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2009 General Assembly Convenes
By Paul L. Cooke, CSFCA Executive Director
The First Regular Session of the Sixty-seventh
General Assembly of Colorado convened on Wednesday,
January 7, 2009. The Legislature will meet for a
constitutionally mandated limit of 120 days, with
adjournment sine die occurring no later than
midnight on Wednesday, May 6, 2009.
The majority and minority legislative leaders
delivered their opening-day addresses, setting the
tone for the Senate and House of Representatives. In
addition to education, transportation and
health-care issues, the leaders addressed such other
topics as protecting businesses, creating jobs and
strengthening the economy.
On Thursday morning, Governor Bill Ritter delivered his
State of the State Address.
He called for a bipartisan focus on jobs and the
economy to help Colorado weather the worldwide
economic crisis. "In this legislative session, in
this tough economy, we'll need to make tough
choices, we'll need to collaborate and listen to one
another as we chart a Colorado way forward," Gov.
Ritter said.
Gov. Ritter said his priorities this session
will be on:
·
Strengthening the economy;
·
New Energy Economy;
·
Transportation;
·
Education reform;
·
Health care reform; and
·
Balancing the state budget. Gov. Ritter has directed his
department heads and Budget Director to prepare
plans for a 10 percent, or nearly $800 million,
reduction through a combination of programmatic
cuts, cash-fund transfers and utilizing the state's
emergency reserve.
Of the several hundred bills that will cross the
desks of lawmakers this session, a number will have
fire and life safety implications or will
potentially impact local fire departments. It is
for this reason that the Colorado State Fire Chiefs’
Association (CSFCA) follows legislative activity in
the General Assembly very closely.
During the session, the CSFCA Executive Director and
Legislative Liaison review and analyze bills
introduced in the General Assembly to determine if
they have implications for the Colorado fire
service. Any bill with potential impact will be
referred to the CSFCA Board of Directors for an
official position. All bills of interest to the
fire service will be made known to the CSFCA
membership by way of legislative updates and the
Legislative Page on the Association’s website.
The Association’s success in advancing its
legislative agenda and in minimizing the impact from
other bills is dependent upon participation.
Several of your peers serve as CSFCA representatives
to other allied organizations, such as the Special
District’s Association and the Colorado Municipal
League. These individuals help carry our message to
these other groups and seek consensus on issues of
mutual concern.
How
Can You Help?
It is very important that legislators hear from
their fire chiefs on issues that affect the Colorado
fire service. For this reason, members will
periodically be asked to contact their House or
Senate member(s) and express their views on a
particular bill. When asked to contact your
legislator, please do so. Oftentimes, one vote will
make the difference between an initiative passing or
failing. Your phone call may be the one that locks
in that needed vote.
Also, in order for the CSFCA to effectively
represent you on legislative issues, we must have
your input. If you have input on any piece of
legislation please contact the Association’s
Executive Director or your regional representative
on the CSFCA Board of Directors.
Posted 01-12-09 |
