House gives final approval to Democrats' sex education bill

The state House of Representatives sent to the Senate Friday a bill that would commit school districts who teach about human sexuality to doing so in a way that takes account of the circumstances faced by students who are not heterosexual or who must cope with disability.

HB 13-1081 was approved on third reading by a 37-28 vote.

The debate before that final vote of the chamber was less time-consuming than was the one that occurred on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Republicans reiterated their view that the bill is objectionable because it forces parents to excuse their children from sex education classes, rather than being given the chance to sign them up for such instruction, and that there is no reliable mechanism to verify that its policy prescription will actually result in fewer teen pregnancies or sexually-transmitted disease cases.

"Folks, this message hasn't been proven to work," Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, said. "It has never gone through a federally-funded randomized control study. We are doing a grand experimentation on our children."

Stephens, who formerly worked for the evangelical advocacy organization Focus on the Family, argued that the comprehensive approach to be written into law by the bill rules out the sort of individual counseling that discourages risky sexual behaviors.

She told of her experience working in a California family-planning clinic, where some patients would repeatedly visit to determine whether a pregnancy had commenced.

"We need to connect," she said. "You cannot address this issue of comprehensive sexuality education unless you address behaviors."

Stephens, along with fellow Republican Lori Saine of Dacono, argued that parents would object to instruction about birth-control methods, while Colorado Springs Republican Lois Landgraf warned that school districts would be sued if teachers talk of birth control methods in the classroom.

"The real truth is that eight out of 10 Democratic parents, they want their kids taught abstinence," Stephens asserted. "They at least want their kids taught about restraint."

A 2004 survey conducted by National Public Radio, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government found that nearly three-quarters of respondents thought it "very important" that sex education be available to children.

Forty-eight percent of respondents agreed with an assertion that "[w]hen it comes to sex, teenagers need to have limits set, they must be told what is acceptable and what is not," and 48 percent agreed with an assertion that "[u]ltimately teenagers need to make their own decisions, so
their education needs to be more in the form of providing information and guidance."

Stephens, who has been her party's principal combatant on the issue as it has progressed through the House, also cited New York physician Michael Carrera's Children's Aid Society as a model for appropriate comprehensive sexuality instruction and slammed HB 13-1081 for not mimicking it.

"It's because this program deals one-on-one," she said. "They have a lot of mentoring, a lot of one-on-one mentoring, a lot of sheltering, a lot of community resources that come around to kids."

Democrats countered, as they did during the initial floor debate on the measure earlier in the week, with an emphasis on the imperative of overcoming ignorance and drawing kids away from a sense of isolation that can inhibit healthy questioning.

Rep. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, made the point with a personal story that reflected his party's point. He told his colleagues that he attended a high school with an infant and toddler care facility on the campus and that his sister became pregnant as a teenager.

The Democratic sponsor, Rep. Crisanta Duran of Denver, argued during a committee hearing and on the floor during Tuesday's discussion in the chamber's Committee of the Whole that her bill would lower teen pregnancy rates.

At the county level, recent data indicates that teen pregnancy is a significantly bigger problem than it is in others. In 2009, the teen pregnancy rates in Adams, Denver, Mesa, Pueblo, and Weld counties were higher than both the Colorado and U.S. averages.

The statistical case for an inordinate teen pregnancy rate in the state as a whole is not altogether clear. In 2005, according to the Guttmacher Institute, Colorado had the 19th-highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. Other data indicates that the state's teen pregnancy rate dropped by 32 percent between 1988 and 2005.

The state's Department of Public Health and Environment issued a report last year that indicated the teen pregnancy rate in Colorado fell at an even faster rate between 2001 and 2009.

That report also indicated that, in 2009, the teen pregnancy rate in Colorado was 4 births lower per 1,000 women than it was for the nation as a whole.

The problem is daunting on a national scale. The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed nation, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 400,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant every year in America.

Duran pointed out Friday, as she had during committee discussion of the bill and in floor debate earlier in the week, that her bill does not preclude educators from emphasizing the value of abstinence.

That position is consistent with the policy prescriptions of a number of medical organizations concerned with adolescent health, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and Society for Adolescent Medicine.

No general fund dollars would be available to fund sex education in schools under the measure's terms. Instead, CDPHE would administer a program through which school districts and charter schools could seek federal funds to pay for the instruction.

No district or charter school would be obligated to apply for the federal money, but if they did and received the grant, then the bill's sex education content mandates would kick in.

No Republican member of the House voted for the bill, which now heads across the Capitol to the Senate. Sen. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, will carry it there.

Legislation to fix Colorado sex education standards to get House debate Thursday

A Denver Democrat will ask the House Thursday to approve legislation that would clarify what the state's public schools must teach about human sexuality.

The bill aims to eliminate disparities among districts and encourage schools to give children the knowledge they need to avoid pregnancy even if they become sexually active.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, argued in a committee hearing last week that the measure is necessary to advance public health and to protect teenagers.

"Colorado youth still face many barriers in obtaining the medically accurate information and resources they need to make informed and responsible decisions and lead healthy lifestyles," she said.

Duran's proposal would not preclude instruction about abstinence.

“Abstinence is incredibly important. If you do not want unintended pregnancy, if you do not want to see the transmission of disease, then abstain from engaging in sexual activity,” Duran explained.

However, Duran pointed out that educators also need tools to help students who do choose to become sexually active.

"For those who choose to do so, we should be able to have an approach that really teaches them how to protect themselves," she said.

At the core of the legislation is a provision that conditions compliance on receipt of federal grant money.

The money would be dispersed to school districts or charter schools by the state's Department of Public Health and Environment.

"This is not an unfunded mandate," Duran said.

One notable feature of HB 13-1081 is a clause that puts the burden on parents to excuse their children from sex education classes. Under current law a student is not permitted to learn about human reproductive behavior in school unless a parent gives permission in advance.

Republicans on the House Health, Insurance, and Environment Committee voted as a block against the bill last Thursday.

Former House majority leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument, led the GOP opposition to the legislation.

Among several arguments she advanced was one to the effect that any benefit of teaching children about the reproductive physiology of the human body is outweighed by the prospect that doing so may offend the religious sensibilities of some individuals.

Centennial Republican Spencer Swalm attacked the bill on grounds that it limits school districts to grants that advance the goal of comprehensive sex education. Duran disputed that argument, pointing out that the proposed statutory language would not prevent districts from working with external organizations that advocate for abstinence-only education.

The legislature last enacted a sex education bill in 2007. That one, however, did not require curricula used by public schools in the state to address the reality of homosexual and bisexual behavior among humans.

HB 13-1081 would correct that oversight, requiring that sex education programs in the state's public schools be "culturally sensitive."

That requirement, as well as the overall approach of the legislation, is based on a 2012 report on youth sexual activity issued by the state's Department of Public Health and Environment.

The sponsor of the 2007 bill, Nancy Todd, is now a senator from an Aurora-area district and is carrying HB 13-1081 in the Senate this year.

If the bill is approved on "second reading" Thursday then it must first be approved in another House vote before moving to the Senate.

GOP abortion ban legislation dies

Another in an annual parade of Republican abortion ban bills died in a House committee Wednesday.

HB 13-1033 was rejected by the House Health, Insurance, and Environment Committee.

The measure would have criminalized all abortions except those deemed by a doctor to be necessary to prevent a pregnant mother's death.

Abortions can be regulated to an extent under U.S. Supreme Court cases that interpret relevant provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The Court, however, has held that a ban with a reach similar to that proposed in HB 13-1033 is unconstitutional.

A GOP member of the committee - former majority leader Amy Stephens of Monument - sought to amend the bill to permit the use of emergency contraception in cases of rape or incest.

Stephens, a former employee of the conservative advocacy group Focus on the Family, argued that criminalizing abortion when a woman becomes pregnant as a result of such assaults is not consistent with the ideals of justice.

The amendment was rejected by the other members of the committee, including the Democrats. 

The measure was sponsored by Rep. Steven Humphrey, R-Severance.

GOP rallies against civil unions bill

The west side of the Capitol was a protest site Friday, with opponents of SB 11 - the proposed civil unions legislation - rallying against the measure.

Speakers included former House speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, and former House majority leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument.

Stephens complimented the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, but nevertheless urged its rejection, while McNulty argued that repeating the choice made last year to prevent it from becoming law would reflect "courage."

Former Sen. Ed Jones, R-Colorado Springs, used his opportunity at the microphone to engage in some rather distasteful criticism of House speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver. Jones said Ferrandino had a "wife" named "Eric," neither of which is an accurate statement.

He also misleadingly argued that people who are gay can choose not to be and insisted that this rendered null arguments for improved civil rights protection.

“I never saw a water fountain that said 'gays only,'” Jones said.

While the tools used to ostracize gay men and women in the Jim Crow south, and elsewhere in the nation, may have been different from the methods of enforcing segregation of the races, the available scientific research shows that, in fact, homosexuality is possibly an immutable characteristic of an individual.

According to a website maintained by Catholic News Agency, a high-ranking representative of the Roman Catholic Church's Denver archdiocese complained that the bill would infringe on Catholics' religious freedom by interfering in the practices of Catholic adoption agencies.

"We have been involved in the state of Colorado for over 80 years in helping to take care of the children of our community and make sure they are placed in adoption and foster care in good, healthy, wholesome settings, for the good of our society,” writer Kevin J. Jones quoted Monsignor Thomas Fryar, the Denver archdiocese's second-highest ranking official, as saying to the crowd.

The version of the proposed legislation considered in 2012, and killed by the Republican-ruled House of Representatives in office at the time, would have exempted Catholic adoption agencies from its reach. The state's Catholic dioceses nevertheless opposed the bill.

The Catholic hierarchy, as well as leaders of a variety of other socially conservative faith traditions, oppose recognition of civil unions because they view the step as providing a social sanction to same-sex relationships and as a threat to traditional marriage.

Colorado voters forbade any changes to the traditional view of marriage as involving only men and women when they approved Amendment 43 to the state constitution in 2006. A statute cannot override or contradict a constitutional provision.

Denver Post reporter Lynn Bartels wrote Friday that Jones was among several speakers who urged Gov. John Hickenlooper to veto the measure if it reaches his desk.

That result is not likely. Hickenlooper has said he will sign the bill.

Friday's rally was organized by the Denver Catholic archiocese.

68th General Assembly opens today

Colorado's state legislature will convene for its sixty-eighth biannual session today.

The gathering of 65 representatives and 35 senators comes one day after the inauguration of a new governor, new state treasurer, and new secretary of state.

Republicans took control of the House of Representatives by one seat in the November election. Democrats, as they have since Jan. 2005, continue to hold the majority in the Senate.

Both the House and the Senate will convene today at 10 am. After certifying the election results and confirming the eligibility of all members, chief justice Michael Bender will swear in all the legislators.

Outgoing House speaker Terrence Carroll, D-Denver, will preside over that part of the opening day. He will relinquish the gavel when his successor is formally elected by House members.

Bills may be introduced, but committee hearings on proposed legislation will not commence until tomorrow.

Traditionally, the first day of the legislative session focuses on ceremonial and organizational resolutions.

Democrat Brandon Shaffer, a former Navy officer and a lawyer, is president of the Senate. Shaffer, 39, represents Erie, Lafayette, Longmont, and Louisville in the chamber. He is halfway through his second and final term in the Senate, having been first elected in 2004.

The majority leader is John Morse of Colorado Springs. A Democrat in a district that leans toward the GOP, the former Fountain police chief was re-elected to his second term in a close race last autumn.

Morse also worked as an emergency medical technician and as a certified public accountant earlier in his career. He has lived in the Colorado Springs area for more than 30 years and holds both M.B.A. and Ph.D degrees.

The Republican leader in the Senate is Dana "Mike" Kopp of Littleton. Kopp, 32, is an Army veteran. A Ranger, he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, the first American-led war against Iraq's former Baathist regime.

Kopp is starting his second and last term in the Senate.

Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch, a former aide to retired U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard and a lawyer who used to work for the state Department of Natural Resources, will become the new House speaker.

The Republican, 37, will lead a GOP majority of one seat. Today marks the start of his third of four possible two-year terms as a representative.

The House majority leader is Amy Stephens of Monument. Republican Stephens, 53, is a former employee of Focus on the Family and a former member of the governor's Commission on the Welfare of Children. She won her seat in 2006 and is starting her third term today.

Minority leader Sal Pace represents Pueblo. Pace, 34, got his start in politics working for former U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa. He was first elected in 2008.

Pace has a masters degree in American political theory and teaches government as an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Both chambers rely on a number of committees to consider legislation before it comes to a vote on the floor. The state constitution requires that all bills be given a committee hearing.

The General Assembly meets for 120 days each year.

Carbon Monoxide Bill Heads to Senate

The bill that would require all new homes and existing homes offered for sale after July 1 and all apartments to include carbon monoxide alarms is on the way to the Senate.

HB 1091 was given final approval Tuesday by the House on a 43-21 vote.

Republicans opposed the measure, arguing that it is unfair to impose a mandate on the private sector if no similar requirements apply to state facilities.

Republicans Randy Baumgardner, Don Marostica, B.J. Nikkel, Kevin Priola, Amy Stephens and Glenn Vaad joined the majority Democrats in support of the bill.

Democrat Wes McKinley of Walsh voted "no."

Mandatory Carbon Monoxide Monitor Bill Clears Committee

A bill that would require builders to install carbon monoxide alarms in every new home, and place the same obligation on sellers of existing homes and landlords, cleared a House committee Tuesday.

HB 1091, which sponsors say was inspired by the November 2008 deaths of a prominent Denver family due to carbon monoxide poisoning, was approved by the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee on a 9-2 vote.

The bill had been heard at an emotional hearing two weeks ago, during which the father of a Denver college student killed in yet another recent carbon monoxide poisoning incident tearfully pleaded for the measure's passage.

Republicans unsuccessfully sought to amend the bill to force state universities and colleges to install carbon monoxide alarms in all dormitory rooms, though sponsoring Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, said he would seek input on that proposal from college administrators and consider whether to add it when the bill is considered on the floor of the House of Representatives.

As it stands, HB 1091 would leave enforcement to local government and would not impose liability for malfunctioning alarms on builders or landlords.

Two Republican representatives, Amy Stephens of Monument and Larry Liston of Colorado Springs, joined with the Democrats on the committee in support of the bill. The GOP's David Balmer, of Centennial, and freshman Rep. Laura Bradford of Collbran voted "no."

Ritter: Set Aside Partisanship, Focus on Jobs, Roads and Healthcare

Gov. Bill Ritter came upstairs to the House chamber this morning and told legislators gathered in joint session that their priority this year should be to create jobs, build roads, and continue efforts to improve access to healthcare.

The occasion was the annual "State of the State" address, and in Ritter's third opportunity to deliver it he also asked the General Assembly to put aside partisanship so that solutions to the state's "tough" financial situation can be found.

"In this legislative session, in this tough economy, we'll need to make tough choices, we'll need to collaborate and listen to one another as we chart a Colorado way forward," Ritter said. "Our challenges need more than just Democratic ideas or Republican ideas. We need uniquely Colorado ideas."

During his 33-minute address Ritter hit on several familiar themes in addition to discussing the Centennial State's possible $604 million budget shortfall this fiscal year and $385 million difference between anticipated revenues and expenses in the coming year.

"We've used the budget the past two years to set Colorado on a forward path," Ritter said. "Now, in these tough times, we must focus on the bare fundamentals and delay some investments we know will make Colorado stronger eventually."

The "investments" the governor was talking about will, if agreed to by the Senate and House, hit wide swaths of the state.

"Unlike the previous recession, our options are more limited this time," Ritter said. "Therefore, everything will be on the table. We'll work to protect life, safety and public health, and we won't abandon our obligation to provide safety-net services. However, we will touch many other important public services. This will be hard on the public and hard on public servants like those of you here today: lawmakers, judges, mayors, county commissioners and school board members."

The governor also said, though, that he anticipates receiving help from the federal government after President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated later this month.

"Together with the new administration, together with out new senators and our entire congressional delegation," Ritter said, "we will create a stronger partnership with the federal government and work side-by-side on the challenges we face."

Republicans applauded Ritter's acknowledgement that difficult budget choices will have to be confronted while simultaneously knocking him for counting on Washington, D.C.

"“The state is facing difficult challenges in this economy, and the governor’s speech indicates that he is beginning to realize the extent of those challenges. It is clear that Colorado is not immune to the effects of this national recession.

“We are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to protect jobs, help stabilize the economy, and make our roads and bridges safer," Rep. Mike May, R-Parker, the House minority leader, said. "However, the governor’s plan appears to rely almost solely on the hope of federal handouts and on increased fees for already-struggling Colorado families."

“Now is the time to tighten our belt and make the difficult choices that are required to balance the budget, just like Colorado families are doing. It is not the time to create new programs, increase government mandates, and increase the burden of hardworking Coloradans.”

Ritter has already taken some steps to ease the state's financial woes, freezing state hiring and cut funding for preschool and kindergarten programs and college capital construction projects. He hinted strongly in his speech that state employee compensation will be cut, too.

"We've asked state employees for their ideas, and we will ask them to sacrifice, too," Ritter said. "As I announced before, employee compensation will be part of the solution."

The governor did not hesitate to point out that Colorado's budget woes have something to do with the revenue straightjacket imposed by the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and asked the General Assembly to consider ways of loosening it.

"There is also an opportunity here a chance to address TABOR and the constitutional and statutory straightjacket that makes modern, sensible and value-based budgeting an impossibility," Ritter said. "Last year, former House speaker Romanoff started the conversation, and we need to keep it alive. We need to talk about life after Ref C whether and when to extend it. We have a chance to find a better way forward, a Colorado way forward."

Republicans leaped all over that statement, accusing Ritter of being out of touch with the state's electorate.

Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, was quoted in the Denver Post as saying that "bad Chinese air" must have got to the governor on a recent trade trip.

"I don't know if the governor was in Asia during the election," Kopp told the Post. "The citizens roundly rejected dismantling the only provision in the constitution that protects taxpayers."

Ritter returned, for the third year in a row, to his "New Energy Economy" theme, arguing that his programs to expand production and use of renewable energy have significantly helped the state.

"In my first State of the State, I said the New Energy Economy must be our calling card to the future," Ritter said. "In two short years, we've created thousands of jobs, quadrupled our wind power and made Colorado a global research leader. We introduced the New Energy Economy to our president-elect and the rest of the country, and now we're introducing it to the entire world."

The governor also appeared to endorse the use of bonds and increased user fees to pay for the state's transportation needs. The proposal, called "FASTER" or "Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery, was developed in part by his transportation review panel.

"For the short-term, we'll need to put safety and maintenance first, by looking at fees and bonding to fix old bridges and old roadways," Ritter said. "For the mid-term, we'll need to be even more creative, looking at public-private partnerships and other financing options. And for the long-term, we'll need to craft a sustainable funding formula that's responsible, fair and affordable."

On health care Ritter made a bold proposal to impose fees on hospitals in order to increase the amount of matching funds paid to the state by the federal government.

"Our provider fee partnership with the hospitals is a bright light that will not only help the uninsured, but slow the escalating cost of health care for struggling businesses as well," Ritter said.

The administration says the fee could generate $400-600 million per year, which would be matched by Washington. Those dollars would, in turn, be available to reduce "underpayments" to hospitals and physicians and expand Medicaid coverage to as many as 100,000 more people.

The governor's jobs focus was evident throughout the speech. He used the word 18 times.

Ritter also asked the General Assembly to pass legislation that would:

1. Ratify strong new regulations by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission that toughen environmental standards on energy drillers;

2. Require all new single family homes to make available to buyers a "solar-ready" option allowing use of the sun for electricity needs, help rural schools build solar and wind energy production facilities, and mandate disclosure of utility bills upon sale of a house;

3. Create a tax credit applicable to creation of new jobs;

4. Ease the barriers to high school student efforts to obtain college credits;

5. Revive the Colorado Credit Reserve Program, which helps businesses obtain access to capital; and

6. Provide for financing for consumer renewable energy projects.

The governor closed with a plea for cooperation across party lines, arguing that effective and responsive government will not be possible without it.

"One hundred years from now, I want Coloradans to look back and see this as the turning point the point when we set aside partisan politics and worked together as Coloradans and built a New Energy Economy, a modern transportation system, and the country's best education system," Ritter said. "In his election night remarks, President-elect Obama reminded us of the words of Lincoln: 'We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.'"

"We will need to work together as responsible leaders to make the difficult choices necessary to weather this storm. We must not give in to partisan politics. We must not let cynicism win out over hope. We must not let fear win out over faith."

Republicans later released a YouTube video response to Ritter's address, in which Sen. Mike Kopp of Littleton and Rep. Amy Stephens of Monument said the GOP would be happy to work with Ritter but opposed the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission efforts to crack down on pollution created by oil and gas extraction and would not support increases in fees or efforts to convince the public to approve tax increases.

The text of the governor's speech is available here.

The GOP video response is available here.

House Minority Leader May Says He'll Retire

Rep. Mike May, R-Parker, said today he will retire from the legislature to focus on his hotel business.

May, the minority leader, was reelected by a wide margin in November.

“It has truly been an honor serving in the legislature, and serving as the Republican Leader these last few years,” May said. “However, as the owner of a company, I have an obligation to the families that work for me. It has become increasingly difficult to balance my duties at the statehouse with those of keeping my business running in these difficult economic times. This decision was one of the hardest I have ever had to make, but I wouldn’t have made it if I didn’t think it was the right decision.”

The House Republican caucus will elect a new leader before the legislative session begins Jan. 7.

Contenders for the minority leader post are expected to include assistant minority leader David Balmer of Centennial, caucus chair Amy Stephens of Monument and minority whip Cory Gardner of Yuma.

Gov. Bill Ritter congratulated May on his service.

“I greatly appreciate Mike May’s service to the legislature and to the people of Colorado," Ritter said in a written statement. "We didn’t always agree on the issues, but I respect him and wish him and his business nothing but success in the future.”

Stephens Pulls Hotel Movie Fee Bill From Committee Consideration

A bill that would have required hotels and motels to collect a 99-cent fee on in-room movies to provide funding for the state's children's advocacy centers was pulled from committee consideration by its sponsor today.

Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, said she wants to wait to have HB 1086 considered until she can build a greater base of support for her idea.

Bill to Mandate Fees on Motel Porn Flicks To Get Committee Hearing Tuesday

A bill that would require hotels and motels in Colorado to collect a 99-cent fee whenever a customer views a pornographic movie will get a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

HB 1086 says that the money raised would go to child advocacy centers around the state, which counsel youthful sexual abuse victims and assist police and prosecutors in pursuing such cases.

According to a report in the Denver Post, child advocates around the state are supportive of the bill while the lodging industry is not.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, and Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora.

House GOP Women Criticize Liston Comment

Female members of the House GOP caucus issued a statement Thursday that criticized Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, for labeling pregnant teenage girls and the boys who have intercourse with them as "sluts."

The statement said:

"Words have a meaning, and we all have an obligation as public officials to be respectful of others.

"We appreciate the fact that Rep. Liston has accepted responsibility for his inappropriate and unacceptable comments.

"His unfortunate use of language distracted from an important caucus discussion of meaningful health care reform.

"Just as we each hold ourselves to a high standard, we also hold our colleagues to a high standard. This incident was unacceptable, and it is our hope that we can focus on the work that we have been sent here to do and to avoid such occurrences in the future."

Members of the House who signed the statement are Reps. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, Amy Stephens, R-Monument, Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, and Stella Garza-Hicks, R-Colorado Springs.

Stephens is New House GOP Caucus Chair

The House minority caucus has selected Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, as its caucus chair for the 2008 session. She replaces Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, who moved over to the Senate as a replacement for Ron May.