Accountability Report # 4 (05/13/08)

ALL THINGS INSPIRATIONAL & GOOD NEWS
I am inspired by the deep and far-reaching beauty of red rock country in Utah where I am vacationing with my family. The energy and curiosity of my two granddaughters as they explore new surroundings require me to slow down and be very present for them. It is an adjustment, given the rapid pace of a citizen legislator, but one I do gladly and with great joy.

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I am inspired by all the mothers of the world. They work hard and nurture us. And as it turns out, around 150 years ago an Appalachian homemaker organized a day of advocacy, with mothers leading the charge, to raise awareness about poor community health conditions. They called this day “Mother’s Work Day” and thus the start of Mother’s Day in America. Fifteen years later, another woman, who authored the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," organized a day for mothers to rally for peace. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a bill making Mother's Day an official national holiday.

As for the good news, the second session of the 66th Colorado General Assembly ended on May 6 after 119 days of doing the people’s work at the State Capitol. It is good to come home and be closer to family with a little more time for tending the garden. Nevertheless, the people’s work continues, and I look forward to engaging the community to advance the achievements of the 2008 regular session.

By now, all manner of political pundits have weighed in on what the legislature accomplished or didn’t. Overall, I would rate the 2008 session with a letter grade of A- because we made reasonable progress on various critical issues, but scratched the surface for systemic and comprehensive change. Our state spending priorities reflected values that emphasize the old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We invested funds in early childhood education and development so that thousands more children will be able to attend pre-school and full-day kindergarten. On the other end of the education continuum, we invested funds to increase academic achievement and innovation, make college more affordable, and address some of our capital development needs.

On the health care front, we expanded access and quality so that many more thousands of children will have health insurance through the CHP+ and Medicaid programs, emphasizing medical homes and primary care, and getting us closer to covering all children by 2010. We increased reimbursements to medical care providers, promoted efficiencies and value, while pushing for greater accountability and transparency of private health insurance companies.

I have only touched on a fraction of our legislative achievements in the areas of education and health care and have not even addressed where we fell short and the myriad of other issues that we faced. Let me conclude this section by encouraging readers to contact me for more details. If you are interested in going beyond sound bites, let’s get together in person, by phone or through e-mail.

Read more: Accountability Report # 4 (05/13/08)