I've been writing a lot lately about HB1271, Direct File Limitations, as this important legislation has moved through the legislative process in the House and Senate. Well, on Friday, April 20th, HB1271 was signed into law by the Governor. Whoo Hoo! This was a bipartisan piece of legislation that, as new law, limits the discretion of District Attorneys to charge juveniles, accused of certain crimes, as adults. Now, in some circumstances, a District Court judge will be involved in that decision. Kids will still be held accountable, but provided with due process. I sponsored and worked hard on this legislation because it strikes the proper balance between the prosecutors' ability to recommend that certain teenagers be tried as adults with the right of youthful defendants to have a judge make the final determination following a court hearing. This bill recognizes the large body of research showing that prosecuting teens as adults makes it less likely they will be rehabilitated and become productive members of society. There have been so many folks who have worked hard on some form of this legislation since 2004 (it was vetoed by Gov. Ritter in 2008) and I was grateful to be one of the folks to take it across the finish line. It has certainly been well vetted and reflects Colorado's values of fairness and due process for all.

Yes, it's true that I skipped writing a blog last weekend. I spent most of the weekend helping Pueblo play host to thousands of Democrats from all over Colorado for the Democratic State Assembly and Convention. It was a packed weekend! On Friday, I attended the convening of 3rd Congressional District delegates in support of Sal Pace for Congress and I spoke briefly as a surrogate for President Obama. We partied all night at fundraisers and we were up bright and early for the State convening at the Events Center. At 8am we gathered for the Latino-Initiative breakfast and the day was filled with political speeches, time to visit one-on-one with party activists, and the election of DNC delegates and delegates to the National Convention to be held in Charlotte, NC the week of Sept. 3rd. My Republican colleagues tell me that the Republican State Convention, held in Denver last week, was well-attended and they have a number of contested races at the primary level. I am proud that, as Democrats, we chose to spend our money at a state facility by renting out part of the State Fairgrounds and I was thrilled to be in Pueblo!

Last Tuesday, we marked Equal Pay Day with a bipartisan resolution and I'd love to share with you the press release:

DENVER─ Today, the Senate rallied behind a bipartisan resolution sponsored by Senator Irene Aguilar (D-Denver) and Senator Angela Giron (D-Pueblo) to designate April 17 as Equal Pay Day and acknowledged the persistent problem of wage inequality. Senate Joint Resolution 35 recognizes that women and people of color continue to be paid less than their male and white counterparts for the same work, and encourages government agencies, labor organizations, nonprofits, and employers to take action. In Colorado, although more than 200,000 households are headed by women, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that working women earned only 79 percent of the earnings of working men. Disparities were even greater for women of color who were earning even less, and as women age, the pay gap continues to widen. It is estimated that over a lifetime wage disparities are costing a Colorado working women $429,000 in lost wages, impacting Social Security revenues and destabilizing families. Senator Aguilar offered the following comment on Senate Joint Resolution 35 today: "Wage inequality affects everyone because it creates injustice, hurts our economy, and negatively impacts Colorado families. This is a serious problem, but by raising awareness we can continue working to close the pay gap and ensure that everyone is compensated fairly for their work." Senator Giron offered the following comment on Senate Joint Resolution 35 today: "Although statistics show us that women are earning more degrees than men they are still not being paid as well. As lawmakers we should be working to combat inequality in all of its forms, and ensuring that people's wages reflect their performance and not their gender or the color of their skin." This legislation is sponsored in the House by Representative Laura Bradford (R-Collbran) and Representative Cherylin Peniston (D-Westminster).

Below is the full text of Senate Joint Resolution 35:

WHEREAS, Nearly forty-nine years after the passage of the "Equal Pay Act of 1963" and Title VII of the "Civil Rights Act", women and people of color continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials; and

WHEREAS, According to numbers released in 2011 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, year-round, full-time Colorado working women in 2010 earned only 79% of the earnings of year-round, full-time working men, indicating little change or progress in pay equity; and

WHEREAS, Over 208,000 households in Colorado are headed by women, and nationally about one-third of employed mothers are the sole bread winners for their families; and

WHEREAS, According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 women of color experienced even greater pay disparities, with Colorado African-American women earning only 65% and Colorado Latinas earning only 56% of the earnings of the highest wage earners; and

WHEREAS, Men of color also experience disparities when their pay is compared to that of the highest earners; and

WHEREAS, As women get older, the pay gap widens significantly; according to the American Association of University Women, one year after graduating college women earn only 80% of what their male counterparts earn, and ten years after graduation women earn only 69% of what men earn; and

WHEREAS, Over a working lifetime, wage disparities cost the average Colorado woman and her family an estimated $429,000 in lost wages, also impacting Social Security benefits and pensions; and

WHEREAS, Fair pay equity policies can be implemented simply and without undue costs or hardship in both the public and private sectors; and

WHEREAS, There exists a strong business and public interest case for pay equity; and

WHEREAS, Fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy; and

WHEREAS, Tuesday, April 17, 2012, symbolizes the time in the new year in which the wages paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly: (1) Proclaim Tuesday, April 17, 2012, to be "Equal Pay Day" in the state of Colorado; and (2) Urge governmental agencies, nonprofit and labor organizations, businesses, and individuals to take steps to implement fair pay equity policies to help close the pay gap for Colorado's women and people of color.

The budget continues to be a complex and complicated issue. I continue to learn a great deal about the process and I've taken a more active role this year in helping to shape the budget. Overall, there continues to be insufficient monies to cover all of our needs. This year, the Colorado State Budget was negotiated in a bipartisan way to ensure that state tax dollars are spent responsibly and efficiently. Yes, I'm happy that we've been able to achieve a 94% rate of support for this year's budget – it means we're working well together. But, we cannot ignore the fact we continue to seriously underfund the needs of our state in higher education K-12 education, and health care/human services (to name just a few). The Senate Majority continues to focus our efforts on supporting small/local businesses, helping Coloradoans find work, boosting our recovering economy, and working together to craft common sense solutions to Colorado's budgetary constraints. We still have a long road ahead of us...

A great way to bring additional money to higher education will be to pass the CO ASSET Bill. ASSET creates a third tier of tuition, making it possible for graduates of Colorado high schools to pay to attend state colleges and universities here in Colorado instead of taking their money elsewhere to one of the 13 other states that do offer in-state tuition rates for these same students. ASSET will be heard in the House Education committee on Monday at 1:30pm. If it passes the House Education Committee (as it's expected to), it will be routed to the House Finance Committee – of which, Pueblo's own Rep. Keith Swerdfeger is the Vice-Chair and the best chance of a "yes" vote. Contact Rep. Swerdfeger at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and encourage him to get on board to support a great business model to help higher ed! Stop by my Facebook page for updates throughout the week!

Hey Pueblo, I hope some folks are planning to head up to Denver on Saturday... On April 28th, 2012, at 9:30am, thousands of Colorado women and their family members will gather at Civic Center Park's Greek Amphitheater for a Rally to protect women's access to health care, and for the right of each woman to make her own health care decisions. State and federal legislators, musicians, poets, community leaders, and ordinary Coloradans will be addressing current legislation in Colorado and other states. Following the rally, attendees will march around the State Capitol and back around Civic Center Park to where they started.
Presenters at the Rally will include:

• Human Rights Attorney Beth Klein
• Musical Comedy by "The Raging Grannies"
• Unitarian Universalist Reverend Dr. Nori Rost
• Rosemary Harris Lytle, CO NAACP State President
• House Representatives Crisanta Duran, and Lois Court
• Award-winning Poetry Slam Artists, Suzi Q and Jen Rinaldi
• Music By The Foxfield Four (formerly the David James Band)
• State Representative and US Congressional Candidate Joe Miklosi
• State Senators Morgan Carroll, Rev. Lucia Guzman, and Betty Boyd
• State Senate Majority Leader and US Congressional Candidate Brandon Shaffer

The Rally and March have been organized by a grassroots group of Colorado women, primarily using social media, following talk show host Rush Limbaugh's personal attack on Law Student Sandra Fluke, and Foster Friess's comment that women should "put an aspirin between their knees" as a form of birth control. According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 1100 separate provisions were presented in state legislatures across the country in 2011 which attempted to limit a woman's family planning options or access to health care. Approximately 135 of them were passed and became law. I'll be there! Join me. For more information, contact Nancy Cronk at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the national website at http://unitewomen.org/unite/.

I continue to host community coffees and town halls. This last Saturday I spent time at the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast before the town hall I held in my back yard in celebration of Earth Day. My neighborhood held a clean-up at Mineral Palace Park and I joined them for a bit to thank volunteers and recognize the great work they do to keep our neighborhood park in great shape. I spent a couple hours midday with the CO WINS members and Reggie Bicha, CO Director of Health and Human Services, addressing concerns of the CO Mental Health Institute staff. Later that day, I was also able to bring Rep. Swerdfeger to a meeting with high school and college students at CSU-Pueblo to talk about the ASSET bill and its impact on our community. Even though my weekends are packed with activity, I still enjoy coming home to Pueblo and spending time with constituents and friends. We only have 13 more working days of this legislative session! Andale, pues...Let's go!!

-Angela

Growing jobs, Investing in Education, Protecting Pueblo...