Ken Salazar in Attorney Generals' offices press releases
On Crime:
Limit post-conviction appeals, allow more restitution
On Attorney General Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2000 General Assembly:- Limit post-conviction appeals
- Enhance the ability of victims to receive restitution from criminals through changes in the
restitution laws.
- Expand Colorado's identity theft laws to target those in possession of materials used in committing identity theft.
- Revise Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) laws to allow reciprocal law enforcement agreements
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 7, 2000
On Crime:
Establish rights for crime victims
Ken Salazar and 49 fellow attorneys general are urging the US House of Representatives to pass S. 2329 and H.R. 4342, legislation to establish certain rights for crime victims in federal judicial proceedings. S.2329 "This legislation recognizes that
violent crime victims, just as criminal defendants, are due certain guarantees and fairness in our criminal justice system," Salazar said. [The bill establishes]:
- The right to be reasonably protected from the accused.
-
The right to notice of any public proceeding involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused.
- The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding involving release, plea, or sentencing;
- The right to confer with the attorney
for the Government in the case.
- The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law.
- The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victims' dignity and privacy.
Source: Attorney General's office Press Release, "Victim Rights"
Aug 11, 2004
On Crime:
Greater access to sex offender registration information
On Attorney General Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2004 General Assembly: - Greater access to sex offender registration information. Amend current laws to allow for universal access to already existing
sex offender registries and to provide greater flexibility to local law enforcement agencies in providing such information.
- Assisting at-risk victims of crime. Authorize a trial judge to appoint in his or her place an active or senior district or
county court judge to preside over a deposition of an at-risk criminal victim in order to ensure the victim's testimony.
- Additional protections for victims of identity theft. Legislation is expected to be introduced to establish a judicial process
providing for a civil determination of the innocence of a victim of ID theft, to give legal protection to the victim as they deal with restoring their credit rating or disputing wrongful credit charges.
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 5, 2004
On Crime:
Heinous crimes deserve the ultimate sanction
Attorney General Ken Salazar issued a statement today in response to the denial of certiorari by the US Supreme Court in the death penalty cases of George Woldt and Francisco Martinez, Jr. In May, Salazar sought US Supreme Court review of the Colorado
Supreme Court's rulings striking down the two death sentences. Based upon the US Supreme Court disposition today, the Woldt and Martinez cases will be remanded to the trial court for re-sentencing to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"These two defendants abducted, tortured, raped and murdered two young women. We exhausted all reasonable efforts to see that they received the appropriate sentences for their crimes," Salazar said. "These heinous crimes committed by Woldt and Martinez
deserve the ultimate sanction of law. While we are disappointed in the disposition announced on their death sentences, the outcome is that these individuals will be in prison for the rest of their lives without the possibility of parole," said Salazar.
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Writ of Certiorari"
Oct 6, 2003
On Crime:
Streamline Colorado's criminal sentencing statutes
On Attorney General Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2002 General Assembly: - Streamline Criminal Justice Sentencing Statutes. Enact certain changes to begin the overhaul of the criminal justice sentencing
provisions within the Colorado Revised Statutes. An interim legislative committee has been working on this issue and recommendations are expected to be introduced.
- Overhaul of Sex Offender Registry. Enact changes to Colorado's sex offender registry
system.
- Rural Law Enforcement Relief. Provide continuing law enforcement education to the State's smaller law enforcement agencies that lack the local resources to fund ongoing training
of their officers through the establishment of a minimal surcharge on registered motor vehicles and administered through the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (POST).
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 7, 2002
On Drugs:
Medical marijuana partly allowed, but he doesn't like it
The attorney general's office concluded, regarding United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, that:- a) the Supreme Court's ruling does not invalidate Colorado's medical marijuana law; and
- b) the ruling does not prevent the State
from moving forward to meet the requirements of Colorado's constitutional amendment concerning the medical use of marijuana.
Salazar noted that he personally opposed passage of the medical marijuana initiative last year for a variety of reasons,
including that the initiative could not legalize marijuana use under federal law, as the US Supreme Court has now confirmed. "All Colorado citizens must understand that possession, manufacture and distribution of marijuana by any person or organization,
even for purposes of medical treatment, continues to constitute a violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act," Salazar warned. "'Medical necessity' is not a defense to the federal prohibition notwithstanding the state's law to the contrary."
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Marijuana Consequences"
May 31, 2001
On Education:
Encourage character education curriculum in schools
On Attorney General Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2001 General Assembly: Safe Schools & Youth Violence Prevention- Bullying. Add provisions to the CO Safe Schools Act to bully-proof schools.
-
Character Education. Encourage character education curriculum in schools.
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 4, 2001
On Education:
Make sure students can skip Pledge if they so choose
In a letter to legislative leaders, Attorney General Ken Salazar urged an amendments to clarify the ability of pupils to not participate in the recitation of the Pledge if they do not wish to do so. Salazar believes the new language will most likely
satisfy concerns the federal Court's concerns on compelling recitation of the pledge. [Salazar said in the letter], "I understand the desired goal is to have the Pledge recited each day. However, the federal constitution prohibits the government from
compelling speech. To reconcile these two matters, we made recommendations for changes regarding HB 04-1002 concerning the Pledge of Allegiance. Those recommendations were adopted by the House State Affairs Committee. I believe those amendments will
most likely satisfy the Court's concerns on compelling recitation of the Pledge. I would therefore urge legislators to support the amendments."
Source: Attorney General's office Press Release, "Pledge"
Jan 14, 2004
On Gun Control:
More background checks for gun purchases
On Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2000 General Assembly:- Revise restrictions on information sharing between law enforcement and education officials.
- Require background checks for all gun purchases at
gun shows.
- Include juvenile records in background checks for gun purchases.
- Ban straw-man gun purchases of firearms
- Increase the state age limit from 18 to 21 for handgun purchases at gun shows.
- Require safe storage of firearms at home.
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 7, 2000
On Health Care:
Allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices
"Allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies-amazingly enough, expressly banned by Congress in last year's Medicare overhaul law," should also help drive
down the costs of prescription drugs in the near term," Salazar added. "The Department of Veterans Affairs has been able to successfully negotiate for lower drug prices."
Source: Attorney General's office Press Release, "Rx Drugs"
May 5, 2004
On Health Care:
Allow reimportation of prescription drugs
Attorney General Ken Salazar and 19 fellow attorneys general urged the federal government to take steps to allow for the safe importation of prescription drugs to help relieve the financial burden of millions of Americans and state governments as a
result of the explosive growth in the cost of prescription medications. "I support lifting the federal ban on importation of prescription drugs, as just one way to address the high cost of prescription drugs that Americans and their governments
are paying," Salazar said. "This is just one approach to doing so. I believe [we should additionally] explore any other ideas to allow the safe importation of prescription drugs."
Under the plan, licensed pharmacists and wholesalers could import drugs
from Canada. Importers would have to document the chain of custody using new technology to deter counterfeiters. Individuals could import 90-day supplies of medicine from Canada for personal use from Canadian pharmacies inspected and approved by the FDA.
Source: Attorney General's office Press Release, "Rx Drugs"
May 5, 2004
On Technology:
Fight junk email and junk faxes
On Attorney General Ken Salazar's legislative agenda and priorities for consideration by the 2004 General Assembly: - Fighting junk e-mail. Amend and clarify the Colorado Consumer Protection Act to explicitly
include the prohibited use of commercial e-mail to deceive or mislead consumers. The new federal junk e-mail law preempts all state laws specifically regulating junk e-mail but allows states to enact or enforce general laws not
specific to e-mail relating to acts of fraud or computer crime.
- Fighting junk faxes. Correct a loophole in Colorado's junk fax law to provide penalties for sending faxes subsequent to the consumer requesting no more faxes be sent.
Other legislation is expected to be introduced further strengthening Colorado's junk fax law that Attorney General Salazar anticipates supporting.
Source: Attorney General's Press Release, "Legislative Priorities"
Jan 5, 2004
Page last updated: Aug 04, 2024