As a parent of school-aged children and a teacher, the end of summer always feels bittersweet. On the one hand, I am disappointed that summer break is over--no more morning jogs or afternoon activities with the kids. On the other hand, the anticipation of beginning a new school year always fills me with excitement, and I can't help but feel a renewed sense of optimism and energy this time of year.

The pandemic tainted that "back-to-school" feeling the last few years, but I am looking forward to a more normal start this year. However, in order for "normal" to happen, the Legislature needed to step up and help our schools and students recover. We know that the future health and vitality of our state depends on a strong public school system, which is why we introduced a large number of bills focused on education last session. I personally sponsored 21 of 84 education bills introduced last session, and I am eager to see the fruits of that labor.

Some of the more significant legislation increased funding for K-12 public schools in a variety of ways. The School Finance Act increased per pupil funding by nearly $500 per student and we shrunk the budget stabilization factor to the smallest level since its inception. We also increased funding for special education, at-risk student, rural schools, school meal programs, behavior and mental health programs, and teacher preparation programs. We also boosted funding for higher education, passed a bill to allow foster students attend college for free, and improved pathways and partnerships to help ensure Colorado’s higher education institutions are preparing students for jobs in high-demand industries.

Our work is not done, however, and our schools still face many challenges--both old and new. Jeffco Public Schools, in particular, will be grappling with potential school closures in the coming years. We will be discussing the state of education and the Jeffco "Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools" plan at our upcoming town hall meeting this Saturday, August 20, so I hope you will join us. Click HERE for information.

Zenzinger Honored for Work to Prepare Colorado Students for Success: Senator named 2022 Policy Leader by Colorado Association of School Executives

BRECKENRIDGE, CO - Colorado State Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, was recently named a 2022 Policy Leader by the Colorado Association of School Executives in recognition of her work to invest in education and support students and families across Colorado.

“Senator Zenzinger is a tireless advocate for public education,” said CASE Executive Director Bret Miles. “Her work to secure significant new funding for special education will have a major positive impact on all school districts in Colorado both this year and years to come, and CASE is so appreciative of her leadership.”

A member of the Senate Education Committee and the Joint Budget Committee, Zenzinger championed several major pieces of legislation to support students and families during the 2022 General Assembly. To read the full press release, click HERE.

DENVER, CO – Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, was recently honored by Young Invincibles (YI) with their 2022 Legislative Champion award for her work to support Colorado’s foster youth seeking higher education opportunities.

During the 2022 legislative session, Zenzinger championed SB22-008, a bipartisan law which helps college-bound students who have been in foster care attend college by requiring higher education institutions to waive their undergraduate fees and tuition.

"Young Invincibles is proud to honor Senator Zenzinger as one of our Legislative Champions for 2022 for her tireless efforts towards making education accessible and affordable for young adults in Colorado,” said Sarah Staron, Policy Coordinator, Young Invincibles Rocky Mountain. “Senator Zenzinger centers the voices of the populations furthest from opportunity, and uses her power to champion greater equity for all Coloradans. Thank you for your work Senator!"

Starting in the 2022-23 academic year, SB22-008 requires the state to provide financial assistance to cover the total costs of higher education for students who have been in the foster care system in excess of what financial aid provides. To view the full press release, click HERE.

Please join us for our monthly legislative town hall meeting on Saturday, August 20 to discuss education issues. We are hosting two guest speakers: Karla Esser, State Board of Education member, and Tara Pena, Chief of Family, School and Community Partnerships at Jeffco Public Schools. Join us in person at the Standley Lake Library at 10:30 am. For details, click HERE.

New city managers selected to take the helm: Both the City of Arvada and the City of Westminster have selected new leadership to manage city operations. The Westminster City Council chose Mark Freitag as the finalist for their city manager. Mr. Freitag currently works as city manager of Janesville, Wisconsin and prior to that served in the U.S. Army. He will begin his new role in October. To learn more, click HERE. The Arvada City Council has chosen Lorie Gillis as Arvada’s next city manager. Ms. Gillis has been Arvada’s deputy city manager since 2014. She will be the first female to hold the city manager position in Arvada. She will begin serving in her new role on Sept. 26, replacing current City Manager Mark Deven, who is retiring, effective Oct. 7, after 11 years of service to the community. To learn more, click HERE.

State officials monitoring monkeypox virus: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials, is currently monitoring cases of monkeypox in our state. Monkeypox is a virus in the orthopox family of viruses. It is rare, but can be serious for people who get it;

although, the current outbreak in the U.S. has a fatality rate of less than 1%. Monkeypox can spread from person to person when someone who has monkeypox has close physical contact with someone else. People who are experiencing symptoms of monkeypox or think they have been exposed to monkeypox should contact a health care provider as soon as possible to discuss testing. For more information, click HERE.

City of Arvada to host large item drop-off: Bring your large items for discard to the City's Bulky Item Drop Off event on Saturday, August 20, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Area Athletic Complex (19500 W. 64th Pkwy., Arvada ,CO 80403). These events are included in the minimum services that Arvada customers invest in as part of the City's Waste and Recycling Program. In addition to previously accepted items, this year they are adding tree limbs/branches to the list. For more information about what is and is not acceptable, click HERE.

RTD offering free transit during month of August: Last summer, Colorado had the worst air quality in the world, which hurts our families and our state’s overall health. In an effort to address the problem, the legislature passed SB22-180 which invests $30 million into a transit services pilot project in the Department of Transportation to increase ridership on state-run transit services, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and reduce ground-level ozone. The top emitter of carbon pollution in Colorado is the transportation sector, which includes personal vehicles. Free transit has increased transit use and can help rebuild ridership. The law allocates $28 million to provide grants to RTD and other transit agencies to offer 30 days of free transit during ozone season. For more information on Zero Fare for Better Air, click HERE.

Colorado Cash Back checks are in the mail: Every Colorado taxpayer will receive a tax rebate of $750 for individuals and $1,500 for joint filers this summer. You will automatically get your refund in the mail this summer if you’ve already filed your 2021 taxes, as over 90% of our fellow Coloradans have. If you qualify and filed by June 30, 2022, then the refund will be issued by September 30, 2022. If you qualify and file a state income tax return by the October 17, 2022, extension deadline, the refund will be issued by January 31, 2023. Colorado Cashback is a one-time refund of state revenue that exceeded the TABOR limit for state fiscal year 2021-22. For more information, click HERE.

Olde Town Arvada seeking input on vision: The City of Arvada is developing a 20-year vision for Olde Town Arvada. Olde Town is the heart of the Arvada community and an important place for residents and visitors to gather, shop, dine, and socialize. In 2021 the City of Arvada was awarded funding from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) to conduct a planning effort that will make recommendations for improvements to Olde Town in order to ensure it remains a welcoming environment for years to come. Share your feedback by completing the survey questions HERE.

2022 Westminster Community Survey results: The City of Westminster recently completed a community survey on the quailty of life in Westminster. Thousands of people participated in the survey and the results were very positive. The survey, which was first mailed to a set of randomly selected residents in April and then made available to all residents online in June, garnered the most responses in nearly a decade. More than 1,000 people weighed in on City services and specific policy questions, offering their opinion, feedback, and suggestions. To view the results, click HERE.

Even though we are no longer meeting down at the Capitol every day, we continue our legislative work during the interim by participating on various committees. Here is an update on the meetings that I have attended in the last month:

CDOT Efficiency & Accountability Committee: The committee met on July 21 for the first time in nearly three years due to the pandemic. We discussed a recap of everything the legislature accomplished for transportation over the last two years, and we discussed the idea of adding maintenance into the Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise's mission, which would be a legislative change. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, August 18 at 12:30 pm. For more inforamtion on CDOT, click HERE.

Colorado Commission on Higher Education: The Commission met for its annual planning retreat July 27-29 at UNC in Greeley. CCHE is working on a new strategic plan for higher education. The plan serves as a blueprint for aligning the postsecondary ecosystem and enabling best-in-the-nation outcomes. The Commission created a working group to solicit, gather and explore new information; determine if key concepts from Colorado Rises remain relevant and a priority; and identify if further information or data is needed. The goal is to have a new plan by August 2022. In addtion to the retreat, we also had a business meeting to discuss the repeal and replacement of a policy on service areas. Our next meeting will be September 1. Click HERE for more information.

Statewide Internet Portal Authority: SIPA is a Colorado government created by the General Assembly in 2004. The purpose was to create an efficient, effective, and user friendly statewide internet portal to serve as a place where citizens can electronically access state government information, products, and services, as well as provide e-Government services to state and local governments. At our meeting on August 4 we discussed a variety of topics, including the formation of a committee to judge the submissions to our Micro-Grant program. We meet the first Thursday of each month at noon. Click HERE for more information.

Early Childhood & School Readiness Legislative Commission: The Early Childhood Commission met for the second time on July 26. We devoted our second meeting to discussing workforce issues connected to early childhood. We heard from a variety of departments and outside organizations about the challenges, including: Western Colorado Community College, CDHE, Early Milestones Colorado, UCCS, Colorado Children's Campaign, and Healthy Child Care Colorado. Click HERE to view the meeting materials.

School Finance Interim Committee: The Committee will have its first meeting of the interim on Tuesday, August 16 at 9 am at the Capitol. The committee's charge is to study issues related to school finance and consider changes to the Public School Finance Act of 1994. This is the second and final year of the two-year interim committee. Last year, the committee sponsored several key bills that made changes to our school finance act, including SB22-127 Special Education Funding and HB22-1202 At-risk Student Measure For School Finance. To view the agenda, click HERE.

SB22-008 Higher Education Support for Foster Youth: Concerning postsecondary education support for certain students who have been in out-of-home placement.

SB22-011 America 250 - Colorado 150 Commission: Concerning the establishment of the America 250 - Colorado 150 commission.

SB22-017 Fluid Milk Products Not Divisible Load: Concerning the determination that a load of fluid milk products hauled by a vehicle is not a divisible load under the vehicle weight limits permitted by law.

SB22-054 Recommend Community School for Turnaround Plan: Concerning the addition of a recommendation that a district public school be converted to a community school if the district public school fails to make substantial progress under its turnaround plan.

SB22-064 Neighborhood Youth Organizations: Concerning requirements for neighborhood youth organizations that provide services designed for the development of youth.

SB22-085 Colorado Safe Student Protection Program: Concerning creating the Colorado safe student protection program. Postponed Indefinitely

SB22-121 Tuition Revenue Pledged by Institution Higher Education: Concerning increasing the amount of tuition revenues pledged by an institution of higher education.

SB22-127 Special Education Funding: Concerning funding for special education services.

SB22-137 Transition Back to Standard K-12 Accountability: Concerning measures related to the transitional return to standard education.

SB22-142 Repeal Municipal Bond Supervision Advisory Board: Concerning the repeal of the municipal bond supervision advisory board.

SB22-144 Public and Nonprofit Entities Rideshare Contracts: Concerning the provision of transportation services by a transportation network company not in connection with a business operated for profit.

SB22-146 Middle Income Access Program Expansion: Concerning the expansion of the Colorado housing and finance authority's middle income access program.

SB22-159 Revolving Loan Fund Invest Affordable Housing: Concerning the creation of a revolving loan fund within the division of housing in the department of local affairs to make investments in transformational affordable housing.

SB22-162 Administration Organization Act Modernization: Concerning the modernization of the terminology used in the Colorado Revised Statutes relating to the organization of Colorado state governmental agencies without altering the status of the powers assigned to those agencies pursuant to the "Administrative Organization Act of 1968."

SB22-164 Correction Property Tax Disclosure Information Metropolitan District: Concerning the substitution of the word "treasurer's" in place of the word "assessor's" in a statutory provision requiring disclosure of property tax information for purchasers of newly constructed residences within the boundaries of a metropolitan district.

SB22-192 Opportunities for Credential Attainment: Concerning the creation of opportunities for credential attainment, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

SB22-202 State Match for Mill Levy Override Revenue: Concerning providing state matching money for property tax revenue collected by school districts.

SB22-210 License Supplemental Health-care Staffing Agencies: Concerning the regulation of supplemental health-care staffing agencies by the department of public health and environment.

SB22-215 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Cash Fund: Concerning the creation of the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" cash fund to be used for non federal match funding requirements for infrastructure projects eligible to receive federal funding under the federal "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."

SB22-216 Reallocation Of Limited Gaming Revenues: Concerning the reallocation of the limited gaming tax revenues for fiscal years following a significant decrease in the revenues, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

SB22-217 Programs That Benefit Persons With Disabilities: Concerning motor vehicle related programs that benefit persons with disabilities, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

SB22-225 Ambulance Service Sustainability And State Licensing: Concerning emergency medical services in the state, and, in connection therewith, creating an emergency medical services system sustainability task force and requiring ambulance services to obtain a state license from the department of public health and environment.

SB22-235 County Administration of Public Assistance Programs: Concerning county administration of public assistance programs, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

SR22-003 Single Parent Day: Concerning recognition of Single Parent Day in Colorado.

SJR22-006 Police Week and Peace Officers' Memorial Day: Concerning declaring the week of March 11-16, 2022, as Police Week, and in connection therewith declaring March 15, 2022, as Peace Officers' Memorial Day.

HB22-1009 Continue Workforce Diploma Pilot Program: Concerning continuing the workforce diploma pilot program as the workforce diploma program. Postponed Indefinitely

HB22-1031 Consumer Right to Repair Powered Wheelchairs: Concerning a requirement that a powered wheelchair manufacturer facilitate the repair of its powered wheelchairs by providing certain other persons with the resources needed to repair the manufacturer's powered wheelchairs.

HB22-1051 Mod Affordable Housing Tax Credit: Concerning modification of the Colorado affordable housing tax credit, and, in connection therewith, extending the time during which the credit may be claimed and increasing the yearly amount of credits that can be allocated.

HB22-1057 Public Employees' Retirement Association Employment After Teacher Retirement: Concerning public employees' retirement association employment after retirement limitations.

HB22-1093 Updates to Bingo and Raffles Law: Concerning the conduct of charitable gaming activity, and, in connection therewith, modernizing the "Bingo and Raffles Law" to accommodate the use of improved electronic aids and devices in the conduct of games of chance and making an appropriation.

HB22-1099 Online Marketplaces and Third-party Sellers: Concerning mandatory disclosures of third-party sellers selling through online marketplace.

HB22-1101 Public Employees’ Retirement Association Service Retiree Employment in Rural Schools: Concerning the expansion of a program that allows a public employees’ retirement association service retiree to work full-time without any reduction in the service retiree’s retirement for benefits for a rural school district that has a critical shortage of qualified individuals with specific experience, skills, or qualifications that the service retiree has.

HB22-1114 Transportation Services For Medicaid Waiver Recipients: Concerning authorizing a transportation network company to provide nonmedical transportation services to persons who are enrolled in certain medicaid waiver programs, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

HB22-1162 Motor Vehicle Digital Number Plates: Concerning authorization to use digital number plates in lieu of metal number plates on a vehicle.

HB22-1202 At-risk Student Measure For School Finance: Concerning the creation of a new measure in the public school funding formula for identifying at-risk students, and, in connection therewith, creating a working group in the department of education to implement the new measure in a future budget year.

HB22-1220 Removing Barriers To Educator Preparation: Concerning removing barriers in educator preparation to support educator candidates entering the educator workforce.

HB22-1245 Foster Youth in Transition Program Clarifications: Concerning clarifications related to the foster youth in transition program.

HB22-1248 Extend School Leadership Pilot Program: Concerning continuation of the school leadership pilot program, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

HB22-1250 Nonsubstantive Changes to Title 7 of Colorado Revised Statutes: Statutes: Concerning nonsubstantive changes to title 7 of the Colorado revised statutes.

HB22-1255 Improve Higher Education for Students With a Disability: Concerning measures to improve postsecondary education outcomes for students with a disability.

HB22-1258 Essential Services For Youth Special Districts: Concerning the creation of an essential services for youth special district in each judicial district in the state. Lost on Third Reading in the House.

HB22-1290 Changes to Medicaid for Wheelchair Repairs: Concerning changes to medicaid to allow for expedited repairs to complex rehabilitation technology.

HB22-1293 Medical Record Requests By Attorneys: Concerning the provision of medical records in the custody of a health-care facility. Laid over in the House on Second Reading.

HB22-1294 Special Education Services in Charter Schools: Concerning additional pathways to provide special education services to children with disabilities in charter schools.

HB22-1320 Achieving a Better Life Experience Savings Accounts: Concerning the achieving a better life experience (ABLE) savings program for individuals with disabilities, and, in connection therewith, modifying who may create and control an ABLE program account, preventing the state from filing certain claims against an ABLE program account upon the death of the designated beneficiary, and allowing contributions to an ABLE program account that are withdrawn for qualified disability expenses to be deducted from a taxpayer's federal taxable income for purposes of determining the taxpayer's state taxable income.

HB22-1329 2022-23 Long Bill: Concerning the provision for payment of the expenses of the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of the state of Colorado, and of its agencies and institutions, for and during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, except as otherwise noted.

HB22-1331 Supplemental Funding for Facility Schools: Concerning supplemental funding for facility schools, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation. 

HB22-1333 Increase Minimum Wage for Nursing Home Workers: Concerning an increase in the minimum wage for nursing facility employees, and, in connection therewith making an appropriation. 

HB22-1334 Food Distribution Program Administrative Fee: Concerning the collection of an administrative fee from an agency that receives commodities through a food distribution program.

HB22-1336 Streamline Processing of Judicial Department Collections: Concerning the streamlining of the processing of certain money collected by the judicial department. 

HB22-1339 Merge Department of Revenue Division of Motor Vehicles Cash Funds: Concerning the Colorado DRIVES vehicle services account of the highway users tax fund, and, in connection therewith, merging the licensing services cash fund into the account and requiring account investment earnings to be credited to the account. 

HB22-1340 Capital-related Transfers of Money: Concerning capital-related transfers of money.

HB22-1341 Marijuana Tax Cash Fund: Concerning measures to ensure that the marijuana tax cash fund is in balance.

HB22-1390 Public School Finance: Concerning the financing of public schools, and, in connection therewith, making an appropriation.

HB22-1395 Transportation Innovation Grant Program: Concerning creating the competitive transportation innovation grant program to address the public school transportation shortage. Laid over in the House in the Appropriations Committee.

HB22-1415 Repeal Registered Manager Requirement Liquor Licensees: Concerning elimination of the requirement that certain businesses licensed to sell alcohol beverages for consumption on the licensed premises register a manager of the licensed premises with the state licensing authority.

HB22-1418 Extension Of Certain Unused Tax Credits: Concerning the extension of the period for which unused and expiring Colorado job growth incentive and enterprise zone income tax credits may be carried forward to subsequent years.

HJR22-1002 Study State and Interstate Highway Vehicle Weight: Concerning a request that Congress allow the state of Colorado to conduct an analysis of and possibly move forward on harmonizing the gross vehicle weight for trucks on the Interstate Highway System in Colorado with that of other state highways.

HJR22-1006 Military, Veterans, Missing in Action/Prisoner of War Appreciation Day: Concerning recognition of military, veterans, and MIA/POW Appreciation Day.