Opinion / House Report
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Honoring A Great Man
Last Friday, January 17th, the Colorado Legislature honored the birthday of the great Martin Luther King. We all know Martin Luther King as a man who fought for civil rights. And we know that on...
More Perspective on Marijuana
Once again, Mr. Lippincott, You are Right! I am writing this evening in response to Mr. Lippincott's guest editorial. I consider both Lippincotts good friends, honorable people who are always well...
Housing as a Social Determinant of Health
This week, Oct 30, was the first annual Colorado State of Reform Health Policy Conference that took place in Denver. Industry experts and state policy makers from across the state came together, al...
A Lesson in Unintended Consequences
This week I, along with Mary Bradfield, candidate for HD 21, attended a meeting with a representative from United Airlines and their legislative affairs representative. As you may or may not know,...
Stop the Medicalization of Marijuana
At the recent National Foundation for Women Legislators Summit on Marijuana, one of the best speakers was Dr. Lynn Perry, AMA Delegate, Colorado Medical Society Chair, Council on Ethical and Judicial...
Marijuana Use Not So Hazy After Passage of New Legislation
Last week I attended the National Foundation of Women Legislator's summit on the Evolution of Marijuana. The event was held in Denver so, as the State Director for the organization and one of the...
A Little History on Education in Colorado
Starting this week children all over the state will be returning to schools of one type or another. Public, Charter, Home, On-line. One of the greatest benefits to living in Colorado is school...
A Project in the Works!
A couple of years ago I had an opportunity to travel to San Antonio with others from Colorado to observe a homeless shelter and drug rehab program that a group of citizens and donors had created. I...
Facts About the 4th You May Not Have Known
Every year we celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, parades, picnics and barbecues. Each year, approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on this day. And...
Harmful to Colorado? You Decide!
As in most things in life, legislation, being good or bad, is in the eye of the beholder. Or, more appropriately, the voter. Below are bills that passed that I think are especially bad for Colorado....
Bills That Didn't Make It to the Governor's Desk, Part 2
As promised, below are the last three bills that the legislature killed this session. We may see these come back in a different form this next session so keep your eyes open. First was the Cigarette...
We Did Kill a Few "Bad Bills" During the 2019 Legislative Session
In spite of what you may hear, the 2019 session was not all bad. I managed to pass 18 bills, several for behavioral health, Physician Assistants, firefighting foam and living donors. And we managed to...
Legislative Wrap-Up II
I think it's fair to say this was the year for mental health legislation. I was proud to run and pass 4 very important bills. HB19-1160 Mental Health Facility Pilot Program The bill will create a...
Legislative Wrap-Up #1
Friday, May 3, was the last day of the 2019 legislative session. During this time many bills have come and gone. With a 41 to 24 majority, Democrat-sponsored bills survived while the Republican- spons...
Overreach: Parental and Consumer Rights Under Attack
Every year we see a plethora of good bills and bad. So far, this year, as of day 108, 583 bills have been introduced. Most of those bills are bi-partisan and will pass unanimously. But every once in a...
Parental Rights?
Last week the vaccination bill, HV 1312 was heard in the Health and Human Services Committee. The people on the committee started around 2 p.m. in the afternoon and ended after 4 a.m. For 14 hours the...
TABOR- Will We Be Fooled Again?
Monday, April 15, is Tax Day. So, it seems like a good time to talk about HB 1257, and our Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. This bill was brought by the Speaker of the House, K.C. Becker. If this passes...
Families First
We have officially completed 93 days in the legislature and have 27 to go, 549 bills have been introduced. This week we addressed the only activity we are statutorily required to do; we passed the bud...
Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are
We hear it over and over, it's not guns, it's mental health. And the Republicans, including this Republican, vote against any and all gun regulation. Because we know one thing; people kill people,...
Tyranny of the Majority
Today, March 24th, is officially the 80th day of the 72nd General Assembly. Today 472 bills have been introduced. At this time, I have 15 bills and I am happy to say all but one of my bills have...
Friends for the Future of Colorado
A few years ago, I, along with several other legislators, former legislators and political activists, started talking about our Republican party and how far it's moved from Ronald Reagan's big tent....
Needles, YES! Straws, NO!
Every day, I get hundreds of emails telling me how to vote on various issues. These are usually the issues that make the news; Sex Education, National Popular Vote and The Red Flag Bill, to name just...
Another Controversial Bill and More Late Nights
It's Friday, 9 p.m. and we are still discussing what is being called the Red Flag Bill, House Bill 1177, "Concerning Creation of an Extreme Risk Protection Order." You've heard about this on the...
An Assault on Our Founding Father's Intentions
As I write this article it is day 48. We have 72 days left. It is 7 p.m. and we are back on the floor of the house where we have been discussing the bill for the National Popular Vote. Our country was...
Maternal Mortality and other Issues
One of the questions around the Capitol this week is "Where are all the bills?" We are 1/3 of the way through the 120-day session and only 325 bills have been introduced. I say only because last...
