Colorado House Democrats

Representative Gallegos Troubled about Conejos County Hospital Nursing Home Closure

(Denver) Last week, Conejos County Hospital announced that the Long Term Care Unit nursing home will be closing in June.  This news is deeply concerning for State Representative Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonio), a native of the San Luis Valley and longtime supporter of the good work maintained by the Hospital and the Long Term Care Unit. 

Rep. Gallegos stated, “To hear that the nursing home will be closing in June is worrisome for me as I think about the uncertain futures of the 23 residents of the facility and the 36 staff members.  This closure adds to my concern about unemployment and poverty in Conejos County and the San Luis Valley.”

With a 9% unemployment rate in Conejos County and many elderly members of the community on fixed incomes, Rep. Gallegos is determined to seek state-level assistance that may keep the nursing home open.

-- Posted by staff

Rep. Gallegos Praises Grant for Alamosa Water Project

Department of Local Affairs offers $1 million grant

(Denver) Today the Department of Local Affairs announced a $1,000,000 proposal to fund the construction of a new water storage facility in southern Colorado.  The grant will help address the Alamosa’s water problems following a salmonella outbreak last month.

“Following last month’s salmonella outbreak, it was critical to seek a durable solution to fix the city’s water problems,” said Representative Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonio).

Rep. Gallegos met with Susan Kirkpatrick, the Executive Director of Local Affairs, and was informed that the Department has offered to assist the City of Alamosa with $1 million in financial assistance.

Reflecting upon the proposal, Rep. Gallegos stated, “This grant will allow the city to complete the water storage facility well ahead of the scheduled time.  The salmonella contamination of the city’s water system created a serious crisis.  With this assistance, the residents of Alamosa will at last have safe drinking water.” 

Rep. Gallegos additionally thanked Governor Bill Ritter for his cooperation and efforts to alleviate the water problems that the City of Alamosa first encountered on March 19, 2008.

-- Posted by staff

Alamosa Rep. Reports on Safety of Water Supply

Rep. Gallegos commends cooperation between local and state government

(Denver)  State Representative Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonito) issued the following update in regards to the contamination of the Alamosa municipal water supply with salmonella:

The cooperation between local and state government has been outstanding.  The Red Cross and the many organizations and businesses who have donated their time and effort have alleviated further problems the citizens are encountering.

This situation in Alamosa has taken a huge economic toll on our business causing several restaurants to close. Schools at all levels have had to shut their doors, including Trinidad State College Valley campus and Adams State College.

To date, there are 251”suspected” cases, 73 of which are “confirmed” to be salmonella.  Ten people have been hospitalized, but most have been released.
 
According to the State of Emergency Operations Center there are three stages in flushing the water system which began at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.
 
STAGE 1 begins with the introduction of a high concentration of chlorine (approximately 25 ppm) into the water system.  During this stage, water is not to be used for anything other than flushing toilets.
 
STAGE 2 will occur in the concentration of chlorine decreases to approximately 10 ppm.  There will be limited use of water during this stage for bathing for healthy adults.  This stage is expected to last up to 10 days, but may last longer depending on results of the flush.
 
STAGE 3 will occur when chlorine concentration decreases to approximately 1 – 2 mg per liter, which is a safe drinking level.  Normal drinking, bathing, and other water uses can be resumed at this stage.  Extensive testing will be performed before a “green light” is given to drink the water.
 
The flushing will continue to use super - chlorinate.

Situation reports may be found on the Division of Emergency Management website at http://dola.colorado.gov.dem/

-- Posted by staff

Representative Rafael Gallegos Honored as “Champion for Mental Health”

DENVER—For his outstanding work in support of mental health during the 2007 legislative session, the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council and San Luis Valley Comprehensive Mental Health Center recently honored State Representative Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonito) with the Champion for Mental Health Award.   

“I am proud to accept the Champion for Mental Health Award,” said Rep. Gallegos. “I will continue to promote health care opportunities for people facing mental illness in Colorado.”

The organizations gave Rep. Gallegos the award for his sponsorship of last year’s Mental Health Parity Bill (SB07-036), for his work on other key mental health legislation, and for his contributions to the Mental Health Caucus.

Rep. Gallegos’ work on the Mental Health Parity Bill, which became law last spring, is particularly noteworthy.   The landmark legislation mandates that health insurance provide coverage for the treatment of biologically based mental illnesses and mental disorders that is no less extensive than the coverage provided for any other physical illness. 

Rep. Gallegos believes the passage of this bill “dramatically expands the opportunity for the diagnosis and treatment of Coloradans suffering from a variety of mental health afflictions.” Insurance in Colorado must now cover: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bi-polar disorders, major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol disorders, dysthymia, cyclothymia, social phobia, agoraphobia with panic disorder, and general anxiety disorder.

-- Posted by staff

Choo! Choo! All Aboard! Rep. Rafael Gallegos Helps Fix Scenic Cumbres & Toltec Railroad

DENVER – Today, the House approved a request by State Representative Rafael Gallegos to provide funding for the historic Cumbres & Toltec Railroad.  House Bill 1303 provides $600,000 to repair and rehabilitate the steam-powered narrow gauge railroad, one of the last of its kind in the United States.   

“We are making headway towards providing proper and much needed funding for the historic Cumbres & Toltec,” said Rep. Gallegos.  “It’s good for the San Luis Valley tourism industry.  It also ensures this unique narrow gauge railroad keeps on chugging, and that we preserve an essential part of Colorado history.”

The Cumbres & Toltec dates back to 1880.  It winds its way 64 miles over mountain passes and down through the San Luis Valley.  The Cumbres & Toltec is recognized as one of the best preserved steam-powered railroads left in North America.  The funds will go towards repairing and rehabilitating the 126-year-old railroad line.  The funding bill awaits final passage by the House before moving to the Senate for further debate.

-- Posted by staff

Rep. Gallegos Advances Bills To Support Veterans And Military Families

(DENVER) -  State Representative Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonito) is carrying a bill that would waive undergraduate and graduate tuition for Colorado veterans who have received the Purple Heart or other higher combat award.  House Bill 1168 passed the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee and now awaits passage in the Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Gallegos is also the co-sponsor of House Bill 1317, which would create a compact among other states to ease difficulties in school transfers for children of military families, due to the frequent moves that military families often face.

“This bill would ensure that our children of military families are treated equal to any other student, whether it is credits they have attained or involvement in sports,” said Rep. Gallegos.  The bill will be heard in House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs in the coming weeks.

In all, Rep. Gallegos, who is a veteran himself, believes that Colorado has a duty to provide our veterans and military with support, adding, “These bills are efforts to improve Colorado’s participation in providing benefits to our 420,000 veterans.”

-- Posted by staff

State Leaders Unveil Plan to Rebuild & Repair Colorado’s Crumbling Schools

B.E.S.T. Plan Provides up to $1 Billion for School Construction

(DENVER) State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, Senate President-elect Peter Groff, and State Senator Gail Schwartz announced an ambitious plan today to provide up to one billion dollars towards fixing and replacing K-12 schools across Colorado.   

The Building Excellent Schools Today – or B.E.S.T. – Plan creates a statewide solution for Colorado’s crumbling schools. The BEST Plan will leverage income from the School Trust Lands, property the federal government granted to Colorado for the benefit of its schoolchildren upon statehood. The School Trust Lands are dedicated to the support of K-12 public education. 

The proposal was borne out of a summer-long tour of decaying schools by state legislators including Romanoff and State Senator Sue Windels. Kennedy helped legislators craft the BEST Plan, a fiscally responsible method to fund these long-needed repairs.

“Every child deserves a safe, healthy place to go to school,” said Romanoff.  He said that the inequalities he saw while touring were striking. “It’s tough to learn when the roof is caving in or your desk is falling through the floor.  The quality of your education shouldn’t depend on your zip code.  We can do better.”

The BEST plan will leverage $30-40 million of revenue annually from the School Trust Lands to raise up to $500 million in capital. Local matching could raise another $400-500 million, bringing the total to nearly one billion dollars, enough to build scores of new schools or to repair hundreds of existing ones.

    
Kennedy noted that income from the School Trust Lands has grown dramatically in recent years. “We’ve seen a huge upswing in mineral lease revenues, royalties, rents and interest over the past few years.”  Revenues have leapt from almost $57 million annually in 2004 to an anticipated $90 million in 2008.

“We want to harness some of that growth,” Kennedy said. “This asset belongs to Colorado’s school kids.  It can, and must, be used to make a difference in the quality and safety of their education today and for years to come.”

Groff said that the BEST plan, which would not raise taxes or impact the state’s General Fund, would be a legislative priority.  “We’re putting kids at a disadvantage from the moment they walk into some of these buildings,” he said.  “We’re talking about moving Colorado’s schools out of the nineteenth century and into the twenty-first.”

-- Posted by Staff