A Republican staffer was ejected from a Senate Democrat caucus meeting today at an eatery near the Capitol, raising concerns by Republican leaders that the ruling party might be debating public policy in private--a violation of state law.

By law, when two or more members of the General Assembly meet to discuss legislative business--regardless of the location--other members of the public cannot be refused entry. There are no exceptions for members of an opposing political party or the news media. 

The meeting had been announced on the Senate floor today by Democrat Sen. Suzanne Williams, of Aurora, at the conclusion of the Senate's morning session. Senate GOP policy and research assistant Kevin Van Winkle was asked to sit in on the meeting, which began at noon. Shortly after he and a companion arrived, he said, the Senate Democrat chief of staff told him to leave because the meeting was "private."

Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Mike Kopp, a senator from Littleton, expressed disappointment and noted that the press and the rest of the public are routinely permitted to attend GOP caucus meetings if they wish.

"We know that's the law, and there's a good reason for it," Kopp said. "Deliberations about legislative business could affect the public, so the public has the right to a seat at the table."

A bipartisan proposal that would finance higher education across the state with revenue generated by Colorado's energy boom won the unanimous support of the Senate Committee on Education today at the Capitol. 

Senate Bill 218, whose key sponsors include West Slope Republican Sen. Josh Penry,  would allocate nearly $1 billion over ten years into two permanent funds--one solely for higher education and the other for upgrading public infrastructure in areas affected by oil and gas drilling.  The windfall would include revenue that is expected to come from drilling on the Roan Plateau on the Western Slope.

The plan--an outgrowth of a proposal originally championed by Penry, of Grand Junction--would ensure funding to institutions of higher learning even when energy development stops.  It sets aside bonus payments and royalties received from the federal government for energy development on federal lands and dedicates the funds to the state's colleges and universities as well as local maintenance and construction needs.

"When Al White and I proposed this plan earlier this summer, I never would have guessed that our once controversial proposal would earn such bipartisan support," Penry said after the hearing. "All the parties that have worked so hard deserve real credit on this landmark proposal." 

With only a single "no" vote, the Senate today re-approved a Republican measure that helps employers screen for illegal immigrants in the work force. Senate Bill 139 , authored by Colorado Springs Republican Sen. Dave Schultheis, and Rep. Kevin Lundberg, of Berthoud, would require the state to notify employers that they can participate in the federal "E-Verify" program, which lets them check if a newly hired employee is in the country illegally.

Schultheis says while federal law bars knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, many employers aren't aware of their options for verifying an employee's status.

"Most employers want to comply with the law," he said. "This measure will empower them."

Senate Bill 139 had passed the Senate overwhelmingly prior to the House passing the measure 52-12, making a few minor changes and then returning the bill to the Senate for its approval today.

Schultheis noted his bill places no mandates on employers, instead apprising them of a tool that they may not know about. SB 139 requires the state Department of Labor and Employment to regularly remind employers of the federal law and that they can participate in E-Verify.