Press Release- May 03, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007
Contact:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370
GOV. RITTER SIGNS PINON CANYON AND SCHOOL-SAFETY BILLS
Gov. Bill Ritter today signed the Pinon Canyon bill and a package of three school-safety bills into law.
HB 1069, sponsored by Rep. Wes McKinley and Sen. Ken Kester, concerns the withdrawal of the consent given by the state to the federal government for the acquisition of land within the state for military training purposes by means of eminent domain.
"The military is a very important part of Colorado," Gov. Ritter said. "It's a tremendous economic engine for our state. While the military continues to realign and close bases around the country, Fort Carson is actually expanding. There will be another 10,000 troops based at Fort Carson, for a total of 25,000 soldiers, by 2009.
"The goal for any expansion of a military base or training site must be for a win-win situation. A win for the military and a win for the community. My conversations with the Army have all focused on their desire to expand Pinon Canyon without the use of eminent domain. And that is still my hope.
"This bill will be an important tool in our efforts to stop the federal government from taking thousands of acres of private lands for the expansion of Pinon Canyon," Gov. Ritter added. "We do need to be realistic: this bill alone will not preclude the federal government from condemning private land. But it will ensure that Colorado retains as much control as possible, including concurrent state jurisdiction over any acquired lands. The bill also is an important step in assuring that state and local interests will have a seat at the table for any acquisition talks."
Gov. Ritter also signed three school-safety bills today:
SB 197, sponsored by Sen. John Morse and Rep. Jerry Frangas, provides greater confidentiality for callers to and records of the Safe2Tell school-safety hotline program.
SB 227, sponsored by Rep. Sara Gagliardi, Rep. Tom Massey and Sen. Brandon Shaffer, concerns immunity for teachers and school employees people acting in good faith to prevent a dangerous situation.
HB 1059, sponsored by Rep. Massey and Sen. Shaffer, concerns the use of capital construction funds for school construction projects to help prevent intruders from endangering children.
"The shootings at Virginia have once again, tragically, refocused our attention on school safety," Gov. Ritter said. "Here in Colorado, we will never forget the horrors that occurred at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.
"But out of tragedy can come good. And out of Columbine came the Safe2Tell hotline. Today, I'm going to sign Senate Bill 197, which will improve the Safe2Tell program by strengthening the anonymity of those who call the hotline and by better protecting the confidentiality of hotline records."
The hotline was established three years ago under a $375,000 grant from the Colorado Trust. The Trust has provided a second $375,000 grant to keep the program operating for another three years.
The hotline number is 1-877-542-SAFE.
In at least three out of our instances, kids know about potentially dangerous or violent events before they occur. But they typically don't tell anyone because there's a student code of silence, and because they're afraid.
The hotline has received more than 1,500 calls in the three years it has been operating. It has produced more than 400 positive outcomes, where something tangible was prevented, including the prevention of 19 planned school attacks, 41 suicides and the seizure of 54 weapons.
Regarding SB 227, Gov. Ritter said, "This bill clarifies that teachers and school staff who act in good faith and intervene to prevent something bad from happening should not be disciplined, sued or prosecuted. We need our teachers to feel comfortable knowing that stepping in to prevent violence from occurring is the right thing to do."
Gov. Ritter also will be signing an unrelated bill, SB 152, sponsored by Sen. Gail Schwartz and Rep. David Balmer, which concerns volunteer services by dental professionals who hold a license in good standing from another state.