Senate passes civility resolution over Republican dissent

Debate on a routine, and traditional, resolution calling for civil debate in the General Assembly got a little bit exciting Thursday as seven senators dissented.

Senate Joint Resolution 13-004 calls on members of both chambers of the General Assembly to "reflect credit" on the legislature, "inspire the confidence, respect, and trust of the public," and "conduct ourselves during all legislative proceedings in a manner that creates a professional environment."

SJR 13-004 is, in that respect, fairly similar to exhortations pushed by legislators in previous years.

The discord over the measure may be a reflection of a partisan trend. In 2012, for example, when the House of Representatives was under Republican control, the measure was ultimately approved by both chambers, but not until May. In 2011, the first year after the GOP's short-lived takeover of the chamber in the Nov. 2010 election, the resolution passed the Senate, but was never adopted by the House of Representatives.

In 2010, by contrast, the civility measure was approved by mid-February. A similar quick path to passage occurred in 2009, 2008, and 2007 - all years in which Democrats ran both chambers at the capitol.

The seven "no" votes on SJR 13-004 were Sens. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs; Greg Brophy, R-Wray; Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs; Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa; Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City; Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs; and Mark Scheffel, R-Parker.

Cadman is the Senate minority leader and Scheffel is his deputy.

Crowder said that his vote is a reflection of frustration with the extent of input the Senate's Democratic leadership will allow his caucus.

"I believe in rigorous debate," he said in an email message. "The Democrats' stand is, since they are the majority, we should sit in our seats and say nothing."

Crowder pointed especially to concerns that the Democrats would undermine constitutional rights and attempt to raise taxes.

"Defending your rights and not raising taxes is my job," he said. "In order to do this, we have to fight for you. We do this out of compassion and beliefs and will not weaken on this task, with respect and civility."

Eastern plains Sen. Greg Brophy did not invoke ideology as a reason for his vote. He said he thought the measure is unnecessary.

"Talking about it is as big of a waste of time as running it," he said.

An email request for an interview sent to the other five dissenting senators received no response by press time.

UPDATE, Jan. 23, 2013:

An email message sent by Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Sulphur Springs, this morning indicates that he opposed the civility resolution on financial grounds.

"The reason is purely a practical one," Baumgardner wrote. "I was elected to be a good steward with your money. It costs between $6,000 & $10,000 to run one piece of legislation."

Baumgardner noted that he voted for a similar resolution last year. He also implied that the resolution was unnecessary because legislators are implicitly expected to act in an appropriate manner when considering public policies.

"As adults and elected officials, I believe it is understood that we should be civil toward one

another, not just during the legislative session but all year long," Baumgardner wrote. "I try to follow the Golden Rule.'Do unto others as you would have them do to you.'"

Morse elected Senate president after Democrats keep majority

The state senate will soon have a new president after an election in which the majority Democrats retained control of the chamber.

John Morse, a second-term senator from Colorado Springs who was first elected in 2006, beat fellow Democrat Pat Steadman, D-Denver, for the post in a caucus election held Thursday.

"The time for politics and elections is behind us," Morse said in a statement posted on the website of the senate majority caucus. "Governing is hard, and it takes pulling everyone together - everybody in your caucus, everyone in the building, everyone outside your building. Let's move this state forward."

Morse, a former Fountain police chief, will succeed Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont. Shaffer is term-limited.

The president pro tempore will be Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver.

Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, will be majority leader. Other members of the majority leadership team in the senate will be Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, and Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass.

Sen. Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs will be the minority leader. Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, will be the assistant minority leader, while Scott Renfroe of Greeley and Kevin Grantham of Canon City round out the GOP leadership team.

Democrats retained their 20-15 senate majority in Tuesday's election.

Ritter and Buescher Unveil Business-Friendly State Website

Colorado's governor and secretary of state unveiled Thursday a website intended to allow businesses to do "one-stop shopping" for government services and information.

The site, called Colorado Business Express, provides Colorado business owners, for the first time, a single site where they can easily access all the vital information they need to interact with state government. Before Thursday it was necessary to contact each agency separately to get the same information.

“In these tough economic times, it’s more important than ever to keep making Colorado a business-friendly state,” Gov. Bill Ritter said. “With today’s launch today of Colorado Business Express, we underscore our commitment to helping companies grow, prosper and compete in today’s challenging marketplace.”

The new website will allow business owners to register their business entity, get information on how to apply for a state sales tax license from the Department of Revenue, or an unemployment insurance identification number from the Department of Labor and Employment.

The new service also links directly to the Internal Revenue Service’s online system, allowing users to quickly get a Federal Employer Identification Number.

People who use the website will also be linked to the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which will enable them to obtain additional information about doing business in Colorado.

The year-long project was a collaboration of five state departments and Colorado.gov, the state internet portal.

“Colorado Business Express is a major leap forward toward a more streamlined government, with better service and less paperwork for the benefit of Colorado’s new businesses,” Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said.

Cadman is a member of a Senate committee that oversees the state's information technology systems.

GOP Sets Senate Committee Assignments

The Senate GOP caucus has finalized some committee appointments for the upcoming 2009 session, choosing a veteran legislator from El Paso county to be the ranking minority member on the key State, Veterans and Military Affairs panel.

Bill Cadman, who was appointed to the Senate last year, will assume the ranking member post on the committee that deals with military matters, minority leader Josh Penry said.

"Sen. Cadman’s military service along with his natural leadership skills make him the perfect choice to lead the Republican efforts to fight for Colorado’s military community," Penry said.

Other appointments announced by the Senate's minority caucus are:

* Former House majority leader and freshman Sen. Keith King of Colorado Springs as ranking minority member on the Finance Committee;

* Veteran conservative Sen. Dave Schultheis of Colorado Springs as ranking minority member on the Health & Human Services Committee.

Senate Clears Romanoff's B.E.S.T. Bill

A bill that would allocate nearly $1 billion toward the repair of decaying and dangerous public school facilities around the state got the final approval of the Senate Thursday.

HB 1335 would tap the state's school trust lands to raise about $500 million. Romanoff proposes that about $30-$40 million of revenues from natural resource exploitation conducted on those lands be used to make payments on necessary capital obtained via debt instruments.

The other portion of the total amount to be dedicated to school renovation and repairs would come from local contributions.

Colorado's school trust lands were granted to the state upon admission to the union and on condition that they be used to benefit school children. However, the state has never before had a structured mechanism for tapping into revenues generated on those lands for the benefit of public schools.

Public school buildings across the state are aging. According to a news release issued by the House majority communications office, hazards include failing roofs, structural problems, inadequate fire safety, faulty and dangerous boilers, absestos and carbon monoxide contamination.

The bill must return to the House for consideration of Senate amendments before heading to Gov. Bill Ritter's desk.

Democrats Peter Groff of Denver and Gail Schwartz of Snowmass Village sponsored HB 1335 in the Senate.

Five Republicans opposed the measure in today's vote, including Sens. Bill Cadman and Dave Schultheis of Colorado Springs, Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch, Steve Johnson of Fort Collins, and Tom Wiens of Castle Rock.

Senate Passes "Textbook Affordability Act"

The Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that would require the state's colleges to provide students information about the price of required textbooks and the amount of time expected to go by before the publisher revises the textbook.

SB 73 was approved on a 31-4 vote, with Republicans Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs, Nancy Spence of Centennial, and Tom Wiens of Castle Rock and Democrat Suzanne Williams of Aurora opposing it.

The measure now moves over to the House, where it is sponsored by Rep. John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins.

The Senate sponsor is Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder.

Senate Committee to Hear Bill Authorizing Two-Year Car Registration Thursday

A Senate committee will consider Thursday a bill that would allow Colorado residents to register their motor vehicles for two-year periods.

SB 70 provides that the two-year registration option could not be made available for any vehicle that is due for an emissions test during that two-year period.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs.

House Passes Resolution Calling for all CO Children to Have Health Insurance Coverage by 2010

The House passed Wednesday a resolution establishing a goal of assuring access to health insurance coverage for all children in the state by 2010.

SJR 8, which had previously passed the Senate in slightly different form, is not law. It is simply an expression of the legislature's desire and of a goal.

Debate on the resolution was nevertheless lengthy and, at times, contentious.

Reps. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, and Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, eventually proposed an amendment changing the language of the resolution from words requiring the legislature to "pledge" universal coverage of children to the less demanding commitment only to try to do so.

That amendment passed with 51 "yes" votes, though it provoked opposition from a number of Democrats including speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, majority leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, and Health & Human Services Committee chair Anne McGihon, D-Denver.

Rep. Douglas Bruce of Colorado Springs was the only GOP member of the House to oppose the amendment.

The amendment soothed the controversy, as 61 members of the House voted "yes" on adoption of the resolution after it was approved.

The naysayers were Republican Reps. Douglas Bruce and Kent Lambert of Colorado Springs and Kevin Lundberg of Berthoud.

The Senate had previously amended the resolution to make clear that the goal of universal coverage of children should not create disincentives for people to obtain private health insurance.

After that amendment was adopted unanimously in the Senate the resolution passed in that chamber on a 27-7 vote.

The Senate "no" votes on the resolution were cast by Republican Sens. Greg Brophy of Wray, Bill Cadman of Colorado Springs, Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch, Mike Kopp of Littleton, Joshua Penry of Grand Junction, Scott Renfroe of Greeley and David Schultheis of Colorado Springs.

Ritter, Lawmakers Introduce Consolidated State IT Department Bill

Flanked by a group of bipartisan legislators, Gov. Bill Ritter announced Friday the introduction of a bill that would consolidate all information technology operations of the state government in one office.

The bill, which does not have a number as of this writing, will be sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, and John P. Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and in the House by Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, and Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood. It has 74 co-sponsors already, according to a press release issued by Ritter's media relations office.

"Information technology is the backbone of how we deliver services to the people of Colorado," Ritter said. "But we have too many examples of under-performing and even failing computer systems. We have twice the number of computer servers we need. We have 38 data centers, when other states do just fine with two. We have a decentralized IT purchasing structure, when we should be maximizing our buying power instead of diffusing it."

The state has had a number of embarrassing information technology problems in recent years. During the administration of former Gov. Bill Owens (R), the state spent more than $300 million on a system that was supposed to handle a wide variety of government services. Workers managed to get the complicated software to do some of what it was supposed to do, but there were complaints from state employees that no one in senior levels of the executive branch would listen to their concerns about the computer problems.

Buescher said he was glad a solution to the state's oft-repeated and systemic computer problems is in the works but indicated he thinks it took too long.

"As a businessman, I never would have tolerated the discombobulated IT systems we endured for over a decade in this state," Buescher said. "I'm glad we're finally correcting it."

Introduction of the bill follows Ritter's issuance of an executive order in May that appointed a state IT officer and asked him to come up with recommendations for improving state government technology services.

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.