The Executive committee will meet at Lew's office building to plan our GOTV activities for the summer.  We will also discuss the House District 6 picnic planning.  Anne will also report on the Yard Sale held on June 6th.

Snacks will be available.

Greetings: 2010 Legislative Review The 2010 Legislative Session ended last Wednesday, May 12th. By all accounts it was a very tough session. But the good news is that we accomplished a great deal for the people of Colorado. I continued to address the issues that you elected me to work on 2 years ago: Constitutional Reform, Ballot Issue Understandability and Disclosure, and our Fiscal Knot. Below is a synopsis of the bills I sponsored and passed: SJR 002 – Request for Comprehensive Tax Study This Senate Joint Resolution was one of the measures that came from the Fiscal Stability Commission on which I served last summer. Colorado has not had a comprehensive tax and revenue policy study done for over 50 years. With this Resolution we have commissioned the University of Denver, using gifts, grants, and donations to report back to us by the end of the year about what we need to do to create a tax and revenue policy to meet the needs of our state in the 21st century. HB 1370 – Ballot Measure Disclosure Requirements This bill significantly tightens the requirements of ballot issue committees to disclose in a timely fashion where they get their funding and how they’re spending it. From now on, when you receive information in the mail about a ballot issue, the committee which has paid for it will be acknowledged on the piece. Furthermore, there will be information in the Blue Book – the pamphlet you receive that gives the pros and cons about ballot issues – about where to go online to get more complete information about the groups that submit comments for inclusion in it. SB 216 - Change Ballot Measure Order The idea for this bill was suggested to Senator Rollie Heath and me by Norma Anderson who served in the legislature in the 90’s. The bill changes the order in which measures appear on the ballot. Up until now citizen initiatives have been placed on the ballot ahead of measures referred by the legislature. This bill simply reverses that order so that starting on the 2011 ballot, issues that the legislature refers will be placed ahead of issues placed on the ballot by citizen initiative. As you know, I am passionate about our representative form of government, and I felt that this minor change would give more weight to the issues that we, your elected representatives, have fully debated. I also worked on bills to make our ballots more understandable; to further protect our state’s constitution; and to create a voluntary public financing option for Colorado. I was unable to get those measures passed this year, but like with so much legislation, if you do me the honor of re-electing me this fall, I’ll be back on these issues next year. Here’s a brief run-down of other issues: (For a complete review of the session go to www.leg.state.co.us) Our State’s Budget: Everyone knows what a tough year this was for our budget. Revenues are way down but needs like medical care, unemployment benefits, and infrastructure repairs continued to rise. As a result, we had to make some very difficult decisions – this was a year that truly reflected Lincoln’s loosely quoted adage that you can’t please all the people all the time – you’re lucky if you can please some of the people some of the time. I’m not thrilled with every vote I caste, but I did what I had to do to balance the budget, which is required by our state’s constitution. We cut 3.5 billion (yes, billion!) from our budget creating a leaner government. The good news is that we were able to protect lots of programs for those who need our help the most. I have often said that a civil society is judged by how we treat the least among us – I’m pleased that we are still able to provide for our most vulnerable populations in many different ways. Job, Jobs, Jobs: The lynchpin of our economy is small business. We targeted small business growth through innovative new programs like "Work Share," which helps stressed businesses save money by reducing the hours for a group of employees instead of laying off workers, and allowing workers with reduced hours to apply for some unemployment compensation. We estimate that about 5,000 new jobs will be created over the next several years by various bills that encourage our New Energy Economy. We also stimulated the Creative Industries by making it easier for small arts-related businesses to get loans and credit, and by increasing art in public places. Health Care: Insurance companies will no longer be able to discriminate against women seeking health insurance, and health care professionals will be encouraged to go to rural areas because of the Health Care Jobs Act and the Nurse Loan Repayment Program. Medical Marijuana: Just a reminder – the legislature had to act because Coloradans passed an amendment to our state constitution providing for the medicinal use of marijuana. We passed two bills to try to get a handle on this burgeoning industry. One tightened up the doctor/patient relationship and prohibits a relationship between a doctor and a dispensary. The other bill allows dispensaries (now called centers) to continue but within a regulated structure with requirements for licensing and operation. The bill was definitely a compromise between law enforcement and advocates. Under the bill, local communities can ban dispensaries by a vote of their elected officials or by ballot measures. Tuition Flexibility Of all the budget balancing we had to do, higher ed was one of the most painful. The situation will only get worse next year as the federal recovery money that helped support them over the last two years will run out. Fixing our Fiscal Knot is the only way that I see to overcome this ongoing crisis. With our state funding for Higher Ed ranking at 49th in the nation, this issue will continue to be on my front burner. The bill we passed this year will allow colleges to raise tuition by up to 9 % without legislative approval. I find it appalling that we in the top 3rd of states in the nation in our personal wealth, yet we burden students with this kind of tuition increase. Teacher Effectiveness and Evaluation: For me, this was, by far, the most difficult bill of the session. I was inundated with emails, phone calls, and visits from parents, teachers, school board members, and other community leaders about this bill. That’s probably because I would not take a position until I saw the final bill. I try to do this with many complex bills because I know they will change significantly as they go through the process and I don’t want to put myself in the position that Senator Kerry got into several years ago of “saying yes before I said no” or visa versa. In the final analysis I voted for the bill for two reasons: I do not see it as the Silver Bullet that the proponents hoped for, nor do I see it as the Armageddon that the opponents have feared. The final bill seems pretty balanced and reasonable to me. But the main reason I voted for it was that the majority of my constituents from whom I heard about this bill asked me to vote yes. As I’ve noted, I am passionate about our representative form of government. My job is to listen to my constituents and try the best I can to represent them. I’m not always successful – note Lincoln’s quote above – but my goal is to be a representative in more than my “title.” Which brings me to my final point - Re-election: As with our US Congressional members, Colorado’s State Representatives are up for election every two years. That means my name will be on the ballot again this November because my Democratic constituents nominated me at our County Assembly in April. To my knowledge, I do not have a primary opponent, but I will face a Republican challenger. I hope you’d like me to continue as your representative from House District 6. If so, you can help me get re-elected by going to my website www.LoisCourt.com and making a contribution to my campaign. Please remember – I do not accept contributions from Political Action Committees – PAC contributions – so I count on you, my constituents and friends, to finance my campaigns. I am the ONLY member of the Colorado House of Representatives who campaigns this way. As always, I appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity and I look forward to continuing to work with you. Please feel free to contact me at this email, or by phone: 303 355-3546. Sincerely, Lois

Click HERE for the newly revised, printable PCP Handbook (6/2010), or download a quick Timeline showing the life of a precinct committee person from his or her election at caucus for two years, through the following caucus.