Conflict-of-interest probe sought
State Republican Party chairman Bob Martinez called Wednesday for an investigation of a potential conflict of interest by House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, who sponsored legislation that gave money to a university organization she represented.
Martinez said Madden voted for House Bill 1317, which would give $316,000 to the Energy & Environmental Security Initiative at the University of Colorado Law School.
Madden resigned from the board earlier this week after the funding was questioned, but she rejected suggestions she violated state law, which requires lawmakers to disclose conflicts of interest.
Madden said a witness at the hearing noted she served on the board and no one questioned it at the time.
“I graduated from the CU law school. I’m prejudiced toward the CU law school. I represent it, and I’m always going to fight for more money for CU,” Madden said.
Xcel donation to think tank questioned
Clear Peak Colorado, an independent political group working for Democratic causes, questioned Wednesday whether Xcel Energy used customer payments to make a $30,000 donation to the Center for the New American Century, a think tank set up by Gov. Bill Owens.
“We have two major questions for Xcel Energy’s board of directors and we think the people of Colorado deserve a prompt answer,” said Clear Peak executive director Tim Knaus in a news release.
“Number one, what was the source of the donation to the governor’s slush fund? Was it a private donation from Xcel’s board members or was it a corporate donation that was essentially paid for by our energy bills? Number two, what was the purpose of the donation?”
In a written statement, Mark Stutz, Xcel Energy spokesman, said, “The donation in question was part of the purchase of a table for the governor’s inaugural event in 2003.”
Stutz noted that many corporations made similar contributions and that the money did not come from customers.
Initial OK for Rx purchasing pool
The Colorado Senate on Thursday initially approved Senate Bill 1, which would create a multistate purchasing pool to lower prescription drug costs.
In other action
The House Finance Committee killed House Concurrent Resolution 1005, which would have asked voters to give them the power to lower state gasoline taxes, saying the $14 a month it would save the average driver wasn’t worth the damage it would cause to the state highway program.
