With the newly renovated Highway 34 in the background, Governor Hickenlooper signed into law Senate Bill 001. This was a significant piece of
transportation legislation forged through a compromise of both parties and both legislative chambers.
The
new law is the single largest transportation investment in our state's history, as well as a plan for future bonding in 2019 if needed. We will be transferring $645 million of one-time surplus funds this year to CDOT, with 15% of the funds going toward multimodal projects and 15% going toward cities and counties for local projects. And, we made an ongoing commitment of $50 million from the general fund for the next 20 years.
While this sounds like a lot of money, it doesn't come close to the $9 billion in projects needed. That's why a bipartisan statewide coalition of business leaders, mayors and transportation advocates announced they will gather signatures to place a 0.62 percent sales tax increase to invest in Colorado's transportation system on the November ballot.
I am planning to bring this group, Move Colorado, to Senate District 19 for a town hall meeting in late June or early July so that you can learn more about the initiative. In the meantime, we can celebrate the fact that the legislature came together and finally got something done for transportation!
The bill signing for Senate Bill 001 took place outside of Loveland along newly renovated Hwy 34
Making progress to address the opioid crisis
This year, we were pleased to be able to take up several recommendations from the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Interim Study Committee. We were able to tackle the issue on several fronts including potential solutions concerning prevention, intervention, harm reduction, and treatment of opioid and other substance use disorders. Here's a list of the bills that we passed:
SB18-022 Clinical Practice For Opioid Prescribing: Limits initial number of opioid pills practitioners can prescribe to seven-day supply w/ one seven-day refill. There are numerous exemptions for things like chronic pain, cancer patients, etc.
HB18-1003 Opioid Misuse Prevention: This bill creates the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee. This will take the important work of the Interim study committee into a full year committee that can have 6 meetings a year and can put forth 6 bills a session.
HB18-1007 Substance Use Disorder Payment And Coverage: All individual and group health insurance plans are required to provide coverage without prior authorization for a five-day supply of buprenorphine. Also must include physical therapy, acupuncture, or chiropractic services and must not be subject to limits, deductibles or co-pays or co-insurance. Gets rid of "step therapy" requirements for certain treatments. Authorizes use of naloxone.
HB18-1136 Substance Use Disorder Treatment: The bill adds residential and inpatient substance use disorder services and medical detoxification services to the Colorado medical assistance program. The benefit is limited to persons who meet nationally recognized, evidence-based level of care criteria for residential and inpatient substance use disorder treatment.
HB18-1172 Money Allocated To Designated Managed Service Organization: Clarify that a designated managed service organization (MSO) may use money allocated to it from the marijuana tax cash fund for expenditures for substance use disorder services and for any start-up costs or other expenses necessary to increase capacity to provide such services.
I wish to commend the taskforce members, particularly the work of Representative Brittany Pettersen and Senator Cheri Jahn, who worked tirelessly to move this issue to the forefront so that we could address this epidemic.
Rachel Zenzinger won election to the Colorado State Senate, representing District 19, in November 2016. She serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, Education Committee, and Statutory Revision Committee. She is also a member the CDOT Efficiency and Accountability Committee, School Finance Interim Committee, Transportation Legislative Review Committee, and the Statewide Internet Portal Authority. She also served as Senator for SD19 in 2014.
Bill signing for HB18-1070
BEST Program funding for schools
Legislative Town Hall
Please plan to join Representatives Tracy Kraft-Tharp, Lang Sias and myself for our monthly bipartisan and bicameral town hall meeting on the third Saturday of the month, June 16 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm at the Standley Lake Library, 8485 Kipling St, Arvada, 80005. The topic this month is on energy. We will have
Wes Parham from Xcel Energy who will speak on "Trends in the Power Industry," including topics such as grid modernization and market based renewables. Hope to see you then!
With constituent Sharon Roberts at the Conservation Colorado gala
Tracking your Senator
In May, I attended the Third Friday breakfast of the
Arvada Chamber of Commerce to hear the State of the County presentation... I also attended the
Mother's Milk Bank grand opening of their
Baby Cafe... And, I was the guest speaker for the
Democratic Education Initiative... We hosted our town where we heard from journalists
Marianne Goodland of Colorado Politics and Jesse Paul of the Denver Post... I was also the guest speaker to the Arvada chapter of the
League of Women Voters of Jefferson County where I provided a legislative wrap-up... I was also the guest speaker to the
Jeffco EDC and Jefferson County Business Lobby's Transportation Summit to discuss Senate Bill 001... And I was the guest speaker to the
Jeff-West Community Forum... I attended a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol for my bill
HB18-1070 on BEST funding for schools... I also attended the
National Automobile Dealers Association legislative dinner... Then I had a bill signing in Loveland for
Senate Bill 001 on Transportation... And I attended the
Conservation Colorado Rebel With a Cause dinner.
Ribbon Cutting for the
Mother's Milk Bank Baby Cafe
If there is an event you think I should attend, please notify me!
Donations
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!
