On Saturday... I hosted my monthly legislative town hall meeting with Representatives Brianna Titone and Lindsey Daugherty.

Mark your calendar for our next virtual town hall meeting! We are hoping to discuss the 2021-22 State Budget.