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Senate Bill 12-015

Oral Testimony to the House Education Committee
Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst
April 23, 2012

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy organization founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

House Bill 12-1155

Testimony to the Senate Education Committee

Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst

May 3, 2012

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan, non-profit research and policy organization, founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

House Bill 12-1155

Testimony to the House Education Committee

Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst

March 14, 2012

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan, non-profit research and policy organization, founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

House Bill 12-1155

Testimony to the House Education Committee

Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst

February 29, 2012

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan, non-profit research and policy organization, founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

The Bell testified in favor of Senate Bill 126 before the Senate Education Committee today. The bill would allow qualified undocumented high school graduates to pay unsubsidized in-state tuition to attend state colleges and universities. Here is our testimony:

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with The Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

Senate Bill 11-126
Testimony to the Senate Education Committee
Frank Waterous, Senior Policy Analyst
February 17, 2011

My name is Frank Waterous, and I am a senior policy analyst with The Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy organization dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

This special issue of The Opportunity News is the Bell???s annual summary of wins and losses in the legislative session for bills related to opportunity.

The Colorado Legislature and Gov. Bill Ritter worked together this year to pass dozens of bills that improve the state of opportunity for thousands of Coloradans, says Wade Buchanan, president of the Bell Policy Center. "The 2007 session will be remembered as a strong push for opportunity," Buchanan said. "Legislators worked hard to pass bills that prepare our kids to compete in the global economy and help families join and stay in the middle class."

Articles: Health-care spending continues to outpace growth of economy, Economic security for low-income families, Many states closing educational ???expectations gap???, CCHE moves forward with new financial aid model, Health care costs squeeze higher ed funding, Employer spending on benefits grows more than on wages, Will health savings accounts reduce health care spending?, Strong state laws against predatory lending work, Net worth, income and savings gaps exist between white and minority . . .

Increasing the stipend and holding down tuition should be a top priority. We should increase the stipend to at least $3,000 per full-time student in 2007, and higher if possible. And we should make sure COF stipends keep pace with inflation after that. Colorado should also double need-based financial aid and work-study opportunities.