Printed on 6/5/08
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Week 6, 2006
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Dear Friends,
The work that is done in committees is essential to the legislative process. It gives us the opportunity to examine issues in depth. This session I serve on two committees: Business Affairs and Labor, and Transportation and Energy. I also lead a taskforce to improve the overall efficiency of the legislature.
As our session approaches the 1/3 mark, many committees have been meeting though lunch hours and into the evenings. Public testimony regarding proposed bills is very important; it cannot be hurried. Yet on some evenings the public is at a committee hearing until past 11:00 p.m. Scheduling can be improved to enable us to serve the public better for 2007.
Loveland's Miss Valentine:
A highlight of my week was introducing Loveland's Miss Valentine to the House of Representatives. Maggie Workman, a senior at Loveland High School, is Loveland's Miss Valentine. Her mother, Lisa, and the chaperones, Chet and Jean Goodheart, were at the Capitol on Monday. Senator Steve Johnson introduced them in the Senate and I read a short speech on the House floor. Many legislators and staff members of the Capitol congratulated me for Loveland's Valentine mailing program.
Bills in the News:
I would describe this past week as your "loss of freedom week" since the primary seat belt law HB 1125, passed in the House by a 33-32 vote and the no smoking bill HB 1175, passed by a 41-24 vote.
The 4th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution says: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated" I read this amendment on the House floor. At the time our founding fathers did not include the right to be secure in our vehicles, but surely the concept of "effects" would include privately owned cars and pickups. It is simply not possible, in most instances, for police to be sure that someone isn't wearing a seat belt. So with this primary seat belt bill, we have "a green light to random stops," where police can perform random "unreasonable searches and seizures."
If this bill becomes law, citizens of Colorado will lose another freedom that is in our Constitution! By the way, 77% of the Republicans (23 out of 30) and 20% of the Democrats (7 out of 35) voted for freedom.
Smoking in a private business is along the same line. No one is required to enter the business and no one is required to buy anything there. No employee is required to work there. I recommend that those employees that do not want to work in a smoking environment look for a more suitable position. The no smoking bill mirrors the same thinking that government has the control over private property, reinforced by the recent U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on "eminent domain."
Government should not control private property. I don't smoke and I don't like to be around cigarette or cigar smoke, but smoking is legal in this country. People have the right to smoke on privately owned property. I do not want to take away their freedom.
HB 1178 Butcher (D-Pueblo), concerning the motorist insurance identification database program used to identify person who own motor vehicles that are not insured, came before the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Since the program was established in 1997, we have spent about $19 million of your dollars to tell us how many motorists are uninsured.
The Highway Patrol already has this information. They can report how many motorists are arrested and how many do and do not have insurance.
Former President Ronald Reagan once stated that a government program is never eliminated. I told the committee that I want to prove him wrong. By a vote of 7 to 6, we voted to eliminate this program. But be assured, this bill will come back, and it will be like pulling teeth to save you the $19 million!
HB 1316 by Rep. Judy Salano (D-Brighton)/Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Thornton), would force large Colorado employers to spend at least 11 percent of wages on health care. Companies with more than 3,500 employees would have to submit an annual report to the Department of Labor indicating the number of full-time employees and the amount of their payroll. If an employer fails to spend this amount, the same 11 percent would be imposed as a fine on the employer and contributed to Medicaid. Colorado companies that are affected would include: Wal-Mart, King Soopers, Centura Health, Safeway, HCA-HealthOne, Exempla Health, IBM and the University of Denver. Government agencies would be exempt. This bill is awaiting action by the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.
We heard testimony on this bill and I brought forth the fact that many of these companies, especially Wal-Mart, have good profit sharing programs with their employees. I asked the committee if we should ask these businesses to reduce or eliminate their profit sharing programs. No one said that we would. Also, it should concern the bill sponsors and those that are in favor of this bill to know that the State of Colorado only spends 5.2% of its salary dollars on health insurance for the employees. What is "good for the goose is good for the gander!"
My HB 1156 concerning increased consumer rights regarding the use of social security numbers passed out of the House by 641. I am proud that Colorado is taking the same steps as 11 other states in passing this model legislation. This bill prohibits the public display of social security numbers, reduces the use of these numbers, and requires them to be encrypted when used in the Internet. Colorado is #5 in identity theft. This bill will make a difference in this area.
Bills in the News for the Week are attached. You can also go to www.leg.state.co.us to find comprehensive information about what is happening in the legislature.
The week ahead:
On Tuesday, 2/21, nine bills will be coming before the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee concerning Illegal immigration. The meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the Old Supreme Court Chambers. I am carrying one of the bills, HB 1062, concerning citizenship data in public K-12 schools. According to what I have read, we have about 300,000 illegal aliens in Colorado. We need to find out what the costs are to our schools. Please consider coming to testify and to watch what the votes will be. I hope that this issue will be bi-partisan so that good legislation can be passed.
"This country has lost control of its borders. And no country can sustain that kind of position." - President Ronald Reagan
Please join me at a special town hall meeting:
Yeh Ling-Ling will be my guest at a town hall meeting about illegal immigration on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. in the Gertrude B. Scott meeting room at the Loveland Public Library. There will be an opportunity for questions and feedback.
Yeh Ling-Ling legally immigrated to the United States in 1980. She is the executive director of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America, a California-based non-profit. Her articles have appeared in publications such as The Chicago Tribune, Harvard Law School's The Record, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today. In addition, she has appeared on CNN and numerous talk shows.
Conclusion:
Please contact me at 303 866 2947 or send me an e-mail concerning issues that are important to you. I read every e-mail personally and I print out your comments to help me vote on a particular bill. Please feel free to visit me at the Capitol. If you let me know when you are coming, I can usually bring you on to the House floor to watch the proceedings.
God Bless America!
Rep. Jim Welker
Loveland
The work that is done in committees is essential to the legislative process. It gives us the opportunity to examine issues in depth. This session I serve on two committees: Business Affairs and Labor, and Transportation and Energy. I also lead a taskforce to improve the overall efficiency of the legislature.
As our session approaches the 1/3 mark, many committees have been meeting though lunch hours and into the evenings. Public testimony regarding proposed bills is very important; it cannot be hurried. Yet on some evenings the public is at a committee hearing until past 11:00 p.m. Scheduling can be improved to enable us to serve the public better for 2007.
Loveland's Miss Valentine:
A highlight of my week was introducing Loveland's Miss Valentine to the House of Representatives. Maggie Workman, a senior at Loveland High School, is Loveland's Miss Valentine. Her mother, Lisa, and the chaperones, Chet and Jean Goodheart, were at the Capitol on Monday. Senator Steve Johnson introduced them in the Senate and I read a short speech on the House floor. Many legislators and staff members of the Capitol congratulated me for Loveland's Valentine mailing program.
Bills in the News:
I would describe this past week as your "loss of freedom week" since the primary seat belt law HB 1125, passed in the House by a 33-32 vote and the no smoking bill HB 1175, passed by a 41-24 vote.
The 4th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution says: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated" I read this amendment on the House floor. At the time our founding fathers did not include the right to be secure in our vehicles, but surely the concept of "effects" would include privately owned cars and pickups. It is simply not possible, in most instances, for police to be sure that someone isn't wearing a seat belt. So with this primary seat belt bill, we have "a green light to random stops," where police can perform random "unreasonable searches and seizures."
If this bill becomes law, citizens of Colorado will lose another freedom that is in our Constitution! By the way, 77% of the Republicans (23 out of 30) and 20% of the Democrats (7 out of 35) voted for freedom.
Smoking in a private business is along the same line. No one is required to enter the business and no one is required to buy anything there. No employee is required to work there. I recommend that those employees that do not want to work in a smoking environment look for a more suitable position. The no smoking bill mirrors the same thinking that government has the control over private property, reinforced by the recent U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on "eminent domain."
Government should not control private property. I don't smoke and I don't like to be around cigarette or cigar smoke, but smoking is legal in this country. People have the right to smoke on privately owned property. I do not want to take away their freedom.
HB 1178 Butcher (D-Pueblo), concerning the motorist insurance identification database program used to identify person who own motor vehicles that are not insured, came before the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Since the program was established in 1997, we have spent about $19 million of your dollars to tell us how many motorists are uninsured.
The Highway Patrol already has this information. They can report how many motorists are arrested and how many do and do not have insurance.
Former President Ronald Reagan once stated that a government program is never eliminated. I told the committee that I want to prove him wrong. By a vote of 7 to 6, we voted to eliminate this program. But be assured, this bill will come back, and it will be like pulling teeth to save you the $19 million!
HB 1316 by Rep. Judy Salano (D-Brighton)/Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Thornton), would force large Colorado employers to spend at least 11 percent of wages on health care. Companies with more than 3,500 employees would have to submit an annual report to the Department of Labor indicating the number of full-time employees and the amount of their payroll. If an employer fails to spend this amount, the same 11 percent would be imposed as a fine on the employer and contributed to Medicaid. Colorado companies that are affected would include: Wal-Mart, King Soopers, Centura Health, Safeway, HCA-HealthOne, Exempla Health, IBM and the University of Denver. Government agencies would be exempt. This bill is awaiting action by the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.
We heard testimony on this bill and I brought forth the fact that many of these companies, especially Wal-Mart, have good profit sharing programs with their employees. I asked the committee if we should ask these businesses to reduce or eliminate their profit sharing programs. No one said that we would. Also, it should concern the bill sponsors and those that are in favor of this bill to know that the State of Colorado only spends 5.2% of its salary dollars on health insurance for the employees. What is "good for the goose is good for the gander!"
My HB 1156 concerning increased consumer rights regarding the use of social security numbers passed out of the House by 641. I am proud that Colorado is taking the same steps as 11 other states in passing this model legislation. This bill prohibits the public display of social security numbers, reduces the use of these numbers, and requires them to be encrypted when used in the Internet. Colorado is #5 in identity theft. This bill will make a difference in this area.
Bills in the News for the Week are attached. You can also go to www.leg.state.co.us to find comprehensive information about what is happening in the legislature.
The week ahead:
On Tuesday, 2/21, nine bills will be coming before the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee concerning Illegal immigration. The meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the Old Supreme Court Chambers. I am carrying one of the bills, HB 1062, concerning citizenship data in public K-12 schools. According to what I have read, we have about 300,000 illegal aliens in Colorado. We need to find out what the costs are to our schools. Please consider coming to testify and to watch what the votes will be. I hope that this issue will be bi-partisan so that good legislation can be passed.
"This country has lost control of its borders. And no country can sustain that kind of position." - President Ronald Reagan
Please join me at a special town hall meeting:
Yeh Ling-Ling will be my guest at a town hall meeting about illegal immigration on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. in the Gertrude B. Scott meeting room at the Loveland Public Library. There will be an opportunity for questions and feedback.
Yeh Ling-Ling legally immigrated to the United States in 1980. She is the executive director of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America, a California-based non-profit. Her articles have appeared in publications such as The Chicago Tribune, Harvard Law School's The Record, The Christian Science Monitor, and USA Today. In addition, she has appeared on CNN and numerous talk shows.
Conclusion:
Please contact me at 303 866 2947 or send me an e-mail concerning issues that are important to you. I read every e-mail personally and I print out your comments to help me vote on a particular bill. Please feel free to visit me at the Capitol. If you let me know when you are coming, I can usually bring you on to the House floor to watch the proceedings.
God Bless America!
Rep. Jim Welker
Loveland
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