[Colorado-talk] message from Scott LaBarre regarding sunset hearing of CCIBVI

Fri Jan 20 21:56:05 UTC 2012

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, the House Health and Environment Committee will be holding a hearing addressing whether the Colorado Commission for Individuals Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired should be allowed to sunset.  Our position, as adopted through resolution at state convention, is that CCIBVI should be sunset at the end of this fiscal year.  Below, you can read the text of our legislative fact sheet on this issue as well as the Resolution we adopted.  

It is critical that you call and email members of the Health and Environment Committee to let them know our views.  You will find a list of those members with contact info below.  Also, we need everyone who can to show up at the hearing this coming Tuesday afternoon.  It will be at 1:30 pm in the Legislative Services Building, Hearing Room A which is located at 200 East 14th Avenue, across the street from the Capitol building.  

Thanks for your attention to this message; feel free to contact me at slabarre at labarrelaw.com or 303 504-5979; see you at the Capitol; and have a great weekend! 

Scott 

House Health and Environment Committee

KEN SUMMERS, Chairman 
Colorado State Representative, District 22 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2927
E-mail: ken.summers.house at state.co.us

CINDY ACREE, Vice-Chairman 
Colorado State Representative, District 40 
Capitol Phone: (303)866-2944 
E-Mail: cindy.acree.house at state.co.us 

LAURA BRADFORD 
Colorado State Representative, District 55 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2583 
E-mail: laurabradford55 at gmail.com 

J. PAUL BROWN
Colorado State Representative, District 59
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2914 
E-Mail: jpaul.brown.house at state.co.us

RHONDA FIELDS
Colorado State Representative, District 42
Capitol Phone: 303-866-3911 
E-Mail: rhonda.fields.house at state.co.us

JANAK JOSHI
Colorado State Representative, District 14
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2937 
E-Mail: janak.joshi.house at state.co.us

JOHN KEFALAS 
Colorado State Representative, District 52 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-4569 
E-Mail: john.kefalas.house at state.co.us

JAMES KERR 
Colorado State Representative, District 28 
Capitol Phone: (303)866-2939 
E-Mail: james.kerr.house at state.co.us

TOM MASSEY 
Colorado State Representative, District 60 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2747 
E-mail: tom.massey.house at state.co.us

BETH McCANN 
Colorado State Representative, District 8 
Capitol Phone: (303)866-2959 
E-Mail: beth.mccann.house at state.co.us 

CHERYLIN PENISTON 
Colorado State Representative, District 35 
Capitol Phone: (303)866-2843 
E-Mail: cherylin.peniston.house at state.co.us 

SUE SCHAFER 
Colorado State Representative, District 24 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-5522
E-mail: sue.schafer.house at state.co.us 

DAVE YOUNG 
Colorado State Representative, District 50 
Capitol Phone: 303-866-2929 
E-Mail: dave.young.house at state.co.us

SUNSETTING COLORADO COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND

In 2007, the NFB of Colorado led the effort to create the Colorado Commission for Individuals Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired (CCIBVI).   When Governor Ritter signed H.B. 07-1274 on May 24, 2007, the Federation's hopes were high because there finally existed a high level, gubernatorially appointed state commission charged with addressing the significant barriers faced by blind and visually impaired individuals.  Nearly five years after its creation, CCIBVI has accomplished very little and it is now evident that this Commission is not the best vehicle to take on the unique barriers faced by the blind.

Because blindness and visual impairment are low incidence disabilities, proper attention is not given to the needs of this population.  The Federation urged the creation of the CCIBVI to focus attention on the significant barriers faced by the blind such as an unemployment rate exceeding seventy percent, lack of quality education and access to decent public transportation, and other relevant barriers.  The idea was for the Commission to investigate these issues and return meaningful recommendations for systematic change to the Governor and General Assembly.  

Even though the Commission was charged by Statute to meet by September of 2007, the first meeting did not actually occur until May of 2008.  The tardy commencement of Commission activities turned out to be the least of significant problems hampering the CCIBVI's ability to meet its statutory charge.  Other than turning in its annual report to the Governor and General Assembly, the CCIBVI has accomplished nothing in the way of meaningful progress.  Many priorities have been set but none met.  For example, at its first meeting in May of 2008, CCIBVI called for a Commission website to be established to deliver in one place all the resources available to the blind and visually impaired of our state.  It took over three years to establish a bare bones website which still does not provide a link to critical resources.  Even though the Commission had adopted a strategic plan at least two other times since May of 2008, it again spent thousands of tax payer dollars in the spring of 2011 to go through another strategic plan process.  The website and strategic plan issues are emblematic of the problems faced by the Commission.  

The Commission is slated to sunset by June 30th of this year and the House Health and Environment Committee will hold a sunset hearing on January 24th.  In preparation for this, the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) conducted a sunset review and recommended the continuation of the Commission.  The General Assembly should know, however, that no one from DORA contacted any of the Commissioners, the Federation, or other consumer organizations representing the blind to seek input.  The Federation wonders how such a sunset review can be considered to be thorough when it does not take into account the views of those who the Commission serves. 

In any event, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado recommends that the Commission sunset.  Failure of the Commission is due to a wide variety of issues.  Ultimately, however, it is evident that the Commission's structure and low level of funding, approximately $100,000 annually, is not suited to address the serious barriers faced by the blind and visually impaired of our state.  Eventually, a more robust solution is necessary.  The Federation understands that now is not the time to adopt a comprehensive program, given the continuing economic shortfalls faced by the State.  Nevertheless, the Federation dedicates itself to working closely with the General Assembly to adopt creative and comprehensive solutions in the future.  The Federation worked hard to establish this Commission but now admits that it is time to go back to the drawing board.  

RESOLUTION 2011-01

Regarding Colorado Commission for Individuals Who Are 

Blind and Visually Impaired and Sunset Thereof

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado worked diligently and vigorously to bring into existence the Colorado Commission for Individuals Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired (CCIBVI); and

WHEREAS, Governor Bill Ritter JR signed CCIBVI into law in May of 2007 and the first meeting of the CCIBVI did not occur until May of 2008 even though the authorizing legislation mandated a first meeting by fall of 2007; and

WHEREAS, the CCIBVI has the statutory charge of reviewing all manner of programs affecting the blind of Colorado such as vocational rehabilitation, the Randolph-Sheppard Program, and essentially all other programs affecting the blind and visually impaired; and

WHEREAS, CCIBVI possesses the duty of making recommendations and suggesting legislation to Governor and the Colorado General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, to this date, CCIBVI has not met its statutory charge due to a lack of staff, lack of appointments from the Governor's office to fill positions on the Commission, a lack of priority placed on the Commission's programs, and political squabbles on the Commission; and

WHEREAS, by law, the CCIBVI is scheduled to sunset in 2012 unless the Colorado General Assembly specifically authorizes the Commission to continue; and

WHEREAS, a sunset review process has already occurred and the Federation was not contacted for input; and

WHEREAS, the Members of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado passed Resolution 2010-02 calling for a critical examination of whether  the CCIBVI should be sunset and urging the Commission to become much more active in meeting its statutory obligations; and

WHEREAS, in the last year, the CCIBVI has done little to justify the nearly half million dollars already spent on it as evidenced by wasting time developing a strategic plan (something already done at least two other times in the Commission's short history), allowing its director to be assigned to other state entities for long period while ignoring Commission business, and by offering no tangible recommendations or legislation to the Governor or General Assembly; 

WHEREAS, the annual fiscal allocation to CCIBVI of approximately $100,000.00 can be put to much better use such as providing Braille literacy and access to technology for blind youth: Now, therefore,  

BE IT RESOLVED by The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado in convention assembled this Sixth day ff November, 2011, in the city of Denver, Colorado that we express our outrage that the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, the oldest and largest organization of the blind in the State, was not contacted to give its input during the sunset review; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the Colorado General Assembly to oppose any continuance of the Colorado Commission for Individuals Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired, allow it to sunset, and allocate the fiscal appropriations of the Commission to new programs targeting literacy and access to technology for blind youth.  