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Public saftey top priorty State Rep. Joe Rice

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Contributed by: Nicki Van Veen on 2/19/2008

Front-line workers to be prepared in face of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, avian flu

Denver- State Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton) steered a bill through the House on Monday with a supportive initial voice vote. The bill ensures that front-line workers are adequately prepared to keep Coloradans safe in the face of events such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and avian flu.

House Bill 1252, "Tuition Assistance for the Colorado National Guard Act" is sponsored by Rep. Rice. The bill would allow members of the National Guard to receive tuition assistance to pursue advanced Homeland Security education.

"It is a top priority to provide training and expertise that will benefit all Coloradoans in the event of a disaster."

Currently, state funds are available for National Guard members to attend public universities for advanced education. There is only one higher education institution that offers a Homeland Security program that qualifies, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The bill would expand the tuition assistance program to cover members that attend the University of Denver, where homeland security programs are taught. The diversity in programs will ensure students pursuing advanced degrees and certificates will be better prepared if disaster strikes.

Under current law, members of the Guard are deterred from enrolling in the highly regarded DU program because they would be faced with paying out-of-pocket tuition. Existing law does not allow tuition assistance for this program.

There is no fiscal note associated with the bill. Under the bill, both Universities would be reimbursed at approximately $250 per credit hour. The bill will move to the Senate after a final recorded vote in the House takes place this week.

Rep. Rice represents House District 38, which includes the following communities: Littleton, Greenwood Village, Bow Mar, Columbine Valley and parts of Englewood, Centennial and Aurora. A biography of Rep. Rice can be found here: http://www.coloradohouse.org.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Nicki Van Veen

Littleton , CO

Nicki Van Veen has posted 15 stories and 0 comments since joining on 11/9/2007. Nicki Van Veen 's average story rating is 5.

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