Colorado

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 »

Join Bipartisan Group to Introduce New Legislation Prohibiting Interest from Accruing on Student Loans for Active- Duty Service Members; Bill Would Save Average Service Member Between $1,183 - $1,479

October 13, 2009 -- Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing legislation that provides immediate student loan debt relief to active-duty service soldiers and members of the National Guard. Bennet, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Pension and Labor Committee (HELP), vowed to push for the bill in the committee.    » read more »

Oct. 7, 2009 -- Many Colorado state government offices will be closed Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, the second of four closure days in 2009, to help keep the state budget balanced during the economic recession. State offices also will be closed Monday in observance of Columbus Day.

State driver's license offices, the Department of Public Health and Environment's vital records office, state history museums, and administrative offices for executive branch departments will be among the facilities closed Friday, with about 15,500 employees on unpaid furlough.    » read more »

Senate Passage of Defense Bill Will Help Ensure Government Can Destroy Weapons by Congressionally Mandated Date of 2017

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that they have joined the Senate in approving a bill that includes $154.4 million for weapons destruction at Pueblo Chemical Depot. The funding, which was included in the bipartisan Department of Defense Appropriations bill, will help the federal government stay on track to destroy the chemical weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot by the congressionally mandated date of 2017. The bill passed Tuesday evening by a vote of 93-7.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 10/01/2009 - Jane Danowitz, director of the Pew Environment Group's U.S. public lands program, today issued the following statement regarding the 200,000 messages that will be sent to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and the Obama administration calling for the national forest roadless areas in the state to receive the same protection as provided by the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation rule.

"Colorado's roadless plan sells its national forests and the public short. By opening up the state's best backcountry to new road construction, oil and gas development and coal mining, Colorado is denying future generations an opportunity to enjoy these treasured landscapes.    » read more »

Bennet Joins Udall to Continue Push for Meaningful Health Care Reform; Highlights Colorado's Transitions of Care Model, Pushes to Improve Patient Care & Lower Health Care Costs

October 1, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado and member of the Senate HELP Committee, today joined Senator Mark Udall in a continued effort to highlight the importance of passing meaningful health care reform for working families and small businesses.

In his remarks, Bennet laid out the need for reform that lowers costs and improves patient outcomes, reduces costly hospital readmissions by building upon a successful model for transitions of care pioneered in Colorado, and bends the health care cost curve in a way that will put Washington and the country on a sounder fiscal footing.    » read more »

Oct. 2, 2009 -- In a letter to congressional leadership, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and 21 other governors are urging federal lawmakers to adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year to provide families and businesses with much-needed security and stability.

"We commend you and your colleagues for provisions included in your bills that will help states and territories," the governors wrote to congressional leaders yesterday. "Many of the provisions will allow states and territories to achieve long term savings and help cover those who currently go without health coverage. We recognize that health reform is a shared responsibility and everyone, including state governments, needs to partner to reform our broken health care system."    » read more »