The Colorado Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 14-098, Crimes Against At-Risk Elders, my first piece of legislation introduced in the State Senate. The bill strengthens laws that protect against elder abuse, specifically making language more precise to help identify theft and other terms. 

This issue in Colorado will grow worse if we do not remedy it, as the state's elder population is expected to grow 27 percent by 2017, and 142 percent by 2032. We must advocate for at-risk elders and develop the necessary tools and laws to keep them and their finances safe. The bill now moves to the Colorado House of Representatives for consideration.

The Senate Education Committee will hear my first education bill next week, Senate Bill 14-124 (School Turnaround Leaders Development Program). The bill is designed to develop high-quality leadership for struggling schools to improve academic performance. The Colorado Department of Education will contract with an entity that offers a turnaround leadership development program and award grants to school districts.  Those grants would develop school leaders who would "turn around" low-performing public schools. 

The topic of our most recent Town Hall was the status of education in Colorado, with speakers Jane Goff of the State Board of Education and Jill Fellman of the Jeffco School Board. Thanks to them for their informative remarks. 

In collaboration with State Representative Tracy Kraft-Tharp, we engaged in a positive conversation on educational issues and talked about some relevant legislation. Our Town Hall meetings will be held on the third Saturday of every month at the Indian Tree Golf Course Club House, 7555 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 10:30 a.m. - noon. Please join us for our next Town Hall on Saturday, March 15, when we will have guests to talk to us about the state's flood and fire task force.