Around 200 women (and approximately three men) from various organizations and backgrounds met at the Colorado History Museum early Tuesday morning for the 19th annual Colorado Women’s Legislative Breakfast. The morning began with a light meal along with an informational fair that hosted some of the 62 women’s organizations that helped sponsor the event (there are eighteen more organizations represented by the Legislative Breakfast Committee members alone). Everyone mingled and exchanged cards as the essence of synergy filled the room. Health care reform, human rights, child advocacy, education and political policies were just some of the issues the fair advocated. After everyone grabbed a cup of coffee and a seat, Denver Women’s Commission Chair and CWLB Co-chair Muriel Arvay gave a formal welcome before introducing the legislative panel.

Senator Nancy Spence (R), Senator Betty Boyd (D), Representative Amy Stephens (R) and Representative Dianne Primavera (D) took the stage for an hour to talk about the legislation they were currently working on that would help benefit Colorado’s women and girls. Senator Spence began by describing some family-friendly initiatives that included providing court services for at-risk families, allowing the 9Health Fair to be included on the income tax donation list, a Teacher Performance Incentive Program and the Innovation Schools Act of 2008. Senator Boyd spoke about her involvement with the Interim Committee for Adults with Disabilities and its Family Caregiver Act, increasing the money for grants to families with dependent adult children and also initiatives for family planning that include taking a look at Medicaid waivers while allowing the Medical Board to determine the variances in the poverty level.

Representative Stevens introduced two spouse-centered initiatives that focus on benefits for military spouses who are transferred and also addressed the need for increasing the funding available to organizations that provide services for sexually abused children in rural areas. Representative Primavera spoke about working to improve court advocacy for children, fixing the disparity of Medicaid funding among centers that provide behavioral health services, her role as a Prime Sponsor of the Autism Bill, using gaming impact funds to establish treatment for gambling addiction and accurately identifying sexually violent predators so they may receive proper treatment that will help make communities safer.

One bill that was very popular among the legislators was the Covering All Children by 2010 legislation. Senator Boyd is a Prime Sponsor of the bill and talked about how it would help streamline the Medicaid application process for children at no extra cost. She also spoke about the possibility of combining the CHP+ and Medicaid programs to make them more cost-effective (new ways to make this possible are being considered after the initial research showed the primary method would be a great cost). Senator Spence is also a Prime Senate Sponsor of the bill and serves on the Commission with Senator Boyd and Representative Stevens who praised the legislation for its call to bring transparency and reform to the Colorado Medicaid system.

The panel was moderated by Ava Chappell, legislative team leader of the Cherry Creek Business and Professional Women’s Network, whose last question regarded what women could do to make a difference in their communities and government. The unanimous response from the four legislators was the crucial necessity for women to support one another. Representative Primavera said women need to get behind their co-workers and all women at every aspect of the work tier. She also advocated for women to become more involved in campaigns to get more women elected - to bring the nurturing feminine energy to the Capitol. Representative Stevens encouraged the audience to read “In the Company of Women: Turning Workplace Conflict into Powerful Alliances” (by Patricia Heim and Susan Murphy) and also stressed how women can empower each other by being a mentor to one another. Senator Spence brought attention to the Republicans’ lack of female voices in the party and how it is detrimental in the representation of its own constituants’ viewpoints. Senator Boyd pushed the importance of women becoming legislative advocates by communicating regularly with their elected officials and, by doing so, becoming a model for their neighbors and daughters to become more involved.

After a brief question and answer session, the panel convened before CWLB Co-Chair (and national field director of The White House Project) Faith Winter introduced Keynote Speaker Don Mares. Mares spoke about his work with the Colorado Pay Equity Commission and its conclusive findings that exposed the continual pay disparity for women in Colorado. Mares is also the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. You can watch his speech (and Councilwoman Winter’s introduction) below. To conclude the event, Ursla Null gave a call to action for the audience to sign postcards to support the Wage Transparency Act (SB 122) and to decline to sign the misleading Colorado Civil Rights Initiative. To see a complete list of Colorado bills that affect women (including their sponsors, numbers and committees) click here. Also check out our friends at Colorado Capitol Watch for complete in-depth legislative news.

19th Annual CWLB - Faith Winter’s Introduction

19th Annual CWLB - Don Mares (1 of 2)

19th Annual CWLB - Don Mares (2 of 2)