Last week we saw a change in leadership in the Senate. Senate President Leroy Garcia officially stepped down and the Senate elected Steve Fenberg of Boulder as our new President. In his acceptance speech, President Fenberg said that he was committed to steering the Senate toward accomplishing the goals we laid out in January, and that "Together... we will deliver results for the people of Colorado."

Unfortunately, Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a gloomy shadow upon the Senate and the world. We marked the unfortunate event by unanimously passing SJR22-004, a resolution in support of Ukraine. We condemned the violent attack on the people of Ukraine and we endorsed the swift and severe economic sanctions and stringent export controls that President Biden's administration has imposed on Russia. This is a dark moment in our history. Our allies overseas are in danger and democracy is under threat. If you are interested in supporting the people of Ukraine, here is a link to an article on how you can help.

As far as legislation to come this week, I have two bills that will be heard in committee and one bill heading to the full Senate. On Wednesday, March 2 I will present HB22-1057 to the Senate Education Committee. This bill will temporarily allow retired teachers to work as substitute teachers without penalty to their retirement. Later that afternoon I will present HB22-1099 to the Business, Labor & Technology Committee. This bill concerns mandatory disclosures of third-party sellers through online marketplaces. Here is a link to a recent news segment about the bill.

Finally, I am pleased that the full Senate will have an opportunity to vote on SB22-137 concerning our transition back to standard K-12 accountabilty. The bill unanimously passed out of the Senate Education Committee last week. The bills lays out how we will transition back to our regular accountability system after several years of pandemic disruptions. Here is a link to an article by Chalkbeat Colorado with more details.

Every year we are fortunate to welcome a new group of interns to the Capitol. This year we have three interns working in our office. It's my pleasure to introduce you to our first intern. Keaton Bentley grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado is a senior at Colorado State University majoring in communications. He is also working toward a minor in political science and came to our office through the highly competitive CSU Colorado Legislative Internship program.

Keaton is not only a bright student, but he is a leader in the community as well. He is the current President and Head Coach of the CSU Special Olympics College Club. He was instrumental in the club's development and contributed to the club's recognition by ESPN as a Unified Banner School. He plans to utilize his knowledge and experience from his work with Special Olympics to assist me with several legislative bills that will aid and benefit students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including HB22-1255 Improve Higher Education for Students With a Disability.

Keaton sought an internship with our office in order to learn the inner workings of the legislative process so that he could be a positive contributor to our democracy in the future. We have already come to rely on Keaton's valuable assistance in the office and at Keaton's urging we enthusiastically participated in our first "bow tie day" at the office. After graduation Keaton plans to seek a Master's degree in Public Administration.

Polis administration releases "Roadmap to Moving Forward": The Polis administration unveiled a plan for moving forward with how the State of Colorado will deal with next steps in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Roadmap outlines steps the administration believes are necessary to maintain a level of preparedness and agility that will keep Coloradans safe and and healthy, either as it relates to the current pandemic or any future situations. Here are the four main steps the state will be taking:

Arvada Resiliency Taskforce Partners with JCMH on wellness program: The Arvada Resliency Taskforce announced plans to partner with the Jefferson Center for Mental Health (JCMH) and Mental Health Partners on a new pilot program aimed at supporing Arvada small businesses and their employees with mental health challenges. The program will offer resources and education free of charge on topics such as emotional resilience, avoiding burnout, and stress management. For more information, click HERE.

City of Westminster hosts St. Baldrick's Day event: On Sunday, March 13 join community members for the Westminster shaves St. Baldrick's Day event at the Yacht Club Salon. This "head shaving" event raises money for children with cancer. Whether you decide to shave your head, volunteer to raise money, or make a donaation, please join community members in giving kids with cancer a fighting chance at a health life! For more information, click HERE.

Senate Democratic Website: Bipartisan Senate Resolution Vow Support for Ukraine

Chalkbeat Colorado: Colorado school ratings set to resume after pandemic pause

Colorado Politics: Colorado Senate bids farewell to Leroy Garcia, elects new leader unanimously - Colorado Politics

For a full list of this week's press and videos visit rachelforcolorado.com/news.

Not a morning person? Busy on the weekends? Then 'What's Brewing at the Capitol' is the event for you! This is a casual meet-and-greet with your State Senator over a pint of beer from a local brewery. We will be meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30 pm at Kokopelli Beer Company, 8931 N Harlan St, Westminster, CO 80031. For details, click HERE.

Due to a conflict with the Jefferson County Democratic Assembly, the next town hall meeting will move to Saturday, March 26. While the location is yet to be determined, we will be returning to our in-person meeting next month. So mark your calendars now for Saturday, March 26. Once details become available, I will post them HERE.

SB22-121 Tuition Revenue Pledged by Institution Higher Education: Concerning increasing the amount of tuition revenues pledged by an institution of higher education. Passed out of the Senate 34-1.

SB22-137 Transition Back to Standard K-12 Accountability: Concerning measures related to the transitional return to standard education accountability. Passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee.

HJR-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 harmonzing the gross vehicle weight for trucks on the Interstate Highway System in Colorado with that of other state highways. Passed unanimously out of the Transportation & Energy Committee.

HB22-1057 Public Employees' Retirement Association Employment After Teacher Retirement: Concerning public employees' retirement association employment after retirement limitations. Will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, March 2 upon adjournment.

HB22-1099 Online Marketplaces and Third-party Sellers: Concerning mandatory disclosures of third-part sellers selling through online marketplace. Will be heard on Wednesday, March 2 at 1:30 pm in the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee.

For a full list of active bills, visit www.rachelforcolorado.com/capitol or the Colorado General Assembly's website.