Printed on 6/5/08
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Week 4, 2006
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Dear Friends and Supporters,
It was another busy week at the State Capitol. Many bills were passed out of committees and on to the House floor. Before I tell you about my involvement with some of these bills, let me give you an update on my efforts to reinstate the driver's license office in Loveland and improve our transportation here in Northern Colorado.
Driver's License:
This week I met with Scott Doyle, Larimer County Clerk & Recorder, and a few other individuals about the possibility of reinstating a driver's license renewal office in Loveland. This would benefit the citizens of Loveland, southern Larimer County, and Estes Park.
Larimer County is planning to expand its services with a new 50,000 sq. ft. building right next to our Loveland Police building. The driver's license office should be part of this new complex. County officials are studying the plan, and they may allow a full service office. I may also be proposing before the Transportation Committee that we begin funding our driver's license offices differently.
I thank Scott Doyle and his team for their continued time and support to determine how this very important project can be a reality in the future.
Transportation:
I attended the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) meeting concerning the widening of I-25 from Longmont
to Fort Collins. We are in the last year of the 3-year study. I am impressed with the work done thus far. I am
looking forward to the completion of the EIS study so that we can get the funding and start construction
as soon as possible.
I am working hard on some funding sources and I will let you know in future Capitol Updates how this work
is progressing. I am pleased that private bus transportation is part of the transportation picture. You can
go to www.cdot.info/northi25eis/ for more information and to give your input. The EIS management group
would really like your opinion.
Bills under debate:
HB06-1074 by Rep. Solano (D) Adams County, concerned the waste tire recycling development fee.
This bill re-establishes the monetary fee charged on new tires so that we have the money necessary to
clean up our waste tire dumps. I spoke in favor of this bill. It passed by a wide margin on the House floor.
In the southwest part of Loveland, there are a few million old tires in one dumpit's one of the largest waste
tire piles in the state. This pile is about half of what it was a few years ago, but we must use environmentally
sound practices to completely clean it up.
HB06-1113 by Rep. McGihon (D) Denver, concerns the increased authority to protect air quality.
Several years ago, the state and federal governments set up air quality standards. We have made a lot
of progress and the "brown cloud" in Denver is not at all what it used to be. There are still several national (EPA) and state standards on the books that work to ensure cleaner air. But HB06-1133 would give the state authority to supersede federal air quality standards. This is an unnecessary measure and would open up the floodgate for individual law suits. (It is a good trial lawyer bill!)
I voted NO on this bill and it failed by a 33 to 32 vote. One Democrat, Gary Lindstrom, voted wrong by mistake. I heard that another very similar bill was drafted Friday afternoon and it will be in a committee on Monday afternoon so the battle is not over.
HB06-1125 by Rep. Coleman (D) Denver, concerns the primary seat belt law. This law means that an
officer could pull you over at any time to see if you are wearing a seat belt. Currently, the state of Colorado has a "secondary law." Seat belts are mandatory, but a police officer must stop a motorist for a driving infraction and then can fine a driver or occupants if they are not wearing a seat belt.
The primary seat belt law goes "too far" in taking away our freedoms. The government is here to be our servant
not to protect us from ourselves. Many people are opposed to this bill because of the possibility of "racial profiling." Certainly, there will be times where this could happen.
The last six words of our "Pledge of Allegiance" are "with liberty and justice for all." The primary seat belt law, if passed, is a slap in the face of our liberties.
I voted NO on this bill. It passed out of the Transportation and Energy Committee by an 8 3 vote.
During the 2005 Session, the primary seat belt law was killed on the House floor two days before adjournment
by a 32 32 vote. It takes 33 votes for a bill to pass in the House.
HB06-1056 by Rep. Madden (D) Boulder, requires the 178 school districts in the state to make sure that
50% of the snacks in the vending machines are "healthy" food. The bill passed 35 30. I voted NO. In my opinion, it is up to the local school boards to make these decisions. In jest, an amendment was introduced on the House floor to require half of the food on our Representatives' desks to be healthy. The amendment was pulled!
My bill, (HB06-1156), concerning the protection of our social security numbers (SSN), passed out of the
Business Affairs & Labor Committee by a 12 1 vote. It will be heard on the House floor this week.
The bill prohibits the public posting or displaying in any manner of an individual's SSN or the printing of the
SSN on a card required for the individual to access products or services provided by the person or entity. I
t also requires the SSN to be encrypted over the Internet. The U.S. had about 10 million identity thefts last year,
and this measure will help prevent this type of crime. This is a great bill!
Town Meeting:
I finished the week with a "Town Meeting" on Saturday, February 4. A good number of people attended.
They wanted to discuss issues such as immigration, education, and unnecessary governmental intrusion into our lives. I enjoy listening to my constituents and reporting to them some of the highlights at the State Capitol.
I will be holding "Town Meetings" monthly. Please watch for my notices and plan on attending.
Bills in the News:
Click here to see the list of many of the bills that are working their way though the system.
I wish everyone a great day and a great week! As always, feel free to contact me via e-mail, phone call
(303-866-2947) or mail me at the Colorado State Capitol, room 271, 200 East Colfax Ave, Denver, CO, 80203.
God's blessings to you,
Rep. Jim Welker
House District 51
It was another busy week at the State Capitol. Many bills were passed out of committees and on to the House floor. Before I tell you about my involvement with some of these bills, let me give you an update on my efforts to reinstate the driver's license office in Loveland and improve our transportation here in Northern Colorado.
Driver's License:
This week I met with Scott Doyle, Larimer County Clerk & Recorder, and a few other individuals about the possibility of reinstating a driver's license renewal office in Loveland. This would benefit the citizens of Loveland, southern Larimer County, and Estes Park.
Larimer County is planning to expand its services with a new 50,000 sq. ft. building right next to our Loveland Police building. The driver's license office should be part of this new complex. County officials are studying the plan, and they may allow a full service office. I may also be proposing before the Transportation Committee that we begin funding our driver's license offices differently.
I thank Scott Doyle and his team for their continued time and support to determine how this very important project can be a reality in the future.
Transportation:
I attended the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) meeting concerning the widening of I-25 from Longmont
to Fort Collins. We are in the last year of the 3-year study. I am impressed with the work done thus far. I am
looking forward to the completion of the EIS study so that we can get the funding and start construction
as soon as possible.
I am working hard on some funding sources and I will let you know in future Capitol Updates how this work
is progressing. I am pleased that private bus transportation is part of the transportation picture. You can
go to www.cdot.info/northi25eis/ for more information and to give your input. The EIS management group
would really like your opinion.
Bills under debate:
HB06-1074 by Rep. Solano (D) Adams County, concerned the waste tire recycling development fee.
This bill re-establishes the monetary fee charged on new tires so that we have the money necessary to
clean up our waste tire dumps. I spoke in favor of this bill. It passed by a wide margin on the House floor.
In the southwest part of Loveland, there are a few million old tires in one dumpit's one of the largest waste
tire piles in the state. This pile is about half of what it was a few years ago, but we must use environmentally
sound practices to completely clean it up.
HB06-1113 by Rep. McGihon (D) Denver, concerns the increased authority to protect air quality.
Several years ago, the state and federal governments set up air quality standards. We have made a lot
of progress and the "brown cloud" in Denver is not at all what it used to be. There are still several national (EPA) and state standards on the books that work to ensure cleaner air. But HB06-1133 would give the state authority to supersede federal air quality standards. This is an unnecessary measure and would open up the floodgate for individual law suits. (It is a good trial lawyer bill!)
I voted NO on this bill and it failed by a 33 to 32 vote. One Democrat, Gary Lindstrom, voted wrong by mistake. I heard that another very similar bill was drafted Friday afternoon and it will be in a committee on Monday afternoon so the battle is not over.
HB06-1125 by Rep. Coleman (D) Denver, concerns the primary seat belt law. This law means that an
officer could pull you over at any time to see if you are wearing a seat belt. Currently, the state of Colorado has a "secondary law." Seat belts are mandatory, but a police officer must stop a motorist for a driving infraction and then can fine a driver or occupants if they are not wearing a seat belt.
The primary seat belt law goes "too far" in taking away our freedoms. The government is here to be our servant
not to protect us from ourselves. Many people are opposed to this bill because of the possibility of "racial profiling." Certainly, there will be times where this could happen.
The last six words of our "Pledge of Allegiance" are "with liberty and justice for all." The primary seat belt law, if passed, is a slap in the face of our liberties.
I voted NO on this bill. It passed out of the Transportation and Energy Committee by an 8 3 vote.
During the 2005 Session, the primary seat belt law was killed on the House floor two days before adjournment
by a 32 32 vote. It takes 33 votes for a bill to pass in the House.
HB06-1056 by Rep. Madden (D) Boulder, requires the 178 school districts in the state to make sure that
50% of the snacks in the vending machines are "healthy" food. The bill passed 35 30. I voted NO. In my opinion, it is up to the local school boards to make these decisions. In jest, an amendment was introduced on the House floor to require half of the food on our Representatives' desks to be healthy. The amendment was pulled!
My bill, (HB06-1156), concerning the protection of our social security numbers (SSN), passed out of the
Business Affairs & Labor Committee by a 12 1 vote. It will be heard on the House floor this week.
The bill prohibits the public posting or displaying in any manner of an individual's SSN or the printing of the
SSN on a card required for the individual to access products or services provided by the person or entity. I
t also requires the SSN to be encrypted over the Internet. The U.S. had about 10 million identity thefts last year,
and this measure will help prevent this type of crime. This is a great bill!
Town Meeting:
I finished the week with a "Town Meeting" on Saturday, February 4. A good number of people attended.
They wanted to discuss issues such as immigration, education, and unnecessary governmental intrusion into our lives. I enjoy listening to my constituents and reporting to them some of the highlights at the State Capitol.
I will be holding "Town Meetings" monthly. Please watch for my notices and plan on attending.
Bills in the News:
Click here to see the list of many of the bills that are working their way though the system.
I wish everyone a great day and a great week! As always, feel free to contact me via e-mail, phone call
(303-866-2947) or mail me at the Colorado State Capitol, room 271, 200 East Colfax Ave, Denver, CO, 80203.
God's blessings to you,
Rep. Jim Welker
House District 51
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