GovRitterBanner

Press Release- Jun 04, 2007

OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2007

Contact:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370

GOV. RITTER WRAPS UP LEGISLATIVE ACTION FROM '07 SESSION

Governor signs military bills in Colorado Springs, rural health bills in Pueblo and an oil-and-gas bill

Ritter also vetoes one final measure Gov. Bill Ritter signed the final bills from the 2007 legislative session into law today during ceremonies in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. The Colorado Springs legislation will provide support for military personnel, their families and veterans. The bills signed in Pueblo address rural health-care needs.

The Governor also signed Senate Bill 237 (Shaffer/M. May), "Surface Development Notify Oil and Gas Operators."

In addition, Gov. Ritter vetoed SB 24, which would have created a regulation and certification program for athletic trainers. Visit www.colorado.gov/governor to view the veto message.

In all, Gov. Ritter signed 467 bills into law from the 2007 legislative session and vetoed eight. Today was the deadline for final action by the Governor.

At a ceremony outside the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Gov. Ritter signed:

  • SB 146 (Morse/Rice), which establishes a three-year pilot program in the Pikes Peak region for low-cost, mental-health services for families of veterans.

  • HB 1371 (M. Carroll/Morse), which eases eligibility rules so that families can more easily qualify for the Military Family Relief Program.

  • HB 1232 (Merrifield/Tapia), which adds a second student-count day in Fort Carson-area schools so that local school districts can apply for additional per-pupil funding.

  • HB 1200 (Liston/ Tochtrop), which creates a specialty license plate honoring those who served in the U.S. Air Force.
"The state of Colorado has a moral obligation to make sure we are doing all we can to meet the needs of our military personnel, their families and veterans, from health care to education to job training," Gov. Ritter said. "The bills I¿m signing today help fulfill those obligations."

In Pueblo, the Governor signed three health care bills:
  • HB 1022 (Butcher/Sandoval), which supports Pueblo's home-grown effort to cover the working uninsured through a new program called Health Access Pueblo, which creates four separate grant programs designed to improve rural-health care coverage.

  • HB 1101 (Butcher/Tapia), which authorizes a study to determine why health-care costs are disproportionately high in the Pueblo area.

  • SB 232 (Romer/Massey), which creates a loan-forgiveness program for doctors, nurses and other health professionals who work in rural areas for up to two years. Health-care workers are eligible for $35,000 a year in loan forgiveness.
"By offering incentives to rural health care workers, we can do a better job of delivering services to agricultural communities and other hard-to-reach areas of Colorado," Gov. Ritter said. "With all of these bills, the eyes of the state will be on Pueblo as Colorado continues down the road of health-care reform."