Courage Classic 2010

Imagine knowing who or what organizations are giving gifts in the form or grants or donations to the state of Colorado?  Taxpayers may want to send a thank you card.  As of right now, taxpayers don’t have access to that information unless they do some serious research. 

State Representative Amy Stephens  is trying to fix that. Her legislation, HB 1178 Transparency in the Use of Grant Moneys, is a simple fix that would require all gifts, grants and donations to be disclosed.  In other words if an organization wants to pay for a state program or an interim committee, taxpayers have a right to know.  It’s just good government.  According to Rep Stephens, the bill has been amended so there is NO cost to the state to provide the information.

Sadly, but predictably the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee wants to kill the bill.  It’s been laid over until Thursday. If you want to call members and give them you want to know who and what are giving gifts, grants and donations to Colorado, I’ve provided member’s contact information below.   Also, below is a quick summary of Rep Stephen’s bill.

HB 1178

This bill directs any state agency that receives gifts, grants, and donations to make an annual report to the General Assembly. Beginning in 2011, the report will list each gift, grant, or donation received; its source and use; and its impact on the sustainability of certain programs.

Upon receipt of a gift, grant, or donation from a non-governmental entity, a state agency is to request a letter from the donor that specifies the amount, duration, purpose, and bill number, if applicable.

As of January 1, 2011, all bills that rely on gifts, grants, or donations for funding are to include a notice of funding provision. This provision directs a state agency to report to the Legislative Council when sufficient funding is received. Relevant portions of the bill may be repealed if funding is not received within 18 months. The Legislative Council is required to:

• keep a record of all bills passed during each legislative session that rely on gifts, grants,

• or donations;

• track gifts, grants, and donations received for any interim committee dependent on such

• funds to ensure sufficient funds are available; and

• track information from state agencies and make a report as of January 2013 on all bills

• that have not received adequate funding from gifts, grants, or donations, as required

• under the bill

State, Veterans and Military Affairs

Beth McCann, 303-866-2959, beth.mccann,house@state.co.us
Joe Miklosi, 303-866-2910, joe@joemiklosi.com
Carole Murray, 303-866-2948, murrayhouse45@gmail.com
BJ Nikkel, 303-866-2907, rep.nikkel@gmail.com
Mark Waller, 303-866-5525, mark.waller.house@state.co.us
Nancy Todd, 303-866-2919, nancy.todd.house@state.co.us
Jeanne Labuda, 303-866-2966, jeanne.labuda.house@state.co.us
Ed Casso, 303-866-2964, ed.casso.house@state.co.us
Lois Court, 303-866-2967, lois.court.house@state.co.us
Brian DelGrosso, 303-866-2947, brian@briandelgrosso.com
Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, 303-866-2915, dl.hullinghorst.house@state.co.us
Joe Miklosi, 303-866-2910, joe@joemiklosi.com
Carole Murray, 303-866-2948, murrayhouse45@gmail.com
BJ Nikkel, 303-866-2907, rep.nikkel@gmail.com
Mark Waller, 303-866-5525, mark.waller.house@state.co.us

Our local newspaper, the Greeley Tribune, has gone all in on the mill levy override.  3A MLO, is a massive property tax increase for property owners in Greeley Evans District 6.  

Last Tuesday, September 22, the newspaper published an opinion editorial from Randy Bangert, editor.  Bangert wrote that the Tribune is so invested in this tax increase that it will publish one editorial each day Tuesday through Saturday until October 17.  That’s 20 editorials in addition to the plethora of news column inches and slew of opinion editorials already dedicated to the pro-property tax side.

I don’t have time to respond to each editorial in a blog post, but I will respond to some.  I will respond to the others on my show.  For my full opinion on 3A MLO, please refer to my previous post and opinion editorial explaining that the real problem with District 6 is not how much but how it spends.

The following editorial appeared on Thursday, September 24.

Reason to Vote for 3A: Overcrowded Classrooms

Kay Hanson has 40 students for her Northridge High School weight class, and a safe number is 28, she said.

The room was actually relatively sparse Tuesday. A dozen students were absent. And it was the first hour of the day, so things were manageable.

“In the first hour, they’re not quite awake yet,” Hanson said.

“Burning Down The House” by the Talking Heads tried to perk up the students. Hanson gets to pick the music, and that usually means music that came out before the students were born.

Hanson also considers herself a little lucky.

“I’m probably one of the least crowded in the district,” she said. “I know of many other classes at other schools who have 50 kids or more in them.”

Officials in Greeley-Evans District 6 hope to reduce class sizes with the money that would come from the mill levy override. It’s another reason why you should vote for it.

First of all, 3A does not specifically mention class size in the ballot language, but it also doesn’t exclude it either.  Thus proving that the money can be used for whatever the district and school board want. 

Second, Northridge is hardly overcrowded.  According to the school’s most recent School Accountability Report, Northridge has a student/teacher ratio just under 20 to 1, which is a little higher than District 6 overall.  (The actual ratio is a bit tough because student enrollment numbers have been reported as low at 17,500 and as high at 18,500) The point being that Northridge certainly is not overcrowded.  If this one class is crowded maybe it is because it is popular with students and should be offered more often.

Congressman Jared Polis who has been a guest on my show seems to think that losing the Rocky Mountain News, putting 200 plus people out of a job and shutting down a voice in the public dialogue, is “for the better” and that he helped bring about the demise.  Maybe it’s because Polis didn’t like editorial page editor Vince Carroll’s criticism of him over his proposal for health care or the Rocky’s editorial opposing Amendment 41 dubbed “Jared’s law.”