THEY GROWLED IT

March 14, 2003

"HJR 1022 shows a wanton disregard for both my natural urges and my now nonexistent future offspring."

Buckley, chief of morale (and Golden retriever)in State Treasurer Mike Coffman's office, in a letter to Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, regarding Pommer's proposed resolution 1022, proposing Spay and Neuter Your Pet Day

Status report

By Denver Post Capitol Bureau

Thursday, March 13, 2003 -

Committee kills bill for renewable energy
The Senate Business Affairs Committee voted 4-3 Wednesday to kill a bill mandating use of renewable energy for power generated by Xcel Energy and Aquila Inc.

House Bill 1295 would have required Colorado's investor-owned utilities to acquire about 8 percent of their electricity from wind and other renewable sources by 2010.

Opposition came from the rural electric associations, which feared that the measure would have increased costs. Supporters said the measure would have created nearly $100 million in rural economic development.

Spay-neuter day gets legislative resolution
It's a day that conscientious pet owners will mark on their calendars - and cats and dogs will come to dread.

House Joint Resolution 1022 - the Spay and Neuter Your Pet Day measure - makes its legislative debut in the House Agriculture Committee today.

Sponsored by Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, the nonbinding resolution designates Feb. 25 of every year as Spay and Neuter Your Pet Day and encourages pet owners to get animals fixed.

Bill requres school boards to know about loans

March 11, 2003

A bill requiring school boards to approve requests for no-interest loans from the state is on its way to Gov. Bill Owens' desk.

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1032 on Monday.

The bill, sponsored by Boulder Democrats Rep. Jack Pommer and Sen. Ron Tupa, comes in response to St. Vrain Valley's discovery of a $13.8 million budget deficit. The district borrowed money from the state through a program in the state treasurer's office, but school board members didn't know about the loans until the entire budget crisis came to light.

HB 1032 would require school board notification and approval before administrators could ask to borrow money from the state.