 Wow! I had great response to my last newsletter. Over 100 people took the time to answer the question, "If you could make one Colorado law, or change and existing law, what would it be?" The responses covered a broad spectrum of issues and have given the Senate's policy shop plenty to talk about. If you didn't have an opportunity, or if you have a new/different idea, you can still submit it by clicking here. As we head into the 2010 legislative session we're going to need all the help we can get and the best ideas come from you. A couple things came up last week that I wanted to pass along. They aren't earth shattering, but informative none-the-less. Take a look: H1N1 The Health Care Task Force received a briefing from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) on H1N1. It was about a 10 minute briefing and was posted to the "Statebill" website. Statebill is a privately operated website, so I make no representations about other content on their site, but the video of the Task Force's briefing is informative. To view the briefing, click here. Additionally, CDPHE has published a handout entitled: "Home Care Guide - Providing Care at Home During Pandemic Flu" in both English and Spanish. And it has generated videos, fact sheets and more on their Pan Flu website. These are excellent resources for preparing, preventing and treating both H1N1 and seasonal flu for you and your family. I recommend you check them out. www.coloradosenate.org The Democratic caucus in the Colorado senate has recently overhauled its website. The address is www.coloradosenate.org and it's a good source of information for events and activities of Colorado's senators. We post all of our press releases and invitations on it, so it's fairly dynamic. We also provide live updates via Twitter and Facebook. We try to keep it as positive as possible and stay away from political mudslinging. I encourage you to check it out. Colorado Backseat Budgeter Most people are aware that we will face significant challenges again next year as we balance the state's budget. The Denver Post ran an article recently about the Colorado Backseat Budgeter (click here to read the article). This is a website that tries to replicate the statutory and regulatory environment within which lawmakers operate, then gives the operator the ability to manipulate different funding options to balance the state's budget. It was developed through the Bighorn Leadership Institute at CSU and is a fascinating tool for learning about our budgeting process. Take the site for a spin ... Good luck! Feedback How are we doing? I know most of the media is focused on Washington, D.C. and the health care debate right now, but I'd like you to take a minute to reflect on how things are going here in Colorado and give me some feedback. What's your biggest concern? What's your biggest frustration? What are we doing right? What can we improve upon? Go ahead and click here to leave a comment. Thanks, Brandon Click here to follow me on Twitter. Click here to friend me on Facebook. |
