[Colorado-talk] Fw: message from Scott LaBarre regarding sunset hearingof CCIBVI
Scott C. LaBarre
slabarre at labarrelaw.com
Sun Jan 22 04:32:02 UTC 2012
Reminder.
SCL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Bonderson" <lbonderson at cocenter.org>
To: "Colorado-talk NFBC" <Colorado-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 2:56 PM
Subject: [Colorado-talk] message from Scott LaBarre regarding sunset
hearingof CCIBVI
> 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.
>
>
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