Health of Democracy

March 1, 2010

The Honorable Clair Levy
Chair, House Judiciary Committee
State Capitol
Denver, Colorado 80203

Dear Representative Levy:

I am writing to express the support of the Bell Policy Center for H.B. 10-1269, "Concerning the creation of remedies available in employment discrimination cases." This legislation will expand remedies available under Colorado's anti-discrimination laws and protect more Coloradans from discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Reducing the high school dropout rate in Colorado has long been a goal of the Bell Policy Center, and we're gratified to see the attention this issue has recently been getting both in our state and nationally.

Four new reports shed light on the dropout problem, and they point the way toward potential approaches to addressing it. And a fifth report quantifies the economic benefits of cutting the dropout rate in half, both for the new graduates and for society.

By Joseph Boven
The Colorado Independent
Oct. 29, 2009

Ordinarily, the Bell Policy Center does not take positions on local ballot measures, but last year we weighed in on Denver's Initiative 100 because we felt it was bad policy. More than that, we felt it was racially motivated.

Initiative 100 passed, but backers decided it didn't have "teeth,'' so they are back with Initiative 300. Denver residents are being asked to approve a costly measure that would require police to impound the vehicles of drivers who cannot immediately produce a driver's license.

Contact: Joe Watt
Wade Buchanan
303-297-0456

Statement on Gov. Bill Ritter's latest budget reduction plan

Wade Buchanan, President, Bell Policy Center

October 28, 2009

Gov. Bill Ritter today announced a new round of budget cuts and adjustments to keep the state budget in balance in the face of continuing weak revenues due to the ongoing national recession.

The Bell Policy Center urges Denver residents to vote against Initiative 300, the November 3rd ballot measure that would require police to impound the vehicle of anyone who cannot immediately produce a driver's license.

A similar initiative was passed by the voters in August 2008, but backers decided it didn't have "teeth." Adoption of Initiative 300 will only make a bad situation worse.