May 1, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 9, Issue 48 A publication of
arvadapress.com
Vaccine bill should sting a bit less
Paging through the Past
Senate passes watered-down effort to bolster immunizations By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Sheryl Jones smiles as she flips through the first volume in the three-volume collection of Harry Chrisman’s cartoons, “This is the Army, Mr. Jones.” See story on Page 15. Photo by Crystal Anderson
Board member seeks legal counsel By Crystal Anderson
canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Jeffco Board of Education Treasurer, Jill Fellman, announced she will be seeking outside legal counsel after receiving what she believes is a legally threatening email from the board’s attorney, Brad A. Miller on Thursday, April 24. The email was sent to Fellman and three individuals not sitting on the board. She said it stated if Fellman did not listen to Miller’s advice regarding
executive sessions, she would be personally liable. “His basic message was, if you don’t listen to me and take my advice you could be individually liable,” Fellman said. “He said that in his email this was a privileged conversation; the privilege belongs to the client. My understanding of the law is that the minute you include anyone other than your client on the communication you’ve broken the privilege.” The email came after Fellman voted to not go into an executive session on
two matters, the 2090 Wright Street appeal and the Jefferson County Educators Association ( JCEA) negotiations update following the declaration of the impasse. ”I was very mindful about what’s appropriate for executive session and what’s not,” Fellman said.” She is currently seeking legal counsel from a third-party source after feeling inconsistency with Miller’s practices. She said she would move forward after consulting with a lawyer on the matter.
Zenzinger focuses on economy, education By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com Working at the state Capitol this legislative session has been quite the educational experience for Sen. Rachel Zenzinger. Representing Senate District 19, which covers parts of Arvada and Westminster, Zenzinger pushes to have a positive impact on Colorado through her bills, while also taking the time to listen and learn from those around her. “I think the best legislators acknowledge that they can’t possibly know all aspects of every issue, but the best ones are willing to take the time to listen and learn,” she said. Although Zenzinger has about 10 bills she feels confident will make a significant impact, she said there are three in particular that have the most potential. Senate Bill 98, which was signed into law on April 7, helps protect elders from abuse. The bill establishes a new crime called “criminal exploitation of at-risk elders” which modifies mandatory elder-abuse reporting requirements and requires
that local law enforcement is the first to be notified, rather than the district attorney. House Bill 1079, sponsored by Zenzinger, helps make capital more readily available to businesses and has also been signed into law. The bill allows Colorado businesses to raise $5 million from limited registration public offerings, up from $1 million. Senate Bill 124, currently being heard by the House, is the School Turnaround Leadership Development program, which creates an early childhood quality incentive program to enhance early childhood education. As the prime sponsor, Zenzinger said the bill helps schools under scrutiny improve performance. “Heading into the session, I decided I wanted to focus on education, the economy, and the well-being of elders,” she said. “Coincidentally, they all begin with the letter E, so it became a sort of rallying cry, to improve the three E’s. Of course, my professional background is in education, so I felt like I could have the biggest impact there.”
Sen. Rachel Zenzinger To keep up with the hectic schedule at the Statehouse, Zenzinger relies heavily on the overall energy in the atmosphere and her adrenaline. She said she continues to remind herself of the big picture- representing her constituents in Senate District 19. To stay connected to her community, Zenzinger hosts regular town hall meetings, coffee meetings and she attends as many com-
munity events as her calendar allows. “Sometimes members of the constituency come down to the capitol, and I have enjoyed having people shadow me,” she said. “But for the most part, I know the real people in charge, the ones I answer to, are outside the capitol, outside Denver, relying upon me to do the right thing for them at all times in the senate.”
For those who were opposed to the original language in a proposed child vaccination bill, the new version shouldn’t hurt a bit. What began as legislation aimed at increasing vaccination rates in Colorado wound up being a record-keeping access bill, with the state Senate on April 23 instead passing a watered-down version of an immunization awareness bill. The original version of House Bill 1288 would have required parents of school children to become better educated about the value of immunization before opting their kids out of vaccinations for personal or religious beliefs. Numerous changes were made before the bill made it to the Senate floor. Supporters say the bill still creates good policy because it allows parents to see vaccination records at schools and day care centers, to see how many children have received vaccinations for preventable illnesses like measles or whooping cough. That could be important information to a parent of a child with a weakened immune system. That child may not be able to receive vaccinations and would be particularly susceptible to illnesses carried by other students whose parents opted them out of receiving immunizations. “This is really a service to medically fragile children,” said state Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, a bill sponsor. Bill supporters said that by schools being required to have immunization data available to the public, parents will be able to make better decisions as to where they send their kids to school. “This bill will have an impact on the (immunization) rates and will be able to protect children from vaccine preventable childhood diseases,” said Sen. Jeanne Nicholson, D-Black Hawk. But the bill has fewer teeth than when it was introduced in the House in February. The original bill would have required parents who want to opt their children out of being vaccinated to first consult with a doctor about the benefits and risks of immunization. It would also have required an opt-out child to watch an online video having to do with immunization benefits and risks. The original legislation received bipartisan support in the House, passing that chamber on a vote of 42-19. But after the requirements that were part of the House bill were stripped away by the Senate, Aguilar said she did not have the support to get the original bill through the Senate. Many Republicans like Sen. Owen Hill Vaccine continues on Page 9
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