The state legislature is getting ready to gavel in the first regular session of the 73rd General Assembly on Wednesday, January 13 at 10 am, but this year's festivities will be largely devoid of the usual pomp and circumstance. Rather than commence with our 120 day legislative session, we will meet for as little time as is necessary to address urgent business, such as certain constitutional and statutory obligations, and then proceed into a temporary recess until February 16. Nevertheless, if you'd still like to watch the proceeding, you may do so by clicking HERE.

Aside from the few necessary bills that will take place (probably between Wednesday and Friday) all other business will be taken up when we re-convene in February, including the usual opening day activities, the introduction of bills, and our regular committee meetings. Despite the temporary pause, we will be moving forward with our SMART Act hearings during the recess. The Education Committee's SMART Act hearing will take place on January 21 at 1:30 pm and the Transportation and Energy hearing will take place on January 27 at 2 pm. For information on how to watch the proceedings, check the House and Senate schedule by clicking HERE.

While I am a bit frustrated by this temporary pause in business, I think it is wise to minimize the dangerous impacts of the pandemic and to maximize everyone's safety, including the health of legislators, staff, lobbyists, journalists, and most importantly, the citizens. In the meantime, I will be working on the finishing touches of our bills, responding to constituent concerns, and attending to other business such as the SMART Act hearings. Also, I still plan to continue with my public outreach events including my monthly town hall meeting (see details below). Please feel free to reach out if I can be of any assistance!

Some of you may be experiencing some difficulty with our Colorado unemployment system. If that is the case, here is some information regarding how to deal with fraudulent claims, as well as the distribution of additional unemployment benefits through the federal legislation recently passed by Congress. Also, there was a really good story in the Denver Post over the weekend about some of the updates and changes that are coming to the system: "After two decades and almost $100 million, Colorado launches a new online unemployment benefits system."

Fraudulent unemployment claims. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has seen an increase in fraudulent claims being filed in the regular unemployment system. People who have not filed for unemployment benefits are receiving U.S. Bank ReliaCards and notices stating that a claim was filed using their name and Social Security Number. Additionally, employers are also receiving notices that current and former employees have filed unemployment claims. 

If you have received a U.S. Bank ReliaCard or notice of a claim that you did not file, you should immediately notify the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and take steps to protect your identity. The form to report fraud and information on next steps may be found on their website or by clicking here: https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention. You may also contact U.S. Bank directly at 1-855-279-1678 to report the fraudulent ReliaCard.

Federal CARES Act benefits. The federal benefit programs introduced by the CARES Act, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), expired on December 31, 2020. Since CDLE is not permitted to pay partial week benefits, the last payable week for benefits under these programs was December 26, 2020. On December 27, 2020, legislation extending and altering several pandemic-related benefit programs was signed into law. The benefits outlined in this legislation are not yet available but will be paid retroactively. CDLE is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and then must reprogram its systems before these benefits can be issued. CDLE will update claimants directly with more information as it becomes available. For more information, visit: https://cdle.colorado.gov/pua-and-peuc-extensions.

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine will require a large-scale effort by state, local, and private sector partners. But finding information about the process, where to go, who is eligible, etc. is no easy task! If you are age 70 and up, below are some links to information on how you can get vaccinated and protected from the virus. All COVID vaccines are free and no copay.

For the most up-to-date information, here is a link to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment where they have a variety of information on obtaining the vaccine: https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine.

Also, for more local information, here is a link to the Jefferson County Public Health department as well: https://www.jeffco.us/4210/Vaccine.

UCHealth: Using My Health Connection, their online patient portal, to communicate with patients. If you are a current UCHealth patient and do not have an active My Health Connection account, please sign up to get one at https://www.uchealth.org/access-my-health-connection/

Denver Health: Quickly working to offer the COVID-19 vaccination to patients age 70 and over. They are currently working to contact and make appointments with those patients age 70 and over who currently receive care at a Denver Health facility or have received care in the past three years. Invitations are now being sent by MyChart to schedule these vaccinations. For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations, please visit denverhealth.org/coronavirus.

Centura Health: Patients will receive an invitation when it is your time to receive the vaccine through MyCenturaHealth, our patient portal. These invitations will be sent based on the state tiering system, starting with patients age 70 and over. Based on vaccine allocation from the state, they are prioritizing vaccine administration for current Centura Health patients. Visit www.centura.org/covid-19 for more information.

Kaiser Permanente Thrive: Members 70+ (and others in eligible 1A and 1B categories) visit kp.org/covidvaccine to complete the “COVID-19 vaccine sign up”. Upon providing your information to them, you will be placed on a first-come, first-served waitlist for the vaccine based on your eligibility.