Colorado Spending Transparency

Another field trip for transparency supporters.  This time its to watch the verbal smack down between pro-transparency Senators including Harvey and Kopp and the anti-transparency forces.

According to our friend Natalie Menten, SB 09-057 Public School Financial Transparency Act will be debated this Friday (Feb. 6) on the Senate floor.  The Senate convenes at 9 a.m.  Natalie and her friends will be in the 2nd floor Senate Gallery. 

Natalie says “your presence does make a difference.” In fact “the Associated Press reporter wanted to know how we got so many people. Telling one friend, who tells another, gets 40+ people coming to a last minute press conference.  That’s grassroots in fine form!”

Finally Natalie offers some advice:  “Parking - for those of you who don’t want to pay $7 - $12 for parking, you can find free unlimited parking starting at 11th Ave and to the south.  The walk is only 5 minutes.  Cheaper metered parking, limited to 1 or 2 hours, is available right around the capitol.  If you’re a few minutes late, it can be a $25 ticket, trust me I know.”  COST feels your pain too! 

Remember:  No taxation without information!

Last Wednesday, transparency supporters faced their first battle when they testified in support of the School District Financial Transparency Act.  Twenty people testifed in favor. Initially it seemed as if supporters (including COST) lost because as posted earlier,  a few members of the Senate Education Committee gutted the bill.  It now suggests that public schools put their spending and revenues online in a searchable database.  Original bill language required schools to do this.  Essentially the legislation was reduced to resolution status.

According to COST sources, opponents of transparency wanted this bill killed.  They never wanted it out of committee.  While they changed the spirit of the bill, they could not deny all those who showed up to support transparency!  The bill passed out of committee because of public testimony, phone calls and emails.

According to our friend Natalie Menten, supporters of transparency are ”not done yet.”

Pro-transparency Senators will fight this Tuesday morning, February 3, on the floor of the State Senate.  Senator Ted Harvey, prime sponsor of the school district transparency act, suggested that transparency supporters pack the Senate Gallery on Tuesday morning for second reading of the bill.  He will ask supporters to stand and be recognized. He plans to fight to have the original language of the bill be reinstated.  According to friends of COST, transparency supporters plan to be in the Senate Gallery at 9 a.m. Our friend Natalie will have more information her website www.nataliementen.com.

If you would like to find out where your Senator stands on financial transparency, below is a list of email addresses and phone numbers so you can ask.
bob.bacon.senate@state.co.us,
betty.boyd.senate@state.co.us,
greg@gregbrophy.net,
bill.cadman.senate@state.co.us,
morgan.carroll.senate@state.co.us,
joyce.foster.senate@state.co.us,
dan.gibbs.senate@state.co.us,
peter.groff.senate@state.co.us,
ted.harvey.senate@state.co.us,
rollie.heath.senate@state.co.us,
mary.hodge.senate@state.co.us,
senatorhudak@gmail.com,
isgarsenate@frontier.net,
moe.keller.senate@state.co.us,
electkenkester@hotmail.com,
keith@keithking.com,
mike.kopp.senate@state.co.us,
kevin@kevinlundberg.com,
shawnmitch@aol.com,
john.morse.senate@state.co.us,
joshpenry@gmail.com,
scott.renfroe.senate@state.co.us,
chris.romer.senate@state.co.us,
nwden34@yahoo.com,
senatorschultheis@gmail.com,
gail.schwartz.senate@state.co.us,
brandon.shaffer.senate@state.co.us,
nancyspence@qwest.net,
abel.tapia.senate@state.co.us,
lotochtrop@aol.com,
jennifer.veiga.senate@state.co.us,
al.white.senate@state.co.us,
suzanne.williams.senate@state.co.us,

Our legislative briefing scheduled for January 14 has been changed due to a scheduling conflict at the Capitol.  Sorry for the inconvenience. 

We are trying to set dates so that we can address each caucus.  Also, we will let you know when the transparency legislation is assigned to a committee so that we can pack the hearing.  We need to let this legislature know that we no longer will accept being kept in the dark about how it spends our money.

Remember: No taxation without information!

Transparency on TV:  State Senator Mike Kopp and the Independence Institute’s Amy Oliver Cooke join Jon Caldara on Independent Thinking to discuss transparency.  You’ll see an impressive video clip of president-elect Barack Obama making the case for transparency and Texas State Representative Mark Strama (D) saying his transparency legislation was the “quintessential bipartisan bill.” The show airs on Friday, December 12, at 8:30 p.m. on KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Tuesday evening at 5 p.m.

Transparency legislative briefing: At the state Capitol on Wednesday, January 14 from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.  More details to follow.