Wed. + Thurs.: Come to Sen. Whitehead’s Town Hall Meetings

Friday, August 27 2010

Do You Have Something To Say?

DENVER—  Wednesday and Thursday, Senator Bruce Whitehead (D-Hesperus)  wants to hear from you!  He will be hosting two town halls, one in Dove Creek and one in Pagosa Springs, to talk about agriculture and water issues.  Do you have something to say?  What issues do you see in your communities? How the state help you?  Come and share your ideas.

Colorado Businesses Get $$$ Back Thanks to Dems

Tuesday, August 24 2010

DENVER—    Today, nearly a year and a half after Democrats first looked into the dealings of Pinnacol Assurance, and nearly two months after seeing the results of the performance and financial audits requested by the Democrats, the Colorado Division of Insurance “announced it has reached a settlement agreement with Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer.”  Click here for the details of the settlement.

“The state audit made it perfectly clear that Pinnacol had repeatedly violated state law by failing to file all of their rating factors and by overcharging some employers by using rate structures that for some classes of employers were excessive and discriminatory,” said Senator Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora), who was the Chair of the Pinnacol Interim Committee in 2009.  “The Division of Insurance achieved an important goal today in returning $15 million in overcharged premiums to Colorado businesses and policyholders.  Laws only mean something if they are enforced.  This is good news for Colorado's business consumers.”

According to the DORA press release, “Pinnacol has agreed to credit policyholders a minimum of $15 million against premiums in 2011...In addition, Pinnacol Assurance will pay a civil penalty of $80,000 (representing $10,000 per year for violations where the company used unfiled schedule rating factors to set premiums for some policyholders.)”

Senate Majority Office Seeking Interns

Tuesday, August 24 2010

Colorado State Senate Majority Office

HIRING: Senate Majority Policy Intern

About the Senate Majority Policy Office: We work with the Senate Majority caucus to develop policy and legislation, assist the press office, and coordinate with the House, Governor’s Office, and other stakeholders to pass good laws for Coloradans.

DUTIES:
-Collaborate with policy staff and Senators to advance the Senate Majority agenda
-Conduct research using the internet, phone, library, and any other sources
-Write policy memos
-Data entry (we’ll try not to subject you to too much of this, and only when we’re working on cool projects—i.e. you will not do “busy work” in vain)

Aug. 27: CHOO! CHOO! Sen. Schwartz Rides the Train

Tuesday, August 24 2010

Happy Birthday, Cumbres & Toltec!

ANTONITO— Friday, Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) will ride the train…to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad.  The C&TS was originally built in 1880 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway and is jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. 

“I’m excited to represent our State for these historic celebrations on Friday,” said Senator Schwartz.  “This narrow gauge railroad is important to Colorado and New Mexico, both culturally and economically and I am committed to Colorado's continued support of this historic railroad.” 

The train will leave Antonito at 10am and will stop around noon for the 40^th Anniversary Celebration.

Click here for more information from Cumbres & Toltec.  To reserve your tickets on any of these Special Trains, call the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad ticket office at 1-888-CUMBRES.

Thurs., Sept. 2: Sen. Whitehead's Small Business Forum

Tuesday, August 31 2010

DENVER— This Thursday, joined by experts in the business community in Southwest Colorado, Senator Whitehead will host a small business forum in Cortez.

The town hall will address state resources for small businesses including:

• -incentives and tax credits
• -micro-lending
• -business growth mentorship programs
• -procuring government contracts
• -recruitment help
• -and MORE

Sen. Schwartz to Tour Prison, Host Meeting on Public Safety

Monday, August 30 2010

DELTA, CO—This Wednesday, Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass) will tour the Delta Correctional Center, a minimum security prison. Colorado’s correctional system is very important to the safety and well-being of all Coloradans:  the corrections system keeps people safe by locking up dangerous people who pose a threat to the public; the system rehabilitates prisoners to help them become productive members of society when they leave prison; and the system provides good-paying jobs for many Coloradans.

Sen. Schwartz will tour the facility to learn about the issues facing the prison, what the prison needs to keep operating effectively, and what is being done to improve safety in our community.

Following the tour, Sen. Schwartz will host a town hall meeting with Aristedes Zavaras, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, and Karl Spiecker, Director of Finance and Administration for Colorado’s Department of Corrections to discuss Colorado’s correctional system.

I Am Woman! Hear Me Roar!

Thursday, August 26 2010

Senator Newell Honored as Exceptional Female Leader

Senator Linda Newell (D-Littleton) has been chosen by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Board of Women in Leadership to receive the distinguished Community Leader award for 2010.  Senator Newell was selected out of a large pool of qualified female leaders to receive the prestigious award for her exceptional vision, enthusiasm, ability to inspire others, and commitment to the advancement of women in society.

Senator Newell will be presented with the award this Friday August 27th at the 2nd Annual Women’s Leadership Conference and Awards Luncheon in Denver.  More than 200 hundred women from around the state are expected to attend to hear presenters discuss topics ranging from social marketing to online networking.  

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by a group of such outstanding women,” stated Sen. Newell. “Every woman in this organization is herself a motivated leader who has dedicated her time to giving back to the community, facilitating job growth, and helping other women to develop professionally. I applaud these ladies and share this award with all of them.”

This week! Pasta, Produce, and a Proud Community

Thursday, August 26 2010

Sen. Schwartz to Work With Community on Local Food Issues

DELTA COUNTY—   This week, Senator Gail Schwartz and Senator Bruce Whitehead will take part in several events supporting local foods in Colorado. 

Senator Whitehead is the Chair and Senator Schwartz is the Vice- Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

Tuesday, August 31, Senator Whitehead will join Sen. Schwartz to moderate a panel discussion on local foods with guests from the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture, USDA, CSU, and local agricultural producers. The public is encouraged to participate in the discussion. Rural America raises the food that none of us can live without. How do we support our best efforts and enjoy the fruits of our labor?  Have some ideas? Bring them with you. Sen. Schwartz  and Sen. Whitehead want to identify opportunities and talk about solutions.

Following the discussion, the Senators will tour three local farms in the region and talk with them about how they support Colorado’s economy and what Colorado can do to support them.  Please contact us if you are with the media and wish to join them on the tour.

Xcel Plan is Good for Environment, Economy

Thursday, September 2 2010

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Tuesday August 31st, 2010

There was a great deal of hand-wringing Monday evening about the effect Xcel Energy’s proposed switch to more natural gas-fired electric generation will have on coal jobs in western Colorado.

That’s understandable. Coal mining and related work offer high-paying, stable jobs that have been a hallmark of this region for many decades. No one should carelessly consider eliminating such jobs.

But when the coal dust settles in this dispute, people should realize that the Xcel plan — developed to comply with state legislation passed with bipartisan support — won’t decimate the digging of coal in this region.

In fact, a study conducted by the University of Colorado on the economic impacts of the Xcel plan said it won’t lead to the loss of one coal job in Colorado. Not one.

With some 40 groups and individuals involved in the PUC process for examining and approving Xcel’s plan, there is a good chance that some parts of it will be modified, at least slightly.

But we believe it is a sound plan overall, one that is good for Colorado’s economy and its environment, but is not an attack on this state’s coal industry.

Talk local food at forum next Tuesday

Thursday, August 26 2010

The Delta County Independent
August 25th, 2010

The Local Foods Forum will be held at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss on Tuesday, Aug. 31, from 9 a.m. until noon. State Sen. Gail Schwartz will moderate a panel discussion with guests from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the USDA, Colorado State University and local agricultural producers on the topic of local foods.

The public is encouraged to participate in the discussion. Rural America raises the food that none of us can live without. How do we support our best efforts and enjoy the fruits of our labor?

Have some ideas? Bring them with you. Let’s identify the opportunities we have and talk about solutions to barriers that need to be addressed.

Editorial: More protections needed on Pinnacol

Thursday, August 26 2010

The Aurora Sentinel
By The Voice of Aurora
August 25, 2010

The Pinnacol Assurance flap is far from over.

Pinnacol officials earlier this week tried to put a sense of finality on their recent spate of troubles by saying they’ve change their internal structure to avoid another case of overcharging policy holders.

Perhaps. The state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer was slapped Tuesday with an $80,000 fine and an agreement to pay some policyholders their share of $15 million in refunds. The Colorado Division of Insurance auditors found the quasi-governmental insurance giant had indeed overcharged some customers and didn’t follow rate-setting procedures for eight years.

In response to that, Pinnacol officials said they hired someone whose job it is to ensure they follow procedure, and that should be the end of that.

Not so fast. A state panel led last year by state Sen. Morgan Carroll pointed out a long list of irregularities and problems with the agency, which still have not been addressed or solved.

During weeks of hearings, it became clear that salaries, bonuses and perks in the company were out of control, despite a governor-appointed oversight board that clearly has little to do with any oversight.

The state hearings led to a spate of legislative bills aimed at reeling in the rogue agency, much of which Pinnacol was able to fend off.

It’s too bad, because the bills were aimed at protecting taxpayers, policy holders and those injured on the job.

First Community Solar Garden Goes Live on West Slope

Monday, August 23 2010

August 20th, 2010 in Colorado Energy News

“It’s great to get local renewable energy off the ground, and this is one more arrow in our quiver for Holy Cross to meet our 20% goal of renewable energy by 2015.”
Del Worley, CEO Holy Cross Energy

CARBONDALE — Paul Spencer’s vision of a community-owned solar array has finally become reality. The founder of  the Clean Energy Collective (CEC) announced that the first in the nation community-owned solar array has begun delivering power in the Roaring Fork Valley town of El Jebel.

...Senator Gail Schwartz, a major supporter of the CEC concept, lauded the initiative saying, “Colorado is leading the nation when it comes to attracting industry, attracting innovation, and attracting technology. This is one of the most important parts of it. We actually have mechanisms now to make renewable energy affordable to all households.”