Colorado Concern 
 

February 10, 2014

The Week in Review

Each year at the ballot box - or around your kitchen table - our ballot initiative system asks you and your fellow Colorado voters to make decisions about issues of importance to the state's future.  Recent examples include Amendment 66, which proposed a change in our state's individual income tax structure to raise resources for K-12 education and failed, and Amendment 64, which passed and legalized adult use recreational marijuana in our state.


Colorado's ballot initiative system is a piece of our state's fabric - and here to stay.  Recent statewide polling by Hill Research Consultants shows that 77 percent of likely voters enjoy the right to make decisions through direct democracy. That said, ensuring the procedures required to place a measure before voters through the ballot initiative system are sound - and include transparency, integrity and accountability - is something we believe is critical, and something we can do better.

  

To that end, Colorado Concern is partnering with Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino and Representative Lois Court to craft legislation that will clarify the role and the responsibilities of individuals who file a statewide ballot measure.  

 

The bill will also call for the inclusion of a preliminary fiscal impact statement on the signature petition utilized to gather support for a proposed measure, providing prospective voters with more information about the increased revenue or costs a measure includes.   

  

Additionally, the legislation will provide incentives for ballot measure proponents who file a statutory measure, instead of a Constitutional Amendment - with the goal of protecting our state's governing document from additional provisions that may be well intentioned, but that cause future generations challenges.  The example most often referenced in this area is the Gordian Knot created by embedding tax policy, school funding and property tax formulas in the Constitution.   

  

We will alert you when this measure is introduced, and provide you updates regarding its progress.

 

If you have questions about this proposal, or any other measure, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].

  

A link to our At a Glance Status Sheet, updated in real-time, is available here.

 

We look forward to seeing you at our luncheon with the Honorable Mark Udall this Friday, February 14th.

 

Warmly,

Tamra  

Tamra

Colorado Concern Legislative Tracking

 

Click here to find out what legislation Colorado Concern is tracking. The report includes links to bill text, sponsors, Colorado Concern's positions, bill status, and additional notes.

 

Click here to download the Colorado Concern At a Glance Status Sheet for quick tracking of Colorado Concern's bills of interest.
Members in the News

 

Ryan Good  

Colorado Real Estate JournalJanuary 15, 2014

Features Ryan Good
Colorado Concern Upcoming Events

 

Below is information on upcoming Colorado Concern events. 

Click here for more information or to register to attend events.
 
February 14: Colorado Concern Luncheon with U.S. Senator Mark Udall
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., RubinBrown, 1900 16th Street, 3rd Floor, 3rd Floor

 

February 20: Colorado Concern Membership Networking Lunch with Guest Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino, Co-hosted by Walter Isenberg and Kay Norton
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Colorado Concern, 140 East 19th Avenue, Suite 400

Colorado Concern News Clips

 

 

Economy/Economic Development

Colorado Legislators Aim to Reward Angel Investors with Tax Credit

Xconomy: February 4

 

Crowdfunding businesses turn out to be viable ongoing entities

Denver Post: February 3

 

Colorado small-business hiring edged up in January

Denver Business Journal: February 4

 

Economists see upside, downside in state of Colorado's economy

Denver Post: February 5

 

Vectra forecast meeting upbeat, but cautious

Denver Post: February 6

 

Editorial: Flawed plan to boost salaries of Colorado community-college faculty

Denver Post: February 6

 

'I Feel Good' blaring at small businesses

Denver Business Journal: February 6

 

Education

Colorado school superintendents launch funding "insurrection"

Denver Post: February 3

 

Opinion: Lawsuit against SB 191 seeks to save good teachers

Denver Post: February 3

 

Pay raises for community college adjuncts moves ahead in Colorado Legislature

The Coloradoan: February 4

 

OPINION Owens and Ritter: Teachers union must not stop reform

Denver Post: February 4

 

Opinion: Colorado's school testers flunk themselves

Denver Post: February 6

 

Tuition increase cap

Cortez Journal: February 7

 

Bill to delay Colorado's Common Core implementation

Craig Daily Press: February 7

 

Elections/Politics

Western Slope advocacy group wants attention from Colorado legislature

Denver Post: February 3

 

Denver Mayor Hancock wants salary increases for 11 in Cabinet

Denver Post: February 3

 

GOP wants Colorado's new election law put on two-year time out

Denver Post: February 4

 

Capitol Dispatch: everyone's got a horse in the race to re-reform Colorado's elections

The Colorado Independent: February 4

 

Let them eat fruitcake: Enstrom Candies boycotts Colorado legislature

Denver Post: February 6

 

Poll gives Udall reason to worry

The Hill: February 6

 

Some Colorado agencies slow to fix problems flagged by auditors

Denver Post: February 7

 

Colorado event launches effort to help lead more Latinas to office

Denver Post: February 7

 

Tipton has GOP challenger

Grand Junction Sentinel: February 8

 

Energy

Xcel tries to generate efficiency among customers

Denver Post: February 3

 

Hickenlooper's plan protects oil industry, not sage grouse

Denver Post: February 3

 

Colorado holds hearing on Xcel's solar panel plan

Associated Press: February 4

 

Boulder officials say request for Xcel assets is just fine

Denver Business Journal: February 4

 

Tri-State signs 25-year deal for wind power

Denver Post: February 6

 

Flood

Gov. Hickenlooper office seeks more flood help

Denver Post: February 4

 

Health Care

Colorado exchange says it will be self-sustaining

Associated Press: February 3

 

Colorado health exchange enrolls 187,000 in private plans, Medicaid

Denver Post: February 6

 

Renewable Energy Mandates Barely Survive Colorado Vote

Budget & Tax News: February 7

 

Housing

Discrimination prevalent in metro Denver housing market, study says

Denver Post: February 6

 

Bill would require refunds of overpaid foreclosure costs in Colorado

Denver Post: February 6

 

Marijuana

Colorado Supreme Court to consider whether you can be fired for using pot

Colorado Public Radio: February 4

 

Taxes

Colorado legislator reintroduces bill to tax Internet sales

Denver Business Journal: February 5

 

Transportation

LoDo groups rally to revise plan they say will clog streets with buses

Denver Post:February 3 

 

Gold Line project will be more visible throughout '14

Denver Post: February 3 

 

Rail plan may hinge on N.M. governor's support

Denver Post: February 3 

 

EDITORIAL: Is Amtrak line in southeast Colorado worth its cost?

Denver Post: February 6

 

Water

Grass-roots water plan

Pueblo Chieftain: February 5

Groups mull water issues

Pueblo Chieftain: February 6

 

Schwartz sponsors bill challenging governor's water plan process

Aspen Journalism: February 9

In This Issue
The Week in Review

Legislative Tracking

Members in the News

Upcoming Events

News Clips

Senator Mark Udall
Colorado Concern is hosting a rescheduled luncheon with U.S. Senator Mark Udall at RubinBrown February 14.  Click here for details and to register.
___________
Colorado Concern Board of Directors

 

Pat Hamill

(Chairman)

Tamra Ward

(President and CEO)

Steve Farber

A. Barry Hirschfeld 

John Ikard

Walter Isenberg

David McReynolds

Larry A. Mizel 

Blair Richardson

Dan Ritchie 

Rick Sapkin
Sylvia Young