Proposed Child Care Rules

Finding affordable and quality child care is a difficult and stressful task for many parents, especially during these difficult economic times. Unfortunately, finding child care for our children and grandchildren will get even more difficult and costly if proposed rules proposed for child care center by the Colorado Department of Human Services` go into effect.

The 98-page proposal would not only introduce sweeping, expensive changes to licensed day care centers around Colorado, but it would signal a profound erosion of the principles of limited government and the onslaught of a bureaucratic, micromanaging mudslide of regulation with significant economic consequences.

The slew of newly proposed rules from demonstrate a shift in focus on health and safety to standards that dictate every facet of child care centers, from the exact number of markers they must supply children under their care, to the number, placement, and content of pictures in a room, instead of focusing on the health and safety of our children.

The Department of Human Services` exhausting list of new rules and “one size fits all” approach risks forfeiting the diverse and innovative influences parents need to find a child care center that meets their specific needs.

Many of the changes mandated under the proposal to a center`s building structure, classrooms, playground, training, and staff requirements are not only exorbitantly expensive, but are intentionally duplicative or go beyond existing code. Simply put: many of the specifications listed in the proposal risk maintaining our state`s day care centers
economically viable. When day cares shut down, it gives parents fewer options, stress and may push children into unlicensed day care centers.

After the last round of licensing modifications, Greeley and Evans lost approximately 14 of the 24 day care centers in their area in a period of three years. Colorado loses jobs every time a child care center shuts down. However, most centers also pay commercial property taxes and sales taxes, in addition to their licensing fees. So when a center shuts down, Colorado loses both jobs and revenue while parents have a smaller, less competitive and less affordable options for their child care needs.

Proponents of the Department of Human Services` proposal point out that Colorado ranks 43rd in the nation for licensing standards by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. They argue these rule changes will help improve this score, but they neglect serious reforms that leaders in the field like Susan Bright, who operates three day care centers in Weld County and has served on state boards to set licensing rules, have recommended for years.

Bright counted herself among the supporters for House Bill 1145, which I cosponsored and Gov. John Hickenlooper signed it into law in early May of this year. House Bill 1145 required child care center workers undergo background checks before caring for our children. Unlike the proposed rules, this was solid legislation that ensures the safety of our children.

Former Congressman Bob Schaffer, R-Ft. Collins, was a legislator when the law establishing the child care centers went into effect. In fact, then State Sen. Schaffer was the author of the legislation that calls for comprehensive review of rules for child care centers. Schaffer stated that the proposed rules go beyond anything the legislature ever intended, saying:

“The law was created to protect the health and safety of children — not to specify the color of toys, how many blocks a center has, or whether enough costumes are provided for toddlers. If anything, the three-year review process was intended as an opportunity to discard obsolete, superfluous regulations, not add them.”

I encourage the Department of Human Services to recognize the fact that their proposed regulations are harmful to Colorado`s families and children.

Together, we can develop rules that protect the health and safety of our children, while respecting the needs and wishes of parents and child care centers.

Grassroots Activism

This past year has witnessed a groundswell of citizen activism that is historic. Tea Party groups, 9-12, ROAR and others are mobilizing people to be involved and express their views about the direction of our country and our state. While these groups are conservative in focus they don’t view themselves as political party groups as much as ideological groups. Some one recently made the comment to me that the direction of our nation today is exactly what the founding fathers of our country wanted to prevent. The growth of our federal government, out of control debt, intrusion and threats to personal freedoms, a disregard of the constitution, disenfranchised citizens and other issues have all created a reaction from the ground up.

Our republic depends on the active involvement of citizens. Whether that is from a commitment to our form of government or a reaction to the times in which we live it is good to see that happen. Yes, there are some downsides to over-reacting and taking stands or actions that create problems instead of solving problems. However, that is the nature of the political process and the opportunities and challenges that can arise. These groups are a reminder that the strength of our nation comes when government is viewed serving the interest of citizens and not citizens viewed as serving the interests of government.

Activism must be combined with realism and education, for there to be a positive impact and a sustained effort that brings true change. Caucus participation, voter information, voter education, voter engagement are all part of the process in Colorado. All of these dynamics will make for an interesting election year. Be involved, be thoughtful, ask and don’t assume and you will be able to navigate the maze of the coming months.

Stimulating the Economy or Rewarding the Economy

This legislative session has revealed stark differences between Republicans and Democrats regarding business and the economy. Colorado does provide significant tax credits to business and individuals for various purposes. The basic economic concept is that when businesses have more money available it encourages expansion, new jobs and business activity which in turn creates more sales and income taxes paid by individuals and businesses, thereby benefitting state revenues as well.

The current Democrat majority reflect in words and actions the view that tax credits are provided to businesses as a reward or benefit when the economy is strong and the tax revenues are sufficient to cover all the government programs. As a result they believe that in a recession businesses need to provide more money to the state to cover the cost of government. This government first approach is a significant issue and philosophical difference in economic policy that impacts legislative actions.

As one of my colleagues commented, the actions of the majority party communicate that a government job is more important than a private sector job. Now that’s something which has significant ramifications in moving Colorado forward in trying times.  The bottom line,  when the economy grows, government is rewarded with tax revenues to provide necessary services. Somehow that basic concept of economics 101 has been pushed aside.

Today’s Poll

Welcome to Chicagorado

In day with heightened concern over ID theft, voter cynicism and ACORN activism the democrats in the Colorado House believe that a utility statement and a pay stub are acceptable forms of identification for voting purposes. My bill that would have eliminated these archaic forms of ID for voting purposes was defeated this week in the House Veteran and Military Affairs Committee along a party line vote.

At a time when states are moving toward photo ID for voting, democrats in Colorado continue to bury their heads in the sand. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the validity of requiring photo ID and those states have actually reported a higher level of voter engagement since the passage of the laws.

The Secretary of State confirms the investigation of cases where people have voted more than once in an election. The reality is that the current forms of ID make it easier to vote more than once, but just under different names, which is even harder to detect. The refusal of democrats to update the current forms of ID for voting purposes with the concerns of citizens today, casts an error of suspicion. Perhaps they are vying for taking the lead in the highest number of deceased voters still active in the process.

One does not need to move to Chicago to stay active in politics after you die, Colorado dems are ensuring that right here in the mile high state. Perhaps the State Affairs Committee is better named the ACORN Affairs Committee when it comes to this issue.

Education Report

It is common to hear about the need for education reform and how poorly Colorado ranks among other states in education funding on both the K-12 and higher education levels. While the way numbers are reported need to be understood to accurately know how we are doing, we realize education funding is important and we face some significant challenges in the years ahead. That is why I was pleased to see U.S News and World Report special edition on education list Colorado 15th in the country with the percentage of schools that were ranked based on their level of achievement. While the total number of schools receiving a “silver” or “gold” award may not seem that many, it is good to know that we do have schools in  Colorado that are excelling in the educational services they offer students.

The legislature has passed some significant education reform legislation in recent years. Implementation of these news measures is taking place and we hope for positive outcomes in the coming years. In the midst of the statewide policies related to education, it is good to know that there are principals and teachers in local schools who are going about their day-to-day duties with excellence and commitment. Congratulations to those schools recognized for their efforts and outstanding acheivement.  The challenge is to learn from the best and to allow education reform to come from the grassroots up as well as the capitol down.

Merry Christmas from the Senate via Your Grandparents

The United States Senate passing a bill on Christmas Eve for the first time since 1895 took final action on their version of a national health care bill. The proponents celebrated that the bill would not increase but actually lower the deficit. Sound like good news, but where does the money come from? MSNBC online was very clear in reporting the source of the fiscal soundness of the bill:

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts the bill will reduce deficits by $130 billion over the next 10 years, an estimate that assumes lawmakers carry through on hundreds of billions of dollars in planned cuts to insurance companies and doctors, hospitals and others who treat Medicare patients.

“… The legislation costs nearly $1 trillion over 10 years and is paid for by a combination of taxes, fees and cuts to Medicare.”

So health care for others will be financed through reducing benefits to seniors on the government provided health plan. Question: have you ever heard of a doctor not accepting a new senior citizen patient because of the low Medicare reimbursement rate? Since the majority of cost shifting in medical care is due to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rate how will this work? Will the government force doctors as a condition of their ability to practice medicine to accept Medicare patients the reimbursement rate that goes with the program? If that happens what will happen to the supply of doctors and other health care providers if the cost of providing care exceeds the payment for that care?

It is obvious the ramifications of this approach will, over time, have an unknown and significant impact on the future of health care and the individual lives of our seniors, which by the way are growing in numbers.

The next step in this journey is to reconcile the Senate version of health care with the House version. These bills have significant differences and it will be interesting to watch the Democrats work out the differences between the two chambers.

Medical Marijuana

One of the hot issues facing cities, the state and the upcoming legislative session will be medical marijuana. As the policies are examanined on this issue, it is vital for voter intent to be examined and upheld. Many would like to see this as a backdoor effort to legal what still is a type 1 substance in federal law. Much of the discussion on this issue has seemed to avoid the basic premise of what the law says and how it would be be implemented.

2010 Legislative Session

The 2010 legislative session will begin on January 13, 2010. After the first few days of ceremonial activities the General Assembly will be hard at work addressing key issues in the state. Among those are modifications to the current budget now an additional $40 million short of what was projected last spring. Hot on the hills of current budget adjustments will the adoption of the 2010-2011 budget. While many economists are saying that the “recession” has come to a technical end, the ramifications of unemployment and the downturn in the economy are still being felt on families and government. A priority in this next session will be to ensure that the load on families and business in the form of more taxes and fees does not continue to pile up, while we use limited resources to meet needs and support policies that promote job growth for the future.