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REP. BERNIE BUESHER DEFEATED
WILL BE MISSED BY SENIORS
Wayne Knox
The defeat of State Rep. Bernie Buescher at the hands of Mesa County voters is a major setback for Colorado seniors. Rep. Buescher, a highly respected and extremely able Democrat was elected twice in a strongly Republican district in the Grand Junction area. Unfortunately, the third time was not a charm.
Buescher served with great skill and knowledge as the chair of the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Budget Committee. In those positions, he was a key player in the economic decisions that affected the budgets of all state programs, departments, and agencies. Buescher was a strong supporter of the bills in recent years which have increased the funding for the Older Coloradoans Program which funds a wide variety of services throughout the state for Colorado’s most needy seniors. A couple of years ago when the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) program was under attack, Buescher played a key role in the legislation addressing the issues and preserving Colorado’s defined benefits retirement program for retired state, municipal, court, and school district employees. Each of his years in the legislature, Buescher had a top ranking in the annual Colorado Senior Lobby Scorecard of key legislative votes. Seniors will indeed miss Bernie Buescher.
Buescher, who was widely expected to become the new Speaker of the House, was a strong advocate for western Colorado. It would seem that the voters of Mesa County have perhaps shot themselves (and western Colorado generally) in the foot by replacing a strong advocate, who would be the most powerful person in the legislature as Speaker, with a freshman member of the minority party.
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The Colorado Senior Lobby is a membership organization of individuals and groups who believe that Colorado’s older citizens can greatly affect and be affected by state and national legislative decisions. The Lobby was incorporated July 2, 1980 as a non-profit, non-partisan, all volunteer organization that speaks with a unified voice for more than 600,000 Coloradans 50 years of age or older on issues of common concern. The Lobby encourages the Colorado General Assembly and the US Congress to enact legislation that will favorably affect the quality of life of the elderly. It keeps older citizens informed on bills under consideration, including how their legislators vote.
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ACTIVITIES OF THE LOBBY
1. Active monitoring of legislative action on bills of concern to seniors.
2. Oppose bills and regulations that diminish the quality of life of the elderly .
3. Promote legislation that benefits all Coloradans
4. Testify at committee hearings when appropriate
5. Having weekly Legislative Briefings during the legislative session: Monday 9:30 AM at 1429 Ogden Street – Open to the public
6. Senior Scorecard where we score legislators by selected recorded votes.
7. Hosting the Annual Statewide Meeting where members have an opportunity to network and learn about legislation.
8. Major organizer of the greatest yearly senior meeting in the state, where we all can meet our legislators– Senior Day at the Capitol.
9. Maintain and use a statewide communication network between concerned seniors and their legislators.
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