| April 28, 2010, 12:35 pm
Bennet links his anti-lobbying push to stalled debate over Wall Street reforms
By Michael Booth
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet linked his push today for major lobbying reforms in Congress to the stalled effort at Wall Street reforms.
Sen. Bennet is pushing for major lobbying bans in Congress
Democrat Bennet, in a conference call with Colorado reporters, said there were "fifteen hundred" lobbyists for Wall Street interests roaming the halls of Congress. Senate Republicans and Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson blocked the Wall Street reform bill again today in a third vote.
Bennet's newest bill, for which he will now seek co-sponsors and wider support, would ban former members of Congress from lobbying — ever. It would also extend to six years the waiting period for former Congressional staffers to lobby their former bosses.
In the conference call, Bennet noted that the Republican votes aren't even on the Wall Street reform bill itself, but simply on the question of whether they start debating it. Bennet supports the bill, in addition to other measures that would prohibit Senators from taking controversial actions anonymously through "holds." Getting the Wall Street bill to the floor for debate would allow Americans to see exactly who is objecting to what reform, Bennet said.
The failure to get past a filibuster threat to a vote "shows you the dysfunction in this place," Bennet said.
He acknowledged there are longtime members in party leadership who may oppose lobbying reform and a revision of filibuster rules. But Bennet said there is a groundswell of freshmen and sophomore Senators who will push together for the changes.
Categories: National Politics, Uncategorized
News | | April 28, 2010, 12:31 pm
McInnis backs Arizona immigration law
By Karen Crummy
Former congressman Scott McInnis
UPDATE 2 p.m. | This post has been updated to reflect that Senate Bill 1070 requires police to have reasonable suspicion that a person is unlawfullly in the U.S.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis said today he backs Arizona's tough immigration enforcement law, which allows police officers to stop people on the street — if they have reasonable suspicion — to prove they're in the country legally.
"I'd do something very similar" if elected governor, McInnis said on Peter Boyles's radio show on KHOW, noting that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer who signed the bill into law was being treated unfairly. "Finally some governor stood up and said 'We are stopping the retreat.'"
Sean Duffy, spokesman for McInnis, said the candidate, who was a police officer in the 1970s for a year, supports the requirement that immigrants carry documents – a driver's license or state ID, for example – to prove their immigration status. The law does not mandate an officer have probable cause for the stop but merely "reasonable suspicion" a person is in the U.S. illegally.
Critics of the law say it will encourage racial profiling, especially against Latinos. McInnis, who has not responded to repeated requests from the Denver Post for interviews, did not address this issue on the radio, but did indicate the concerns were blown out of proportion.
"I think this governor – I know she's catching all kinds of flack – most of its unfair and most it, you know, is (playing) the race card," McInnis said of Brewer
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-congressman McInnis took to the floor to discuss "the need for profiling for the national security of this country."
In those remarks, McInnis said "we should not exclude ethnic background any more than we should exclude age or religion when we build a profile with a number of components."
News | | April 28, 2010, 11:20 am
Will the real House speaker please stand up?
By Jessica Fender
House Speaker du Jour Mike May takes the podium.
Call it Freaky Wednesday.
House Minority Leader Mike May ascended the steps to the speaker's podium this morning to serve as the "House Speaker du Jour," presiding over the body's consideration of resolutions and conference committee reports.
House Speaker Terrance Carroll, for his part, sat in the minority leader's chair and tried unsuccessfully to call a Republican caucus meeting.
So what's behind the temporary switch? One of the most senior Republicans May, who faces term limits this year, would have been a likely candidate for the speaker's podium if the parties' fortunes were reversed.
"Eight years, and he would have likely been there," said Majority Leader Paul Weissmann.
The change in status garnered May a number of new titles like "Mr. Quasi Speaker," "Mr. Whatever" and – inexplicably* – "Mr. Speaker Au Jus."
The speaker's job is tough, May said.
"I can tell you it's a lot more fun wandering around out there drinking coffee," he said. "Remembering all those Democrats' names is … I don't how you do it."
(*The inexplicable explained: Apparently, Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, one day last year accidentally referred to Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, as "Madame Speaker au Jus" when she took her turn presiding over the chamber. The next day, from the podium, the Speaker asked him how his French lessons were going.)
Categories: Colorado Legislature
| April 27, 2010, 6:21 pm
Dems give some ground on redistricting
Rep. Paul Weissmann
What was supposed to be open warfare over a Democratic proposal to alter congressional redistricting law has simmered down some after the sponsor agreed to softer language.
The legislation, House Bill 1408, passed the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday on a 7-3 vote, with one Republican, Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, supporting it.
The bill eliminates a law Republicans passed in 2003 dictating factors that a court must consider – and the order in which the factors must be considered – if the legislature fails to create a congressional redistricting plan. Those factors, and their order, are:
– Districts must have equal populations;
– Redistricting plans must follow federal voting rights law;
– Plans should, wherever possible, preserve cities and counties and not divide them;
– Plans also should try to keep "communities of interest," which can be geographic, ethnic or demographic groups, whole; and
– Districts should be compact.
The bill also eliminates language in current law that says courts cannot consider "non-neutral" factors that include "political party registration, political party election performance and other factors that invite the court to speculate about the outcome of an election."
Democrats say this last rule would prohibit courts from considering whether districts should be politically competitive. When the politically divided legislature failed to draw up a congressional redistricting map in 2001, the process went to state courts.
Republicans say the courts essentially approved a Democratic-friendly plan, one that made the 7th Congressional District around Denver highly competitive. Republican Bob Beauprez won the seat in two elections, and Democrat Ed Perlmutter has done the same.
Republicans called Weissmann's bill a Democratic gerrymandering effort that was taking neutral factors out of the law. They said that state court judges, especially those on the Colorado Supreme Court, have been partisan for the benefit of Democrats.
"We would all like to depoliticize the process," said Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs. "This is a political process not only in the legislature, but I also believe it becomes a partisan political process in the courts as well."
Weissmann said the bill was "undoing a gerrymander" rather than creating one. But Weissmann later said he'd be willing to keep factors giving the court guidance as long as those factors were not put in any order and as long as courts could still consider factors like political competitiveness.
That seemed to mollify Republicans a little.
Weissmann amended his own bill, picking up two Republican votes on adoption of the amendment but only Murray's on final passage.
The bill now can move to the full House.
Celebrate! Video jabs U.S. Senate for not passing clean energy legislation
By Lynn Bartels
When Colorado passed its clean energy bill, backers noted the state had done something even the feds hadn't been able to agree on.
A YouTube video notes that every day the U.S. Senate "waits to pass clean energy climate legislation, Iran makes an extra $100,000,000 in oil profits. $100 million to fund terrorism. $100 million to build nuclear weapons."
The video features demonstrations, the Iranian president and good old fashion American flag burning, all set to the tune of disco hit "Celebrate."
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Categories: Colorado Legislature, Economy and Business, Energy, National Politics
Springtime for Hitler: Glenn Beck takes on Congressman Jared Polis
The Nazi flag.
Glenn Beck took after Jared Polis this morning, ripping the Boulder congressman for bringing up Nazi Germany in connection with Arizona's new immigration law.
Beck and his co-host, Pat Gray, questioned why it's OK for Democrats to compare goings on with Nazi Germany, but there's outrage when Republicans do it.
Polis blasted Arizona's new law when talking to Politico.
"It is absolutely reminiscent of second-class status of Jews in Germany prior to World War II when they had to have their papers with them at all times and were subject to routine inspections at the suspicion of being Jewish," Polis, who is Jewish, told Politico.
"I fear that Arizona is headed for a police state and it really underscores the need for immigration reform at the federal level to fix our system."
Categories: National Politics, Social Policy
News | | April 27, 2010, 2:46 pm
Hickenlooper appoints Perea as safety manager
By Christopher N. Osher
Ronald Perea, once the special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office for the United States Secret Service, was named today as Denver's new Safety Manager. (Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)
Mayor John Hickenlooper today announced he is appointing the head of the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Secret Service as safety manager in Denver.
Ronald Perea, 54, previously worked as the special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for protective and investigative operations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. While in Denver, he was the special agent in charge during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Hickenlooper's appointment of Perea brings closure to the search to appoint a replacement to Safety Manager Al LaCabe, who is retiring June 30. The safety manager is in charge of running the city's police, fire and sheriff departments and has final say on discipline decisions of uniformed personnel. The effort to replace LaCabe produced an intense lobbying campaign, with various constituencies pushing differing candidates.
Before joining the Secret Service in 1984, Perea worked five years for the Albuquerque Police Department. He earned a master's degree from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor's degree from the University of Albuquerque.
Categories: Denver City Hall
House scales back enterprise zone credit
A bill that would limit an enterprise zone tax credit for the state's largest companies narrowly cleared the House today after a debate over whether the Democratic-led legislature was attacking business.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Dickie Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, would limit to no more than $250,000 a year an income-tax credit that companies with investments in enterprise zones can take. Enterprise zones are areas considered "economically distressed," but critics say that more than 80 percent of the state geographically is located in an enterprise zone, making the distinction meaningless.
To take an enterprise zone of $250,000, a company would have to be making a profit of at least $5 million, Hullinghorst said. That said, the bill would only affected about 30 of the 5,500 companies that take the credit every year, she said.
The measure still would allow big companies to take the portion of the tax credit over $250,000, but they would have to carry that amount forward for three years before taking advantage of the credit. The bill would save the state an estimated $11.8 million in 2010-11 and $24.6 million in years after that.
The bill was part of a revenue-raising package recommended by Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, to help balance the 2010-11 budget, which lawmakers already have passed. Democrats said that if the bill weren't passed, they'd have to cut $11.8 million from somewhere else in the budget.
Categories: Budget, Colorado Legislature, Taxes
Wanna cry about it? Fill out this form
House Minority Leader Mike May
Calling all legislative wimps, whiners and crybabies. There's a new complaint form just for you.
To assist those who've had their feelings hurt in the course of this year's legislative session, House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, and his intrepid aide Jerry Wheeler crafted a formal complaint form and distributed a copy to each House lawmaker Monday.
Its purpose: "To assist whiners and sissies in documenting hurt feelings, and to provide leaders with a list of members who require additional coddling, supplemental parliamentary training, and an awakening to the realities of legislative life."
The form gives whiners a series of checkoffs describing why they're filing the complaint. Options include: "I have bed-wetting issues," "I forgot to count my votes," and "I'm a wimp."
If further prompts lawmakers to "Tell us in your own sissy words how your feelings were hurt so."
May said today that he's already received a number of responses. Rep. Kathleen Curry, unaffiliated-Gunnison, offered to donate her services as a non-partisan hugger for those most hurt. And Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, groused in general about the existence of Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, a fiery opponent from the other side of the aisle.
And one prominent lawmaker – who shall remain nameless – simply crossed out the entire form and scrawled across the back "Up yours."
May said his feelings were not hurt.
| April 27, 2010, 11:32 am
Senate sidelines payday loan bill while lawmakers try to work a deal
Lawmakers are looking to cut a deal on a payday lending bill
The Senate put off initial consideration of a bill slashing interest rates on payday loans while lawmakers looked at brokering a deal on the bill.
The measure narrowly passed the House earlier this month after sitting in limbo for weeks while supporters rounded up enough votes. The current version would limit interest on payday loans to no more than 45 percent as an annual percentage rate and allow an origination fee of no more than $50 per year.
Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, handled the bill in the Senate and said it would "put guardrails" on an industry "to make sure it's not predatory."
But Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, moved to postpone the bill indefinitely, saying Romer "in fact is putting handcuffs on the industry."
White, though, withdrew that motion after several Democrats, including Sens. Linda Newell of Littleton and Rollie Heath of Boulder, indicated there was a compromise in the works. The bill was laid over until Wednesday.
Payday lenders have said the bill, if not changed, would decimate the industry and cost hundreds of jobs.
As with the House, the vote is expected to be close in the Senate.
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