Mostly dead wasn’t good enough for some Colorado lawmakers when it comes to school spending transparency

I’m young, and still learning about many different things. Like I’ve learned a lot about the word “transparency” this year – especially as it relates to taxpayer-funded schools making it easy for citizens to see how they spend their money.

But I guess I’m still pretty naive, too. It’s hard to believe the lengths the chairman of Colorado’s House Education Committee was willing to go to make sure that Senate Bill 57 was not only mostly dead but double-super-killed, all-the-way dead. You have to read what the investigators at Face The State found out to believe it:

Also known as Senate Bill 57, the bill was postponed indefinitely after four hours of committee debate that lasted late into the evening. Speaker Terrance Carroll and House Minority Leader Mike May arrived to work the next morning ready to revive it. But they were too late.

When legislation is postponed indefinitely it is technically not dead until the committee report is officially filed with the House clerk. This process usually takes about a day, or at least 24 hours. If the bill is intercepted before it reaches the clerk, then a motion can be made to reintroduce it.

“I think Merrifield made a dash for the clerk’s desk,” May said, referring to Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, who chairs the House Education Committee.

Now that I’ve learned a lot about what transparency means, this sounds to me like someone in a super-big hurry who has something to hide. I’m beginning to understand a bit better why my mom and dad keep trying to change my mind about wanting to be a politician when I grow up.

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