Colorado

In Remarks, Bennet Tells Story of Colorado Man Denied Coverage Because His Wife Was Pregnant - Even Though She Had Her Own Insurance

November 5, 2009 -- Urging health care reform that provides stability for working families, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today spotlighted the story of a Coloradan who was denied health insurance coverage because his wife was pregnant, even though she had her own insurance. Bennet said the story was an example of the absurd waste of time caused by the health insurance system and the current lack of stability for Colorado's working families.    » read more »

Nov. 3, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today congratulated four winning teams in the 2009 Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open in Denver, an event designed to find promising early-stage start-up companies that address today's most urgent energy and environmental challenges.

The winners moving to the next round of competition are: New Sky Energy (Boulder), Rivertop Renewables (Missoula, Mont.) and SunTrac Solar (Golden). A fourth company, Cool Energy of Boulder, won the regional sustainability award.    » read more »

Affordable Health Care for America Act holds massive benefits for rural Colorado

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman John Salazar released the list of benefits the Affordable Health Care for America Act is estimated to bring to the 3rd Congressional District of Colorado. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday, October 29. The analysis was compiled from data by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, the House Committee on Ways and Means and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Last week, in a statement announcing his support for the health care reform bill, Congressman Salazar said:    » read more »

Nov. 2, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today submitted a $1.03 billion Fiscal Year 2010-11 transportation budget proposal to the legislature's Joint Budget Committee, a 6 percent increase from this year's $973.5 million.

Colorado's new FASTER law is fueling the much-needed increase, generating an estimated $160.6 million for the state's FY10-11 budget for bridge and roadway repair and safety work. An additional $61.1 million will go directly to local agencies from FASTER. Sponsored by Sen. Dan Gibbs and Rep. Joe Rice, FASTER (Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery) also will save and create thousands of jobs statewide.    » read more »

Meets With Greeley Small Business Owner to Discuss Need for Reform that Reduces Costs, Increases Competition

November 3, 2009 -- With Colorado small businesses finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with skyrocketing costs for health care coverage, Senator Michael Bennet today kept up the fight for reform that relieves small employers from the burden of rising health care costs that affect their ability to grow, compete and create new jobs.

Bennet renewed his call for reform during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where he heard about the high toll health care costs take on small businesses and how those costs affect their ability to compete.

For audio from that hearing, please click here.    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet joined their Senate colleagues late Thursday in passing the conference report for the Interior Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2010, and sending the legislation containing key funding for Colorado's national parks, forests and public lands to the President's desk. The bill passed by a vote of 72-28.    » read more »

Recovery Act Funding Will Create Jobs, Help Move Toward Energy Independence

October 27, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall announced that Smart Grid projects in Fort Collins and Pueblo will receive more than $24 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will help both cities create jobs and advance their efforts to transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system.    » read more »

10/15/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today certified the release of $84,979,841 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds to the state of Colorado. The state qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by making it easier for unemployed workers seeking part-time work and those unemployed for compelling family reasons to be eligible for benefits.    » read more »

Oct. 16, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced today the restoration of funding for the Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND) Program, which provides a monthly stipend of some $200 for food, housing and other essential services to about 6,500 of Colorado's most vulnerable residents.

To help close a $320 million budget shortfall in current FY09-10, the AND Program was slated to be suspended effective Jan. 1, 2010, for a $7.2 million savings.

"Over the past year, working together with the legislature, we've closed recession-caused budget shortfalls of nearly $2 billion," Gov. Ritter said. "We've taken great care and been guided by compassion in making surgical reductions to avoid pain where possible and preserve the safety net for those who depend on government services.    » read more »

Oct. 15, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. today announced the release of new reports that outline how funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are being used in every county across Colorado. The 64 reports can be found here and are the first of several new sources of data that will be released in the next few weeks to help Coloradans track Recovery Act dollars.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, and Congresswoman Betsy Markey announced today that Colorado State University's Sustainable Biofuels Development Center is on track to receive $500,000 in funding to help grow its efforts in research and development of sustainable techniques to produce biofuels at competitive costs.

The funding is included in the final Energy and Water appropriations bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 80-17. The House passed the bill earlier this month, where Markey supported the measure, and it now awaits the President's signature.    » read more »

Bennet Discusses How Health Care Reform Can Help Colorado’s Small Businesses

October 15, 2009 -- In a show of his leadership efforts on health care reform, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today led a group of his colleagues in back-to-back speeches to set the record straight on the myths surrounding health care reform.

Throughout the hour, Bennet discussed how no one is more burdened by the current health care system than small businesses and their employees. For example, small businesses in Colorado pay 18% more for health insurance though they do not receive 18% better health care.    » read more »

New Bill Would Establish Permit Program to Help ‘Good Samaritans’ Effectively Clean up Mines in Colorado

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall announced the introduction of a bill to help "Good Samaritans" who want to clean up abandoned mines but can't without taking on liability under the Clean Water Act. Abandoned mines are a serious environmental and safety hazard throughout Colorado and the West.

Senator Udall's bill would open up a path for community groups and others to get these mines cleaned up by establishing a permit program that would enable volunteers to reduce the pollution flowing from an abandoned mine without being exposed to full liability under the Clean Water Act.    » read more »

Oct. 13, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today announced that more than 20 state agencies and higher education institutions across Colorado have successfully submitted spending and job information to the federal government for more than $1 billion in grants and loans awarded to the State of Colorado through Sept. 30 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The state used a new centralized process at no extra cost to report more than 25,000 pieces of required data that will be made public later this month.    » read more »

Oct. 13, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today welcomed SunRun as the newest member of Colorado's New Energy Economy. SunRun offers homeowners the opportunity to lease solar power systems, providing another way for consumers to save energy costs and access clean energy.

California-based SunRun is expanding its business to Colorado as a direct outgrowth of the passage of Senate Bill 51, signed by Gov. Ritter on Earth Day 2009. SB 51 allows solar companies to build rooftop systems that homeowners can lease instead of own, dramatically reducing upfront costs for consumers and creating a new marketplace and job expansion for solar installers.    » read more »