She spent much of 2006 traveling and campaigning, but the actual rubber has finally met the road for state Rep. Claire Levy, who was sworn in as a first-term legislator Wednesday.
Levy, a Democrat from Boulder, and the Legislature will spend the next 120 days crafting, debating, amending and voting on hundreds of bills with topics as varied as Colorado's terrain - including the budget, the natural environment, business environment, public safety, education and probably a few subjects that will be a complete surprise to some legislators.
It's not as if Levy has needed to do emergency cramming this week to learn the topics. She told the Daily Wednesday that she started formal orientation just two days after Election Day, and has spent a total of six days since the election in orientation to learn more about the budget, state revenues, various departments or resources and legislative ethics, among other topics.
Also, Levy said she has spent informal time meeting with various groups or other legislators, including through a “mentor” program in which a veteran lawmaker takes a freshman under his or her wing as necessary. Rep. Jack Pommer, also a Boulder Democrat, is Levy's mentor.
“And people have been just wonderfully available to offer formal and informal advice,” said Levy.
But the legislative “preseason” is over, and the freshman lawmaker could introduce her first sponsored bill as early as this week. Levy said she will introduce a bill that is similar to one sponsored by her predecessor, former Rep. Tom Plant, in 2006 as House Bill (HB) 06-1147.
Plant's bill would have required the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to adopt natural gas energy-efficiency and conservation targets for investor-owned utilities and would have established a bonus structure for investments in efficiency and conservation, but former Gov. Bill Owens vetoed it.
The Democrat majorities in the state House and Senate will send bills to a Democrat in the person of Gov. Bill Ritter in 2007, but Levy said she understands that any bill she sponsors could go through a period of debate and amendment before it reaches the governor's desk - if it reaches the desk at all.
Bills are assigned to a topical committee, and for example, Levy will serve on the House Transportation and Energy committee as well as the Judiciary committee. She said committees are vitally important because a committee could literally “kill” a bill before the House or Senate as a whole has a chance to debate the measure, and because committee members can offer amendments.
“In some cases, you may accept the amendments, because they may be good ideas and may make the bill better,” she said. “Or, you may accept the amendments because it's not going to pass without them - you may have to do some ‘nose-counting.'”
Levy said she is quite happy with her two committee assignments, in part because she has a strong interest in issues of transportation and energy. She has also practiced law in Denver, Boulder and the Jefferson County District Attorney's office.
“I'll have the opportunity to review any bill that has to do with transportation or energy in the state, or any bill that has to do with funding the judiciary, corrections, the justice system or public safety,” said Levy.
Even in a Democratic-controlled Legislature, a Democrat will need to reach across the aisle to Republicans, and Levy said she recently benefitted from a conversation with fellow freshman Rep. Don Marostica, a Republican from Larimer County.
Levy said she will sponsor another bill that would require cities and counties to have an energy-efficiency code included in building codes, and said Marostica is knowledgeable in the homebuilding and construction field.
“He and I talked at lunch about it, and I asked him for his ideas and input on what he thought would make a bill that the homebuilders would be able to support,” said Levy. “I'll continue to try to find people that I can reach out to and get input from on my bills.”
In higher education, Levy intends to sponsor a bill that would allow the CU Board of Regents to establish a program that would use privately-raised money to help repay student loans for CU graduates who enter public-service careers.
She also said Ritter sent a very clear message that he wants higher education to be a top priority by naming former U.S. Rep. David Skaggs as the executive director of the state's Department of Higher Education.
“I have the highest opinion of David Skaggs that's possible,” she said. “I think he's tremendously effective, very committed to higher education in general, and he knows how important CU is to Boulder and to the state as a flagship research institution.”
But Levy also said major parts of the state's budget are somewhat set in stone because of existing earmarks and what she called “conflicting Constitutional amendments,” and said higher education basically gets “what's left over after everything else is paid for.” She said she believes it will be important for state institutions to “pull on the same oar” and not compete for the finite funding, and said she thinks Skaggs will be effective as the crew's coxswain.
She will have tons of work over the next 120 days, but Levy said it's exciting to begin work in a relatively friendly Capitol. There is a bit of Boulder County flavor in Denver, since Skaggs, Plant, and former Boulder state Rep. Todd Saliman each have key positions in the Ritter administration, and Levy said she and the Democrats are excited to see what can be accomplished in 2007.
“There's just a real feeling of jubilation,” said Levy.
Contact Richard Valenty about this story at (303) 443-6272 ext. 126 or valenty@coloradodaily.com
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