Show Some Love

Most of the attention and focus this past week was on the House of Representatives where four gun violence prevention bills had committee hearings packed and House members debating long into the night. But, plenty was happening in the Senate…

Valentine’s Day was my excuse to give a little love to the folks at the Capitol who, day in and day out, help me to be successful. I handed out personal notes of gratitude and my favorite treat – cinnamon suckers from Taffy’s - to committee staffers, interns, Sergeants at Arms, and aides. Not that I don’t appreciate my Senate peers but, it’s our support staff who are the unsung heros that keep our wheels of democracy turning.

An action we took in State, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee got some attention this week. Democrat Sen. Lois Tochtrop and Republican Sen. Kevin Grantham brought forward SB63, which would have expanded the state’s current Renewable Energy Standard (RES) to include the burning of waste materials. It was presented in State Affairs on Wednesday and received a full and fair hearing. After careful consideration, I voted no because I voted my values, the values that were instilled in me by the community I now serve:
• Good leadership requires a long-term vision – changing the definition of our RES for one project is short-sighted when we consider the 17,000 jobs that our new energy economy has already brought to Colorado. Yes, 17,000!
• Protect Pueblo – I would never risk the recovery happening right here in Pueblo, at Vestas. This bill represented a threat to a market that our future and the future of our children depends on.
• Environmental Conservation- the burning of waste material, such as landfill trash, is highly suspect as a renewable energy and a case was not made for awarding renewable energy credits to a resource derived from the additional burning of fossil fuels.
When the bill failed on a 3-2 vote, I was a bit disappointed that Sen. Grantham, from Canon City, and Pueblo’s newly elected Rep. Navarro-Ratzliff tried to characterize me in the media as somehow anti-Pueblo and engaging in all manner of evil as a Democrat. Come on, we can rise above partisan mudslinging, can't we? We don’t all operate from the same values but we can surely find some common ground. Pueblo (and all of Colorado) needs us to work together. We can show some love beyond Feb. 14, right?
Rep. Swerdfeger, I'm missing you!

Lions' Den

Coming out of the Lions' Den

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”  - Daniel 6:16

I am Catholic, but my struggles with the institutional Church have more recently taken me to worship at King of Kings Lutheran Church here in Pueblo. My husband Steve and I have a great relationship with retired pastor, Mark Crates, and his wife, Pegi. When we sat down to dinner at their home on Saturday night, I certainly expected a prayer. What I didn't expect was the reading of Daniel in the Lions’ Den that Mark commenced to share, replacing Daniel’s name with mine throughout. I sat in stunned silence as I listened to the words and slowly realized that Mark was referencing the town hall he had attended that morning.

It was a Pueblo West Chamber event organized at the request of Rep. Navarro-Ratzliff. The event was originally set up to be a town hall for her and Rep. Garcia. When I learned of it, I asked to be included because my town halls and community coffees are all held in Pueblo and I saw this as an opportunity to engage with constituents in Pueblo West. The first inkling I had that it wouldn't be a typical town hall was from the car traveling in front of me as I drove out along Hwy 50. The car was covered with pro-gun and pro-2^nd Amendment bumper stickers. Steve noted that they were probably headed to the town hall and sure enough, we followed them right out to the Pueblo West Library. As we walked in, folks were asking directions to the room with the “gun rally” and they were directed to the room where our town hall was set up. I had held a town hall at the Pueblo City/County Library in January to discuss public safety and community violence so I hadn't expected that this event would be dominated by those issues. It was crystal clear that, as the event got started, guns would be the prime issue no matter what else Reps. Garcia and Navarro-Ratzliff or Sen. Crowder and I wanted to share.

The Pueblo West Chamber folks were also surprised because the moderator of the event seemed unprepared for the agitated crowd and intense questioning. I was definitely on the hot seat as Rep. Garcia declared his NRA membership and commitment to uphold 2^nd Amendment rights and Rep. Navarro-Ratzliff told the story of getting a conceal carry permit with her sister and mother. I felt caught off guard, at times, and questioned again and again about specific bills that have not been introduced or only been introduced in the House.

As best I could, I explained the process of every bill being guaranteed a committee hearing: to use my time most efficiently, I focus, in great detail, on the bills (House or Senate) for which I am the prime sponsor. I don’t usually review House bills unless they pass that chamber and come to the Senate. Public testimony is only heard in committee so, if a bill is presented in a committee I don’t serve on, I don’t hear that testimony. I read and do my homework on bills that make it to the Senate for a full vote. I wasn't concerned that demanding questions were being asked of me or that questions were often yelled out. I felt it was important to explain the process and help folks adjust their expectations that legislators know the details of all 600+ bills that are introduced each session when only about half of those will be signed into law.  

That was my first lesson learned: help people to fully understand the process.  I also left that experience with a sense of how necessary it is to be prepared and understand clearly what I’m walking in to. Third, and most important, I left there knowing how important it is to clearly articulate my values. When asked about the bill that would have allowed for teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons in schools, I responded that I do not sit on the Judiciary Committee where the bill was heard and that I would have liked to hear the perspectives of teachers and administrators who came to testify. I also stated that I would have probably voted against it.

In hindsight, I wish I’d been clearer that, as a 2^nd Amendment supporter, I also believe that the 2^nd Amendment does not supersede all other rights, especially our constitutional guarantee of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Overall, it was a rough experience but one I’m glad to have had. It was a reminder of how important it is to connect with one’s values in leadership and a reminder that, often, we can find even a small piece of common ground when we do. Please know that I continue to learn how to serve you well and I am grateful for this space to process these things I learn. So, for now, it’s out of the den and on to the road ahead! 

HERE, THERE, and EVERYWHERE

 

Yesterday's community coffee!

On the first Saturday of every month, I host a Community Coffee at 304 S. Union Ave at 9am. Yesterday’s coffee brought out about 40 people and we had such lively conversations that I can hardly wait until next month’s coffee. We talked about everything from health care to education to the criminal justice system to state parks. It was really incredible and I loved that there were such a wide variety people present from regular attendees to newcomers. Join us next month – who knows what we might be talking about? But, it’s sure to be interesting!

 

 

Talking about my mom on Go Red Day

#GoRed  Check out the #GoRed hashtags on my Twitter feed (@SenGiron)! It was Nat’l Wear Red Day on February 1^st and the whole month is designated American Heart Month – so says a joint Senate/House resolution I sponsored with Reps. Rhonda Fields and Perry Buck on Friday. I made some remarks about heart disease being a particular area of concern for women, with about 8,000,000 women in the U.S. living with heart disease, yet only 1 in 5 women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat. I mentioned my mother, who died of heart disease 20 years ago and all the symptoms specific to women that are indicators of heart disease. In the 10 years since Americans started “going red,” we have been able to reduce the number of women dying from heart disease by 21%. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., accounting for 40% of all deaths and costing hundreds of billions of dollars each year in health care services, meds, and lost productivity. 

PAACO  The PAACO (Pueblo African-American Concern Organization) folks sure know how to throw a party! Their annual dinner raises money for college scholarships and this year, they awarded 18. Since they were founded in 1992, PAACO has helped more than 300 students attend college. I especially enjoyed the jazz music of Carlos Crull.

MT CARMEL BREAKFAST  I look forward to the first Sunday of every month because it means eating breakfast at Mt. Carmel Parish with friends and neighbors. I never know who I might run into and I wake up thinking about which delicious homemade breakfast plate I’m gonna choose. This week, I ran in to Art and Veronica Urbina and ate a big bowl of menudo. Art and Veronica are the parents of Chris Urbina, Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE). There are so many incredible connections to Pueblo all throughout the Capitol and our state government. I can’t wait to see Dr. Urbina at the Capitol and showing him my great picture with his parents. I talked and laughed and visited for nearly two hours with a huge table of friends, including the Markuson-DiPrince family, the Trujillo’s, and the Sanchez-Tucker family. That breakfast is a Pueblo mainstay and is served every first Sunday from 8am-1pm. Steve’s favorite is the long table of homemade pies, cakes, donuts, and other desserts. I’m already regretting that I didn’t buy a whole Valentine cake to take back to Denver.

DROPOUT RECOVERY PROGRAMS  This week, I took my second trip of the session to the Senate Education Committee. It was much less controversial than the first go-around with ASSET. I was moving forward SB31, a follow up piece to a bill I sponsored last year that allowed for the partnership of School Districts and Community Colleges to do dropout recovery work. In the two years that I’ve worked on this, I have been so moved by the students I’ve met here in Pueblo and those who have testified in favor of the bills. Drop out recovery helps us provide resources and support where they’re critically needed. I am reminded again and again in this, my third year, that the work of good legislation isn’t always contained in one bill and that our public policies are living documents that must change and evolve to fit the needs of our communities. The best thing about this bill (and last year’s, too) was the unanimous, bipartisan support that carried it through!



My friend, Jackie, having her taxes done

TAX HELP COLORADO  Great resources are available for filing your taxes! I learned about them on Saturday as I toured one of the locations offering free tax return preparation to anyone earning less than $49,000 a year. The Piton Foundation has partnered with Colorado colleges to offer Tax Help Colorado, which helps families who are eligible for tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. These kinds of tax credits help move families from poverty and dependence to self-sufficiency and have long been recognized as one of the greatest anti-poverty tools in America. Economists estimate that money returned to local economies and the state from tax refunds is turned over 3 times (meaning that each dollar hits 3 different places), therefore greatly benefitting Colorado’s economy. For example, over 33 million dollars came to Pueblo County in the form of Earned Income Tax Credits in 2009. So help me spread the word! Pueblo Community College is one site here in Pueblo for FREE TAX PREPARATION January 26-March 2, Saturdays 9am-3pm and Thursdays 5pm-8pm. Go to piton.org/taxhelpcolorado to find other sites throughout the state.

Last year, over $633,000 was paid out to 306 residents who had their taxes done at PCC