Come See Me At Capitol;
Door is Always Open
We have moved files and other necessary items into my office at the Colorado State Capitol, and now that I am getting organized, this transition into the Senate seems a lot less daunting. I call it "my" office, but it is really an office that Sen. Andy Kerr is kind enough to share with me. I hope he likes the aroma of fresh coffee, because I will probably be drinking plenty of it!
The office number is 339 - and I feel a lot more settled now that I can provide people with that small tidbit of information. It's important for me to be able to make myself as accessible as possible, especially for the citizens of my Senate District (most of Arvada, plus the Jeffco part of Westminster). I hope you will always feel comfortable visiting me, whenever you happen to be in the building! Yes, you can drop in ... but of course, an appointment will ensure that I am available and not stuck in some committee meeting.
To make an appointment, contact me at [email protected]. You might hear directly from my legislative aide, Zachary Noriega, or from Nic Kipling, who will serve as an intern during this session. In any case, we plan to be extremely responsive, in the timeliest manner.
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The first chance for us to meet at the Capitol will be Jan. 8, when the legislative session has its Opening Day. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m., and I will have an "Open House" in Room 339 right after the ceremony, for a half hour. Come grab a cup of coffee!
Assigned to Two Committees
I have been assigned to the Local Government Committee (yay!) and Education Committee (double yay!!), so I will be particularly interested in any input you might have on those two topics. My office phone is 303-866-4840.
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I will sponsor or co-sponsor the following bills:
- Adult Education and Literacy Grant Program
- Income Tax Credit for Child Care Expenses
- Training School Turnaround Leaders
- Increase funding for the School Counselors Corps program
- Alternative Education Campuses "Wrap-around" Support for At-Risk Students
- Updates to Mandatory Reporting of Elder Abuse
None of these bills have numbers assigned to them yet. But if you think you might have a particular interest in one of these topics, please contact me for more information about it.
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In this transition to the State Senate, I am also transitioning the newsletter. So the next one you receive will have an entirely different format. As part of the transition, you might receive a newsletter with similar or even duplicate information. Please feel free to ignore that first "new" one with the repetitive information. Of course, if you don't like the newsletter with the new format, or if you don't want to receive information about the General Assembly, you may certainly unsubscribe ... but I hope you won't!
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Rachel Zenzinger
Rachel Zenzinger was sworn in as State Senator to Colorado's District 19 on Dec. 13, 2013. She served as the Arvada City Council's District 1 representative since November 2009, and she served as Mayor Pro Tem between 2011-2013. Her background is in education, where she received her master's degree in Adult Learning, Training and Development; and she is an instructor and serves as coordinator of the Master of Arts In Education Program at Regis University. She was coordinator for the Adams 12 Expelled Program, and she has worked on behalf of numerous non-profits including Catholic Charities, the Arvada Center, Ralston House and the Arvada Community Food Bank.
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If you aren't able to visit me at the Capitol, you can attend one of the monthly Town Hall sessions that I plan to conduct in conjunction with Rep. Tracy Kraft Tharp. The first one will be Jan. 18, at the usual time, 10:30 am. The location has changed from the library to Indian Tree Golf Course, 7555 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada. Our first topic will be a presentation on the state budget, and we will leave time for questions and comments. We have yet to create a lineup of topics for subsequent meetings; but we will try to focus on items of particular interest to you. Input is always welcome!
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My predecessor, Evie Hudak, traditionally held a monthly coffee meeting for anyone interested in discussing legislative issues on a more informal basis. I plan to continue the tradition, with a slight change in the date and place. We will meet at 7 a.m. on the last Thursday of every month, place to be determined. No reservation or RSVP is required - just show up and join the conversation. This month's coffee meeting will be Jan. 30.
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As you know, I have already submitted my resignation to the Arvada City Council (with much regret!), so I have no official connection to that esteemed body anymore. But people keep asking me what I hear about the vacancy on the City Council, and I can tell you that the City Council has received applications, and the deadline to submit additional applications has passed. Now the remaining six City Council members will review the applications, do some interviewing, and vote among themselves to select a replacement. I will leave it to the city to publicize the names of candidates; but I am sure my successor will be topnotch!
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