District 51 lobbyist briefs board on Colorado bills; board adopts positions later in the meeting

Summary

Contract lobbyist Amy Atwood told the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 board on March 25 that a tight state budget is slowing bill movement and reviewed several education-related bills. She recommended positions the board later adopted, including opposing a ban on student seclusion and opposing a workers’ compensation change.

Amy Atwood, contract lobbyist for Mesa County Valley School District No. 51, briefed the board March 25 on the Colorado legislative session and several bills that could affect the district and local control. “May 7 is the last day,” Atwood said, referring to the statutory end of the legislative session, and warned that a tight state budget—“we went into the year… over a billion dollars in the hole”—is slowing appropriations and shaping which bills can move forward.

Atwood told the board there are just over 500 bills introduced this year and described seven measures with local-control or fiscal implications. She summarized each bill and recommended positions the board later voted to adopt. Key items she highlighted:

- House Bill 1135 (communication devices in schools): Atwood described it as bipartisan and a district-friendly measure that requires districts to adopt phone policies…

District 51 lobbyist briefs board on Colorado bills; board adopts positions later in the meeting

Summary

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