New legislation passed by Colorado lawmakers takes aim at making preventive care more affordable.

The law, which took effect Friday, assures that services such as screenings for breast and cervical cancer, cholesterol levels and colorectal cancer; childhood immunizations and flu vaccines; and programs to help manage alcohol misuse and quit smoking are available at low cost to clients, even when the insured have not met their deductibles.

Focusing on preventive care is a key component of any effort to reduce health care costs. Spotting troubling medical condition early makes them far more affordable to treat, and for Colorado, a state where cardiovascular disease are the number one killer, this type of effort holds significant potential to improve the general health of the population.

In the age of Obama, it seems like Republicans’ dog-whistle politics just keep getting louder. A case in point is Republican State Senator David Schultheis of Colorado, who sent out a tweet last week comparing President Obama to the 9/11 hijackers:

"Don't for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let's roll."

“Let’s Roll” was the signal for United Flight 93 passengers trying to recapture their plane from terrorists on 9/11. The plane ultimately crashed right into the ground, at full speed. The “generous” reading of this is that Schultheis would rather see America destroyed than have a successful, Democratic president.

Of course, Senator Schultheis denies that was the comparison he was trying to make. But the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Colorado Senate both blasted the remarks, as did a spokesperson for the conservative-leaning 9/11 Families for a Secure America, who said “Let's not cheapen what happened on Sept. 11 by making random and/or ill-fated comparisons to current policy.”

This is not Schultheis’s first morally reprehensible statement. Earlier this year, when he voted against a bill to prevent AIDS transmission from pregnant women to their babies, “he said then that infected children would set examples for women against sexual promiscuity.”

Across the country, lawmakers are using new media tools like Twitter to broadcast their views, engage with constituents, and share interesting information.

But it's becoming clear that in the rush to embrace the technology, some have absolutely no idea what they're doing.

Case in point? Republicans in Colorado are racing to ban 'liberal' followers on Twitter:

Apparently the word went out over the weekend that "liberals" are attempting to "follow" Republicans on Twitter. This is being interpreted as a bad, nefarious thing, needing to be stopped, although "following" on Twitter is in most other circles considered desirable.

GOP Senator Dave Schultheis is one of the conservatives who sprung into action, telling his followers that he had blocked three "liberals" on Monday.

The issue here is visible to everyone, correct?

Twitter is designed to be a public forum. All of us 'liberals' can still view Schultheis' feed online, whether we're following him or not.

Twitter: you're doing it wrong.

As Census officials prepare for 2010’s constitutionally-mandated count of every person in America, a coalition of Colorado local governments and non-profits is preparing its own strategy to minimize undercounting in the state:

Community stakeholders are implementing several strategies they hope will produce a more accurate numerical representation of Denver. For one, the city has set a goal to have 80-percent of Denverites mail in their census form by April 1. Doing so ensures people won’t have anyone come to their door to collect the data.

Mi Familia Vota and CPC [Colorado Progressive Coalition] are in the midst of getting people, many of them bilingual, from minority and low-income groups to become census counters. The groups hope the counters and messengers will be able to emphasize to people that any information in the census will remain confidential.

We highlighted a similar outreach effort in New York back in May. Like in New York, Colorado’s effort could have significant consequences for the state over the next ten years, and it comes on the heels of severe undercounting of minorities and inner-city areas during the 2000 Census:

In the 2000 census, approximately 3 percent of the nation’s Latino community was undercounted, according to Jessie Ulibarri of Mi Familia Vota. Because the census information is used to distribute congressional seats to states, make decisions about what community services are provided and as the basis for the distribution of around $300 billion in federal funds, the undercount count resulted in fewer resources for communities that needed them, according to Ulibarri.

“When we’re undercounted, it’s something that hurts all of us,” he said.

Carlos Valverde of Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC) said underrepresented communities are often undercounted in the census, which then leads to more under-representation. Valverde pointed to the fact that Latinos make up around 25 percent of Colorado but only 3 percent of the state Legislature as evidence that change is needed.

By encouraging Census participation, Colorado and other states can help secure their fair share of federal funding and make sure their residents receive fair representation. With its rapid growth and demographic changes, this Census will likely reveal a very different Colorado than we saw in 2000; hopefully, with the help of grassroots efforts, the coming Census snapshot of Colorado will be more accurate than it was in 2000.

Yesterday was Colorado Senate President and DLCC board member Peter Groff’s last day in the Colorado Senate. With the end of legislative session, Sen. Groff will be resigning his seat to accept a high-level appointment in President Obama’s Department of Education.

Before he left, he urged his fellow senators to pass a bill repealing the death penalty in Colorado. That impassioned plea -– on an emotional issue with no national consensus -– should remind all of us why we put so much effort into legislative elections; why Sen. Groff was so respected by Democrats and Republicans across the state; and why all of us at the DLCC were so proud to have him as a board member:

And here was the challenge: "We will say we did what's right because that's what we're supposed to do. This is our opportunity, yet again, to actually be the moral voice in this state, to actually rise above the politics of the moment, to rise to that one moment where we say, 'You know what, if this costs us the majority, so be it. If this costs us our seats, our titles, our gavels, so be it, because this is the right thing to do.' "

He conceded that it was easy for someone like him, from a safe seat, to make this vote. But he said this was not about saving your, uh, seat, but about "one of those moments when a leader has to rise above politics, when morality has to rise above what is safe and convenient."

It was a fitting sendoff for an inspirational legislator. The bill in question failed by a single vote –- a much closer margin than expected –- after passing the State House, also by a single vote.

Sen. Groff was clearly the right choice for a presidential appointment, and we wish him and his family well in their move to Washington.

Colorado will no longer deny state workers’ same-sex partners the health insurance and other benefits currently enjoyed by other families, under a new law passed by the state legislature Tuesday.

The bill, which now goes to Democratic Governor Bill Ritter for his signature, was quickly praised by legislative Democrats:

Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, a sponsor of the bill and one of two openly gay members of the Legislature, acknowledged that the measure would cost the state but said, "This is just the fair and right thing to do."

With this action, Colorado joins a long list of states that have moved toward acceptance of same-sex couples. While the change is not nearly as dramatic in other states, it is good to see Colorado moving in the right direction under Democratic leadership.

Colorado will soon become the third state in the country where voters will have the freedom to register to vote online.

One month ago, the House of Representatives passed HB1160:

[The bill] would allow people to register to vote, request a mail-in ballot or change their voting address online through what bill proponents say will be a highly secure website run by the Colorado secretary of state's office. The bill would not allow people to cast votes online.

The measure enjoyed sweeping support, with a final vote of 60-4.

Today, the Senate passed its version of the bill with unanimous support.

Voters in Arizona and Washington currently utilize this kind of online process, and advocates say that the system has led to higher registration numbers. Others point out that this system is in many ways more secure than the paper registrations processed in other states.

Now that Colorado Senate President and DLCC board member Peter Groff has earned a well-deserved appointment to President Obama’s Department of Education, Colorado Democrats have acted quickly to choose new leadership – effective upon Sen. Groff’s departure at the end of the legislative session.

Current Majority Leader Brandon Shaffer, representing Longview, was unanimously chosen to follow Sen. Groff as Senate President, while Colorado Springs Sen. John Morse will replace Shaffer as Majority Leader.

In accepting the appointment, Sen. Shaffer offered a tribute to the outgoing President:

Shaffer said he was "humbled" by being elected president, and he thanked Groff for his service.

"You're an inspiration to all of us, the way you carry yourself, the confidence you project," Shaffer said. "You are able to articulate the way I feel about issues, hit the right tones, hit just the right notes, when we are talking about issues that matter."

Sen. Morse, for his part, will be making history as the first Democrat from Colorado Springs ever to hold a leadership post in the State Senate. Sen. Morse’s rise in the state’s toughest Republican stronghold illustrates the broad and dramatic gains Colorado Democrats have made over the last several cycles.

Both new leaders have promised to forge a pragmatic governing style that focuses on how best to meet the needs of Coloradans. All of us at the DLCC wish them luck in their new positions.

Colorado State Senate President and DLCC Board member Peter Groff has been appointed to head the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center in President Obama’s Department of Education.

Sen. Groff, one of the state’s leading advocates of education reform and innovation, has promised to serve until the end of the legislative session before moving to Washington with his family.

The days following the announcement have been filled with near-universal praise for Sen. Groff’s leadership in the Senate and his long history of consensus-building in state politics.

A glowing Denver Post editorial noted that respect for Sen. Groff extends across the political spectrum in Colorado – including even the Senate’s Republican leadership.

In statements over the weekend, Governor Ritter and legislative Democrats expressed pride in the appointment but also sadness over Sen. Groff’s departure:

"Sen. Groff is a man of faith, and I believe President Obama and Secretary Duncan made a great choice," the governor said in a statement. "While I consider him a great partner in the legislature, I know this is a wonderful opportunity for him and his family, and I wish them the best."
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House Speaker Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, praised the appointment.

"Peter is more than a leader, more than a barrier-breaker, more than a role model: Peter's been a friend and a mentor to me and to so many African-Americans, so many Coloradans," Carroll said in a statement.

"It has been a true privilege and honor to serve with my partner in history, my dear friend and colleague. I will truly miss having his presence in the Capitol and in Colorado."

The Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Center is intended to support “faith-based and community groups, enlisting them in support of the department's mission to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans.”

Based on his success in the legislature, we at the DLCC are certain Sen. Groff will be an incredible success as the Center’s director.

We congratulate him and wish him all the best in his new role.

For nearly two years, Democrats in Colorado have worked to pass a new set of rules that would impose new environmental standards on gas and oil exploration in the state.

This week, the bill that established the new regulations cleared the Senate, and the governor has already indicated that he will sign it into law.

Republicans in Colorado opposed the environment standards strongly, arguing that the regulations will restrict business growth in tough economic times.

But as the Colorado Springs Gazette reports:

Missing from the Republican arguments was any evidence that the downturn in Colorado drilling was caused by the new rules, which go into effect April 1, or could be cured by changing them.

Even still, the Colorado Independent reports that GOP leadership plans to use this issue as a theme to hit Democrats headed into 2010.