AeA Mountain States September 2006 Update

In This Issue:

• Upcoming Events
• Recognition to AeA MT States Board of Directors
• Policy Updates
• AeA MT States Committees: Get Involved Today!
• Community Calendar and Member Updates
• AeA National Events: Not to be missed!
• AeA MT States Contacts

Thursday, September 14, 2006
AeA Golf Classic Presented by PR Newswire
Registration for the AeA Golf Classic Presented by PR Newswire is limited! Join AeA MT States and over 100 other industry leaders and top executives on Thursday, September 14. Not only will there be top notch networking opportunities, but over $1,000 in prizes, free wedges, an opportunity to win $1,000,000, and much, much more! Individual golfers receive over $250 in value for only $150/player registration - or $500 for a foursome!
*$1,000,000 shootout provided by IMA Financial
*Two 1-hour lessons at McGetrick Golf Academy valued at $120.00 each
*Over $1,000 in contest prizes


Friday, November 10, 2006
Hong Kong: The Gateway to China
Thousands of international firms have chosen Hong Kong as their partner for success in the Chinese mainland. Join AeA MT States, the World Trade Center Denver and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council as our panel of executives explore their successes and experiences while doing business in Hong Kong. 

Friday, November 17, 2006
Capitalizing on RenewableEnergy in the Rockies:The NREL Perspective
The evolution of renewable energy promises to build upon and influence the Rocky Mountain Region's High-Tech Industry! Join AeA MT States and the Director of NREL for lunch. Dr. Dan Arvizu heads the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. The Director will offer NREL's perspective on the developments of renewable energy and how the Mountain States High-Tech Industry can capitalize.

Colorado Legislative Update
(This summary of the August 8, 2006 Colorado primary election has been prepared by Tomlinson & Associates.)

Colorado voters decisively shaped several hotly contested congressional and state legislative races in the August 8 Primary Election. The results of the primary elections are as follows:

Congressional –
5^th Congressional District (Chaffee, El Paso, Fremont, Lake, Park and Teller Counties)

State Senator Doug Lamborn was the victor in a five-way GOP primary with 27.0% of the vote.  He narrowly beat Jeff Crank, formerly an assistant to retiring Republican Congressman Joel Hefley. This is a relatively safe Republican seat, as evidenced by Hefley’s 10 terms in Congress. Lamborn will face retired Air Force officer and Democrat Jay Fawcett in the general election.

7^th Congressional District (Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties)

• Current Congressman and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez won this then-newly created seat four years ago by 121 votes. With Congressman Beauprez stepping down to run for Governor, this seat becomes likely the most expensive and most watched Congressional race in the entire country. Former State Senator Ed Perlmutter won a hard-fought Democratic party primary over former State Representative Peggy Lamm, by a 53% to 37% majority. Perlmutter will face Republican Rick O’Donnell, a former member of Governor Owens’ cabinet in the general election. President Bush and Vice-President Cheney have already made several fundraising trips to Colorado in support of the O’Donnell campaign, demonstrating the importance of this race to possible Congressional majority control in 2007-08.

State Senate -
Senate District 7 (Mesa and Garfield Counties)

• Freshman State Representative Josh Penry easily defeated former State Representative Matt Smith in the GOP primary by 65% - 35%. Penry campaigned vigorously against passage of Referendum C in 2005 and used that same platform in the primary. He will face Democrat Dana Barker in November. Incumbent Republican Senator Ron Teck is term-limited in this district.

Senate District 13 (Weld County)

• Businessman Scott Renfroe defeated State Representative Dale Hall in the GOP primary to succeed term-limited Republican Senator Dave Owen. Renfroe used Hall’s support of Referendum C last year as a flashpoint for his campaign. Democrat Solomon Little Owl is Renfroe’s opponent in November.

Senate District 16 (Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson and Summit Counties)

• Real estate professional Marty Neilson was the victor in the GOP primary, by a vote of 60% - 40% over Barry Thoma. Neilson will now face the formidable task of running against incumbent Democratic Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald.

Senate District 22 (Jefferson County)

• Incumbent GOP Senator Kiki Traylor, who was appointed to fill the term of Senator Norma Anderson upon her retirement in December, 2005, lost a three-way GOP primary to Mike Copp by fewer than 100 votes. There will be an automatic re-count. The Democratic candidate in this district is Laura Noonan.

Senate District 24 (Adams County)

• Term-limited State Representative Val Vigil lost the Democratic primary to incumbent State Senator Lois Tochtrop by a vote of 54% - 46%. This seat is traditionally Democratic. The Republican candidate is Luis Alvorado.

Senate District 30 (Douglas County)

• State Representative Ted Harvey was the winner in a GOP primary over Mike Baisley by a margin of 63% - 37%. This is a traditionally Republican seat. Democrat Shelly Tokerud will face Harvey in November. The seat is currently held by Republican John Evans.

Senate District 32 (Denver and Jefferson Counties)

• Banker Chris Romer, son of former Governor Roy Romer, won a three-way primary against Jennifer Mello and State Representative Fran Coleman. Romer will face Republican Dave Lewis in this traditionally Democratic district. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dan Grossman chose not to run again.

State House of Representatives –
House District 1 (Denver, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties)

• Democrat Jeanne Labuda defeated her primary opponent, Alfredo Hernandez and will face Republican Aimee Rathburn in November in this heavily Democratic district formerly held by term-limited Representative Fran Coleman.

House District 13 (Boulder, Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties)

• Democrat Claire Levy won the primary over Jim Rettew. There is no Republican candidate in this seat, previously held by term-limited Representative Tom Plant.

House District 14 (El Paso County)

• Retired Air Force Colonel Kent Lambert won the GOP primary and will face Democrat Karen Teja. This is a traditional GOP stronghold held by term-limited Representative Dave Schultheis.

House District 19 (El Paso County)

• Marsha Looper was the victor in the GOP primary and will run against Democrat Kenneth Barela in November to replace term-limited Richard Decker. Looper has been active in the group opposing the “super slab” legislation during the past two legislative sessions. This also is a very strong Republican district.

House District 23 (Jefferson County)

• In the 2004 election, Republican incumbent Ramey Johnson was defeated by a handful of votes by Democrat Gwyn Green. Johnson won this year’s GOP primary over former County Commissioner Pat Holloway by a 60%-40% margin and will again face incumbent Green in November.

House District 35 (Adams County)

• Retired teacher Cherilynn Peniston won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Ruben Pacheco. Incumbent Democratic State Representative Ann Ragsdale is term-limited in this heavily Democratic district.

House District 37 (Arapahoe County)

• Employee benefits broker Spencer Swalm won the GOP primary over Betty Ann Habig and will face Democrat Angela Engel in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Lauri Clapp.

House District 38 (Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties)

• Incumbent Republican Joe Stengel is term-limited in this traditionally Republican district. Matt Dunn¸ a dentist, won the GOP primary over Candy Figa and will face Democrat Joe Rice in November. This could be an especially close race – Rice is a former Mayor of Glendale, a decorated veteran of two tours in Iraq and very well known to the voters in the district.

House District 43 (Douglas County)

• This is a heavily Republican district currently held by Senate candidate Ted Harvey. In the Democratic primary, real estate broker Allen Dreher defeated Ed Behen and will face Republican Frank McNulty.

House District 51 (Larimer County)

• Don Marocostica is the winner of the GOP primary over Kevan McNaught, who was endorsed by retiring Republican Representative Jim Welker. On the Democratic side, social services worker Jodi Radke defeated Becky Jay. This district is the only seat that saw a primary in both major parties.

House District 54 (Delta and Mesa Counties)

• Republican Steve King won the GOP primary over Dan Wilkenson and will face Democrat Richard Alward in November. Republican Senate District 7 candidate Josh Penry currently holds the seat.

House District 59 (Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan Counties)

• Republican State Representative Mark Larson is term-limited in this southwest Colorado district. A retired Fort Lewis College professor, Joe Colgan, won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Ellen Roberts in November.

Initiatives and Referenda – Monday, August 7 was the deadline for proponents of ballot initiatives to turn in petitions to the Secretary of State for validation to be placed on the November, 2006 general election. 

The Colorado General Assembly referred the following referenda, which will be on the ballot:

• Referendum E – Property tax reduction for disabled veterans
• Referendum F – Recall deadlines
• Referendum G – Obsolete Constitutional provisions
• Referendum H – Elimination of a state business tax deduction
• Referendum I – Domestic partnerships
• Referendum J – School district spending requirements
• Referendum K – Immigration lawsuit against federal government

Additionally, citizen initiatives certified include:

• Amendment 38 – Initiatives
• Amendment 39 – School district spending requirements

Proponents of several other initiatives have submitted petitions for the following:

• Colorado minimum wage
• Ethics in government
• Marijuana possession
• Term limits for judges
• Marriage (defined as between one man and one woman)

The Secretary of State now has until September 7 to certify the petitions. Also, on September 6 and 7, the Legislative Council of the General Assembly will meet to discuss “blue book” wording for the various initiatives and referenda. More information on the ballot issues is available online. In somewhat of a surprise move, Independence Institute President Jon Caldera did not turn in petitions for his proposal, which would have limited the amount of “TABOR surplus” the state would have been allowed to keep and appropriate as a result of the passage of Referendum C in 2005. This initiative was strongly opposed by business groups and the majority of legislators and was a campaign issue in several of the GOP primaries.

National Legislative Update-
RFID Initiatives - AeA supports the Leahy-Stevens Amendment to the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security FY’07 appropriations bill; this amendment will strengthen the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a critical program aimed at securing our nation’s land borders. There is a vigorous debate ongoing among stakeholders about the best methods of implementing a secure credentialing program to protect our borders without impeding commerce or travel, a debate the Leahy-Stevens amendment seeks to resolve by pointing to existing international and federal standards for secure identification credentials.

AeA International Environmental Committee Initiatives - AeA urged the United States Government to include an "ICT Energy Efficiency Dialogue" to the 2006 US China Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade Industry Working Group's proposed agenda. AeA is expanding its outreach on energy efficiency to the E.U. and Chinese governments while reaching out to international association stakeholders.

Grass Roots Policy Initiative
AeA is establishing a national grassroots initiative to address the high-tech industry’s demand for high-skilled workers. It is critical that U.S. employers have the ability to obtain visas for foreign national employees, bring them to the U.S. and send them abroad, as well as capture and retain that talent in the U.S. so that employers can be competitive in the global market. AeA is working on behalf of its member companies as a catalyst to effect legislation that will increase the number of H-1B visas allocated throughout the United States; and will also provide relief in the green card backlog. To address these issues, AeA is supporting provisions of the SKIL Bill – The Securing Knowledge, Innovation and Leadership Act – HR 5744.

Colorado high-tech companies continue to benefit from the H-1B visa and L-1 visa programs. In 2004, Colorado's high-tech industry ranked 12^th in the nation by employment, with 159,800 jobs. According to the Denver Business Journal, the U.S. Department of Labor in Colorado granted 355 H-1B visas in 2005, which doubled from the year prior. While Colorado has one of the most highly-educated populations in the U.S., the increased demand within the H-1B visa program shows a strong need for a specific skill set within the high-tech industry that is not being met with home grown talent. And with wages on par to American counterparts, this demonstrates that the issue is truly related to the skills available by many of the foreign workers.

Thursday, September 7, 2006
AeA MT States Education Committee Continues Progress
AeA MT States Council had its first Education Committee meeting. Discussions focused on initiatives that will help Colorado's high-tech industry from the ground on up. Colorado's high technology industry depends on a highly educated and technologically competent current and future workforce trained by a strong public education system to compete and advance in the global market. AeA's Education Committee is focused on addressing education on the following concerns: appropriated funding for higher education, availability and effectiveness of science, math and technology teachers, access to higher education for students and continuing education for technology employees, and low numbers of engineering and technology students. AeA MT States has devised a five part plan to launch efforts around math and science education. Help shape Colorado's future by attending the next Education Committee planning meeting! Thursday, September 7, 2006 from 11:00 until noon. To RSVP contact Tiffany Barrett at 303.438.0571.

Public Policy Retreat
AeA MT States will hold a late summer public policy retreat to review planned 2007 legislation and set the agenda for AeA MT States’ 2007 Legislative Focus. If you are interested contact Jessica Wright, Executive Director, AeA MT States Council. 303.438.0571; jessica_wright@aeanet.org

Friday, October 6, 2006
Change the Date for Celebrate Technology 2006
Change is inevitable, especially in the technology and communications arenas so in keeping with that theory we announce that Celebrate Technology will now be held on Friday, October 6, 2006. At the Pikes Peak Center from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. Continued construction at the Fine Arts Center has necessitated this change. Attend the event for only $50/person and discover who will win this year's ten award categories! For more information please visit the Celebrate Technology website: Celebrate Technology 
(Submit your events to be presented in AeA MT States' Monthly Newsletter. AeA will post events at its own discretion.)

Governor Bill Owens Reappoints AeA Member Greg Jenik to Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA)
Greg Jenik, COO of TAEUS International, an AeA member, was reappointed to the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) Board of Directors as one of two representatives from the private sector that exhibit a background in business and technology. The Statewide Internet Portal Authority is charged with ensuring the Colorado state portal (www.Colorado.gov) effectively serves the citizens and businesses of the state.

October 12, 2006
AeA Technology Capital Conference, Orange County, CA
New for 2006, the AeA Technology Capital Conference offers an efficient one day forum for
company executives and investors to identify business opportunities. Showcasing 40
private technology companies with $5M - $75M in revenues who are looking for funding,
opportunities for a merger, acquisition or strategic partnership. The presenting companies 
will be chosen by a review committee who will determine what companies offer the best
investment opportunities. Read more...

Jessica Wright                                                  
Executive Director 
p: 303.438.0571 ext.101
c: 720.319.6989
jessica_wright@aeanet.org

Tiffany Barrett
Program & Communications Coordinator
p: 303.438.0571 ext.102
c: 303.667.8361
tiffany_barrett@aeanet.org

AeA Mountain States Council                          
12202 Airport Way, Suite 195                              
Broomfield, CO 80021                                         
f: 303.438.8915

This page was last updated on 10/09/06.  
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