A bipartisan bill that would create a new funding source for the 9Health Fair Fund, which provides health screenings to a growing number of Coloradans, passed the full Senate today. The health fair offers the screenings at a nominal cost or free to those who cannot afford the lab fees.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Assistant Senate leader Nancy Spence, of Centennial, says the legislation would give much-needed support to a program that helps bridge the health care gap.

Senate Bill 16 would add a line to state income tax return forms allowing individuals to voluntarily make a contribution to the 9Health Fair Fund.  The tax checkoff would create a more sustainable public-funding mechanism for the non-profit health care organization.

"Many people who don't have health insurance are served by the health fair," Spence said. "It's important to discover health issues in their early stages before they become emergencies. The 9Health Fair fills that void." 

The Senate Local Government Committee unanimously embraced a Republican measure Tuesday that will modernize emergency planning so students, teachers and first-responders can act fast in an emergency.

“We need to build upon some of the lessons we’ve learned here in Colorado related to school safety,” said Castle Rock Republican, Sen. Tom Wiens, the Senate sponsor of the legislation.

"During the school season, almost a fifth of our state's population is in a school everyday, about 800,000 people. School safety is an important issue that needs close attention," Wiens said. “I recently spent a lot of time talking to school officials, both around the state and in my district, about school safety and ways to keep our kids a safe as possible."

Senate Bill 181, which is part of the Republicans' 2008 legislative agenda for education, requires that teachers and school staff take a brief online course intended to help them and their schools better prepare for a wide range of possible incidents--from natural disasters to violent acts--in order to prevent or minimize loss of life.