In direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial holding in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission earlier this year, the Colorado legislature carried and Governor Ritter signed into law SB 203. SB 203 requires corporations and labor unions to register their election campaign donations with an independent agency, showing both the donor and the amount of the donation.

With mid-term elections swinging into full gear, how will this bill be implemented by the Secretary of State’s office? What was its intent? And what impact can we expect it to have on the 2010 elections and beyond?

Get answers to these questions and more at a lunchtime short program on Friday, July 9, when CBA CLE brings together all of the key players — from the legislator who sponsored the bill to the Secretary of State whose office is tasked with implementing it, along with Colorado’s go-to experts on election and campaign finance laws at Citizens United and SB 203: What’s in Store for Campaign Financing in Colorado’s Mid-Term Elections. The panel features:

• Secretary Bernie Buescher was sworn in as Secretary of State on January 14, 2009. His office is responsible for implementing SB 203. Prior to his current position, he served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives. At the legislature, he was appointed to the Joint Budget Committee, where he worked on behalf of Colorado to find innovative, bipartisan solutions to the difficult issues facing the state. He served as chair of the Budget Committee in 2006 and 2008, and as chair of the Appropriations Committee in 2007 and 2008.
• Senator Morgan Carroll represents Colorado Senate District 29 and was a sponsor of SB 203. She serves as chair of Senate Judiciary and is a member of Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the Legislative Audit Committee, and the Legal Services Committee. She was appointed as a commissioner to the National Commission on Uniform Laws, and was recently appointed chair of the Interim Committee on Pinnacol Assurance. Prior to joining the Senate, she served in the Colorado House from 2005 to 2008, and acted as Majority Caucus Chair and vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee, and served on the Business Affairs and Labor committees.
• Scott Gessler focuses his legal practice on concentrates on election law, constitutional law, public policy litigation, campaign finance, non-profit tax law, regulatory advocacy, and commercial litigation. He was appointed to and served on the Colorado Election Reform Commission. He is currently running against incumbent Secretary Buescher to serve as Colorado’s Secretary of State.
• Martha Tierney specializes in specializes in election law, civil rights law, family law, and commercial litigation, including contractual, construction, and media disputes. She is a member of the Common Cause National Governing Board and a member of the Colorado Common Cause Board of Directors.
• Richard A. Westfall is a partner at Hale Westfall in Denver. He is a member of the Colorado Lawyers Committee’s Elections Task Force, treasurer of the Colorado Republican Party, and member of the Secretary of State’s Campaign, Finance and Lobbyists Advisory Panel. He is also a contributor to the Rocky Mountain Appellate Blog.

Register today for this timely and important program. The presentation will also be available as a live webcast, an mp3 download, and video on demand for those unable to attend in person, and has been submitted for two general CLE credits.

Click here for Legal Connection’s previous coverage of SB 10-203.