Colorado House Democrats

Rep. Rice’s Anti-Drug Law Stops Bad Guys, Funds Good Guys

"Keep our youth off drugs and criminals off our streets"

(Littleton)  Law enforcement officials have announced that a law sponsored in 2007 by State Representative Joe Rice, D-Littleton, resulted in the arrest of a marijuana grower and provided financial support for the National Guard.

House Bill 1275, initiated by Representative Rice and co-sponsored by Senator Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, allows the Colorado National Guard to offer support to civilian law enforcement.  And now, for the first time ever, the Guard is able to receive a portion of the criminal assets seized in anti-drug operations.  With these funds, the Guard can afford both to provide support to law enforcement, and to keep drugs out of the hands of teens.

Because of Rep. Rice’s bill, the Colorado National Guard was able to use their helicopters to help in a recent drug investigation.  Guards in helicopters spotted a large marijuana field in rural Mesa County, leading to the arrest of Alfred Topliss.  Topliss was convicted of felony charges, and the assets gained through his criminal activity were seized.  

As this was a multi-agency drug bust, the criminal proceeds were divided among the participating agencies, the Mesa County Drug Task Force, the Forest Service, the IRS, and the Bureau of Land Management.  The Colorado National Guard’s portion is $93,701.  As directed by Rep. Rice’s bill, the funds will go to continuing to provide support for law enforcement anti-drug operations as well as to youth drug prevention programs.

“This is a historic moment,” said Rep. Rice, “and its bad news for criminals who push drugs on our children.  For years, the Colorado National Guard has been able to provide only limited support to law enforcement agencies because they are not funded to offer such help.  Now that the National Guard will receive a portion of the assets seized in these operations, the Guard is able to be a more active partner in efforts to keep our youth off drugs and criminals off our streets.”

-- Posted by staff

Rep. Todd Hosts Teen-Led Meeting on “Youth and Internet Safety”

(DENVER)  With the Internet Safety Foundation and several other groups, Representative Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) hosted a seminar today on “Youth and Internet Safety,” bringing Colorado teens to the Capitol to discuss ways to make the World Wide Web a safer place.

At the end of the full day, the teens worked with legislators to create action plans to protect teenagers from Internet predators.

“I am so grateful for the interaction with teens from Aurora’s Overland High School and from all over the state,” said Rep. Todd. “It was great to hear what is on their minds as well as to build good relationships with government.  The bottom line is that I believe we can protect our kids from creeps and pedophiles with ideas that have come from the youth themselves.”

THE PROBLEM:
1 in 7 young adults have received an online sexual solicitation
90% of Internet-initiated cases of child sex abuse involve youth aged 13-17
93% of the face-to-face meetings with the online predators involve sexual contact

THE SOLUTIONS:
Be a part of your child’s online experience – keep communication open
Don’t allow your child to meet with anyone they met on the ‘net
Put your computer in a visible area in your house, not in their room

For more information, go to www.internetsafetycolorado.org
Rep. Todd wishes to thank the other co-sponsors of the event, especially DECA – An Association of Marketing Students, as well as Qwest, the WheelerTriggKennedy Foundation, WebWiseKids, FOX Interactive Media, and the Colorado PTA

 

--Posted by staff

Rep. Nancy Todd Honored by Children’s Organization for Her Commitment to Quality Health for Children

DENVER – Rep. Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) was honored for her leadership and commitment in support of healthy schools and students by the Colorado Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CoAHPERD). The organization presented an award to Rep. Todd in appreciation of her ongoing efforts on education reform and health issues for students.

“We appreciate Rep. Todd’s unwavering advocacy for quality health and physical education programs in our Colorado General Assembly,” said CoAHPERD.

Rep. Todd has sponsored numerous bills to benefit students and children, and knows firsthand the importance of quality education as a former professional educator for 25 years in the Cherry Creek School District. She developed CARE (Children Achieving Reading Excellence), served as the literacy chairman of the National Board of American Mothers, Inc., and was recognized as the 2003 Patriot Educator of the Year by the American Legion. Rep. Todd served on the interim Health Care Task Force, the Minority Success Task Force for Higher Education, the Governor’s Alignment Council for Education in Colorado, the Commission of Higher Education, the Commission for Early Childhood and School Readiness, and on Senator Ken Salazar’s Service Academy Nomination Review Board.

-- Posted by staff

Rep. Debbie Benefield Honored by Two Groups for Her Commitment To Quality Health for Children

PTA Leader Recognized for Being Champion of Youth

DENVER – Rep. Debbie Benefield (D-Arvada/Westminster) was honored for her leadership and commitment in support of healthy schools and students by both the American Heart Association and the Colorado Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CoAHPERD).

The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the Colorado Children’s Campaign and Colorado Connections for Healthy Schools, presented an award to Rep. Benefield in appreciation of her ongoing efforts on education reform and health issues for students.

“We appreciate Rep. Benefield’s tireless work to ensure that all of Colorado’s young people can grow up strong and healthy, and receive the skills they need for lifelong health and well-being,” said the American Heart Association.

Additionally, CoAHPERD recognized Rep. Benefield at their annual awards dinner. The award was presented “for being an advocate for quality health and physical education programs in our Colorado General Assembly.”

Rep. Benefield has sponsored or co-sponsored numerous bills to benefit children, including House Bill 1224, which helps promote wellness in public schools by emphasizing
healthy choices and lifestyles, physical education, nutrition, mental health counseling, healthy school environments, and involvement of families and communities.She has over 20 years of service to local, county and state Parent Teacher Associations (PTA), including serving on the Jefferson County PTA President and current service on the boards of both the Jefferson County PTA and the Colorado State PTA. She is also a member of the Read to Achieve Board. Rep. Benefield has served on a number of committees for Jefferson County schools, including the Legislative Forum and the Budget & Finance Committee. She is co-founder of the Y-Vote, a youth voting project, and serves as board member to a number of organizations aimed to help youth become healthy, educated and active citizens.

-- Posted by staff

Governing magazine honors Romanoff, Colorado’s “consensus-building speaker,” as a Public Official of the Year

(Washington, DC) - The consensus-building speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, Andrew Romanoff,  is among the winners of GOVERNING’s Public Official of the Year awards for 2008, given in recognition of outstanding achievement in state and local government.

 “These public officials each asked tough questions,” said Alan Ehrenhalt, GOVERNING’s executive editor, “and when they had their answers, they weren’t afraid to act. Their leadership has led to unexpected progress—from reduced blight on foreclosed properties to the exoneration of inmates who were wrongly convicted to the removal of unsafe cold medicines from the shelves. These officials prove that by asking sometimes painful questions, smart, dedicated people can change government for the better.”

This year’s group of recipients is the fifteenth to be honored in GOVERNING’s annual
awards program, which was launched in 1994. GOVERNING is an independent national
magazine devoted to coverage of state and local government. It has a circulation of 85,000 state and local officials.

GOVERNING’s 2008 Public Officials of the Year:

• Andrew Romanoff, speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, who built a bipartisan coalition to take on the politically risky task of overhauling a constitutional provision that was crippling the state budget. (biography and photographs available at www.coloradohouse.org)
• St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, who spearheaded a building boom in his city’s downtown while improving schools, parks and public facilities in neighborhoods throughout St. Petersburg.
• Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, who championed landmark infrastructure and health care legislation, while improving the management of state government and putting his state on a sound fiscal footing.
• Craig Watkins, district attorney of Dallas County, whose push for DNA testing identified and freed 19 inmates who had been wrongly convicted, many of whom had been behind bars for years.
• Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health director, who led a national campaign that called into question the safety and effectiveness of children’s cold medicines, prompting drug companies to pull the medications and resulting in new Food and Drug Administration rules.
• Lillian Koller, director of the Hawaii Department of Human Services, who overhauled her state’s system of dealing with at-risk children, cutting child abuse and reducing the number of children in foster care.
• Dayton Housing Inspector John Carter, who untangled the webs of the mortgage services industry to determine which lending companies had the title to vacant properties, then worked with these companies to fix and maintain the abandoned homes.
• Dan Lohrmann, Michigan’s chief information security officer, whose pioneering efforts to keep state computers and networks secure are viewed as a model by technology officials around the country.

The award winners are profiled in the November issue of GOVERNING and will be honored at a dinner November 12 in Washington, D.C., hosted by the magazine and by the corporate sponsors of the awards: CGI, CH2M Hill, Northrop Grumman, Oracle and Unisys.

-- Posted by staff

Denverites, Including Rep. Mark Ferrandino, to Remember Matthew Shepard Sunday

Student Murdered 10 Years Ago

(DENVER)

- State Representative Mark Ferrandino (D-Denver) will join the Matthew Shepard Foundation for an observance of the 10 year anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard.  This event will be at 6 PM Sunday, October 12 at the State Capitol.

Matthew was a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming when he was brutally attacked near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998.  After surviving 5 days in a coma, Matthew died as a result of the severe injuries he received.
 
"Like many gay men and women, I can remember exactly where I was when I heard of Matthew's murder," said Rep. Ferrandino.  "In college, I was in the process of coming out. His death had a huge impact on me, and for the first time, I really understood the discrimination that our community faces.  His tragic murder motivated me – and so many others – to be more active and engaged in working for equal rights." 
 

After Charges Filed Against Another Shady Mortuary, Rep. Stafford Demands Consumer Protection

DENVER - Representative Debbie Stafford, D-Aurora, is fed up with consumers getting ripped-off by shady funeral practices.  While she is pleased that the Attorney General's office this week filed charges against “The Neptune Society” out of Arvada for failure to properly place funds received from over 5,000 pre-need sales into a trust as required by Colorado law, she wants more done to protect consumers.  Neptune faces $50,000 in fines and five counts including a violation of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

“I am appalled that Colorado is the only state that does not license Funeral Directors and Cremationists.  Would-be regulators continue to throw Coloradans under the hearse by denying that we have a serious problem and with virtually no one looking over the shoulders of those who serve our families at the time of death,” Rep. Stafford said.

“While I am grateful that complaints were filed against Drinkwine Mortuary, and now, against The Neptune Society, I want to know how often the Division of Insurance audits pre-need mortuary sales as currently required by Colorado Law,” said Stafford.  “My sources tell me that some funeral homes have not seen a state investigator for over 40 years.  Consumers need protection from the shady practices of some mortuaries.