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Citizen legislators back to work at real jobs

When the gavel fell at around 11:30 p.m. on May 11 and the second session of the 70th General Assembly of the Colorado Legislature was adjourned, I was grateful for a successful session. But there were no parties for me.

I am a sheep rancher and we make our living in 17 days in May. That 17 days, from May 5 through May 22, is when we have the majority of our baby lambs. It is a grueling time when my family works around the clock to make sure that those babies live and get a good start. My family needed my help, so I was packed and ready, and by noon on the 12th, I was working in the lambing pens in Ignacio. Colorado has a citizen Legislature where folks with real jobs, not professional politicians, serve the people. I like that and am proud to be part of it.

I had a successful session in the 120 days from Jan. 13 through May 11. The most important piece of legislation that I carried was the South Platte River Water Storage bill, HB 1256. This bill initiates a study of how much water has been lost to Nebraska in the last 20 years. The study will also evaluate storage sites, both on the South Platte and on tributaries, as well as look at the possibility of underground aquifer storage and the dredging and expansion of existing reservoirs. In the House and the Senate, in committees and on second and third readings, the vote was unanimous. The governor will sign the bill on June 9 in Denver.

I was also successful, working with a co-prime sponsor, Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver, in passing Off Highway Vehicle legislation, HB 1030. This legislation had been worked on for around eight years and had failed. I initiated an interim committee to come up with a bill. The committee met in Denver three times during the interim and came up with a bill that was doomed to fail because the State Patrol, Children’s Hospital and several counties opposed the bill. During the session, I came up with an amendment that satisfied everyone and we finally passed the legislation. The bill allows counties to require liability insurance and allows towns to designate crossings of state highways. A huge contingency of counties and cities enthusiastically attended the bill signing by the governor. I still believe that we must work to improve the law by allowing for voluntary registration and licensing of these vehicles.

I also passed HB 1083, which allowed Western State Colorado University to amend its admission standards from moderately selective to selective and to allow for a broader category of professional degree programs.

I worked hard on other issues including funding for K-12 education and full funding for Colorado highways. I will talk about other successes in future columns.

It has been an honor to serve the 59th House district.

J. Paul Brown represents House District 59 in Colorado’s General Assembly. The district encompasses La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan, Ouray and Hinsdale counties and part of Gunnison County. Reach him at jpaul.brown.house@state.co.us



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