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February 11, 2017 2:57 PM

DENVER (CBS4) Theres a push to level the playing field for charter schools in Colorado when it comes to funding.

According to CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd, it is one of the most contentious education bills this session. Supporters of the bill say combining all the charter school students into one district it would be the biggest in the state, and yet they say those students are being literally short-changed.

They say while charter schools educate 12 percent of public school students in the state they receive 20 percent less funding.

The bill before the Senate Education Committee would require school districts to share local property taxes equally with charter schools on a per-student basis.

Supporters say there are 125,000 charter school students in the state. If the bill passes, it would mean an additional $96 million for charter schools next school year.

Most voters dont know this. They are writing out a property tax check, or it comes out of their mortgage, and they think they are funding public schools; and sadly their local districts are putting their fingers on the scale that were going to fund some public schools, not all public school students, said Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs.

We look at the needs of students individual needs so in order for us to meet those needs, we dont look at how much money comes into the district with the child. We take the entire pot of funds that are available all of those different sources, including local revenues as well as state. And then we do what we can do to meet the needs every individual student, Linda Van Matre with the Colorado Association of School Boards said.

Opponents say a one-size-fits-all approach to funding doesnt work and that school boards need flexibility to dole out funds based on things like the number of special-needs students in a school.

Lawmakers took up a similar bill last year and it failed, but after the election it isnt the same Legislature as last year and the bill has a Republican and a Democrat as cosponsors.

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Contentious Education Bill Has Republican & Democrat Sponsors - CBS Local

(1 of ) Muddy water rushes down the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time Saturday after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (2 of ) Muddy water rushes down the emergency spillway at Oroville Dam, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Water started flowing over the emergency spillway at the nation's tallest dam for the first time Saturday after erosion damaged the Northern California dam's main spillway.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (3 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. The torrent chewed up trees and soil alongside the concrete spillway before rejoining the main channel below. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (4 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Earlier this week, chunks of concrete went flying off the spillway, creating a 200-foot-long, 30-foot deep hole that continues to grow. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

MICHAEL BALSAMO AND RICH PEDRONCELLI

ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 11, 2017, 3:13PM

| Updated 15 hours ago.

OROVILLE, Calif. Water started flowing over an emergency spillway at the nations tallest dam, on Lake Oroville, for the first time Saturday after erosion damaged the Northern California dams main spillway.

Officials hoped to avoid using Oroville Dams emergency spillway, fearing it could cause trees to fall and leave debris cascading into water that rushes through the Feather River, into the Sacramento River and on to the San Francisco Bay. Crews prepared for several days, clearing trees and brush.

Water began running over the emergency spillway around 8 a.m., according to Californias Department of Water Resources. It was the first time the emergency spillway has been used in the reservoirs nearly 50-year history.

Water was expected to continuing flowing over the emergency spillway for 38 to 56 hours, agency spokesman Eric See said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. In addition to the emergency spillway, water is also flowing through the main spillway that was significantly damaged from erosion, he said.

This is a very unusual event for us here in Oroville, See said.

Unexpected erosion chewed through the main spillway earlier this week, sending chunks of concrete flying and creating a 200-foot-long, 30-foot-deep hole that continues growing. Engineers dont know what caused the cave-in that is expected to keep getting bigger until it reaches bedrock.

Bill Croyle, the Department of Water Resources acting director, said officials are continuously monitoring the erosion both on site and through cameras. This is mother nature kind of kicking us a few times here, he said.

Croyle said the main spillway will need a complete replacement from the damage. Officials noted earlier this week that the cost of repairing the dam could approach $100 million, but they noted the estimate was an early, ballpark figure.

Officials have stressed Oroville Dam is sound and there is no imminent threat to the public.

State officials also had been attempting to rescue millions of hatchery-raised fish imperiled by muddy water flowing downstream alongside the damaged spillway after sections of its concrete walls collapsed earlier this week

About 150 miles northeast of San Francisco, Lake Oroville is one of Californias largest man-made lakes, and the 770-foot-tall Oroville Dam is the nations tallest. The lake is a central piece of Californias government-run water delivery network, supplying water for agriculture in the Central Valley and residents and businesses in Southern California.

Continued here:
Water flowing over Lake Oroville's emergency spillway - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley on Saturday deemed the past three weeks since President Trump was sworn into office "perhaps, the most significant test of our lifetime."

Speaking on behalf of congressional Democrats in the party's weekly address, the New York representative claimed the Republican commander in chief has launched attacks on the Constitution and America's democracy.

"There's been a lot of talk lately about what is America, and what is American," Crowley said.

"What's American is people welcoming refugees and families at arrival gates. It's lawyers upholding the Constitution from an airport floor and a laptop. It's young people discovering the need for civic engagement. And children learning that no matter who you are, or where you came from, or what you believe, you are welcome here."

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Trump had issued an executive action on Jan. 27 that temporarily suspended immigration from seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa. A number of state attorneys general sued the administration, alleging the action discriminates against Muslims, who make up the majority of those countries' populations.

The Washington state suit escalated to an appeals court, which ruled in favor of a Seattle judge on Tuesday to continue a restraining order on the lower judge's ruling.

"In attacking our Constitution, the fundamental tenets of our democracy and who we are as a people, President Trump has dismissed everything we stand for. Everything our ancestors fought for," Crowley said.

Trump said the order was put into effect until stronger vetting protocols for those countries can be put into place to ensure terrorists do not embed as refugees or asylum-seekers to enter the U.S.

Crowley charged that the country has rallied behind Democrats' principles and will continue to "resist," though he did not state what a victory for the party would look like.

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"My fellow Americans, this is not a political fight this is a fight for our future. This is about our democracy. This is about our country. This is about our people and making our voices heard," Crowley finished.

"And let me tell you: it's working. And I know this is a fight we will win."

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The missile launch was the first by North Korea since Trump took office just over three weeks ago.

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Democrat calls Trump 'the most significant test of our time' in weekly address - Washington Examiner

Betsy DeVos, President Trump's pick to be the next secretary of education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Betsy DeVos, President Trump's pick to be the next secretary of education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month.

Senate Democrats held an all-night session Monday night into Tuesday morning in a last-ditch effort to try to stop President Trump's nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, from being confirmed.

Among those who took to the floor was Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who said it was "difficult to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of Education."

"Betsy DeVos doesn't believe in public schools," Warren said. "Her only knowledge of student loans seems to come from her own financial investments connected to debt collectors who hound people struggling with student loans, and, despite being a billionaire, she wants the chance to keep making money on shady investments while she runs the Department of Education."

During DeVos' confirmation hearing, Warren pushed the nominee on how she would "protect against waste, fraud and abuse," citing Trump University, a for-profit organization that was at the center of a $25 million settlement agreement in November.

Right now, DeVos just barely has enough votes to get confirmed. Two Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine both announced last week they won't support her nomination. That means there's a 50-50 split right now, with Vice President Pence expected to break the tie with a vote slated for Tuesday afternoon.

The tactic from Democrats can't stop a vote from happening; Cabinet members are no longer subjected to a 60-vote threshold to end debate. Instead they're hoping the overnight rally of sorts will give members of the public more time to call in and pressure their representatives to rethink their position.

"I know for a fact there are other Republicans who are feeling the heat and could come around," Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Monday afternoon on the Senate floor.

DeVos has become one of Trump's most controversial nominees, eliciting strong public backlash and prompting thousands of phone calls, letters and emails from voters urging senators to oppose her nomination.

A major GOP donor and former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, DeVos has no previous experience in public education, though she has been a longtime champion of of school choice and vouchers.

She also had a rough confirmation hearing last month that seemed to expose her weaknesses and inexperience. She was tripped up when asked about accountability standards and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Those missteps were even lampooned on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.

The delay in voting on DeVos has also had a domino effect on another of Trump's nominees. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the president's pick for attorney general, is still needed to cast a critical vote in DeVos' favor. So his confirmation vote can't be held until the education nominee is moved through.

The Senate is also primed to vote this week on Georgia Rep. Tom Price's nomination to run the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Steven Mnuchin for secretary of the Treasury. Democrats don't have the votes to stop either one, but they have been exhausting the maximum amount of time on the floor to debate nominees, stretching the process for each one out over a couple of days.

GOP leaders have threatened to keep the Senate in session into the weekend to get all of those nominees confirmed this week.

Excerpt from:
Senate Democrats Rally Overnight Against Trump's Education Pick Ahead Of Vote - NPR

Rep. Jerrold Angerer (D-NY) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A senior member of the House Judiciary Committee introduced a Resolution of Inquiry on Thursday that directs the Department of Justice to provide the House of Representatives with any and all information relevant to an inquiry into President Trump and his associates conflicts of interest, ethical violations (including the Emoluments Clause), and Russia ties.

The House Judiciary Committee has 14 days to debate and vote on whether the resolution Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced should be introduced to the floor, and if it does not do so within that 14-day period, then the resolution can be brought to the floor in front of the full house for a vote.

According to the Washington Post, Nadler is dusting off a little-used legislative tool to force a committee debate or floor vote on an issue.

More from the Washington Post:

Nadlers resolution asks Attorney General Jeff Sessions to provide copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication of the Department of Justice that pertains to any criminal or counterintelligence investigation into Trump, his White House team or certain campaign associates; any investment made by a foreign power or agent thereof in Trumps businesses; Trumps plans to distance himself from his business empire; and any Trump-related examination of federal conflict of interest laws or the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

The full text of Nadlers resolution can be read here.

Nadler is the No. 2-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and he said that the move came after Democrats sent two letters to Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), one on Nov. 30, 2016 and a second on Jan. 24, 2017, and another letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asking for investigations into Trumps financial entanglements.

All of this demands investigation, and of course theyve refused, Nadler said Thursday at the House Democrats annual policy retreat here. This resolution will force them to confront the issue.

The resolution asks for records on any investigation targeting Trump as well as national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, oil industry consultant and former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, political operative Roger Stone, or any employee of the Executive Office of the President.

Flynn, Manafort, Page and Stone have all come under scrutiny for their alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Trump has stepped down from the management side of his businesses, he has not divested his assets, a move that was recommended by the nonpartisan Office of Government Ethics.

While Nadler himself has not mentioned nor implied that this resolution has anything to do with impeachment of the president, many are speculating as to whether this could be the opening salvo that leads us down that path.

As a nation, we have watched the president make many questionable moves in his first three weeks in office, and the ties that many of his closest advisers in his administration have to Russia are undeniable.

As Countable notes, the information yielded by the inquiry could lead to broader calls for impeachment.

More from Countable:

As a reminder, impeachment involves the levying of charges against a government official who has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The indictment comes from the House, and if a majority of lawmakers support impeachment the case advances to the Senate. The Senate then begins a trial with witnesses and cross-examinations, and a two-thirds majority is required to convict an official. In the event of a conviction, the official is immediately removed from office and could be barred from holding office in the future or face criminal prosecution.

Nadler said that the resolution will force Republicans to debate their role in holding Trump accountable for his potential business conflicts, and it will possibly force every member of Congress to vote on the matter.

If the resolution comes to the floor, Republicans would most likely move to table it, and Nadler said, That means every Republican will have to vote, in effect, on whether or not to abdicate their responsibility to have oversight.

And thats really all a lot of us want right? Republicans are in control of the government, and they are letting Trump (someone on Twitter called him President Twitler, but I wont do that here) run around like a Bebe kid just doing whatever he wants whenever he wants without checking him. Its dangerous, and the fact that they act like they dont have the power to stop him is scary.

Even if the resolution does not lead to impeachment, lets start getting this man in check and redirect him to the purpose of his job, which is serving the American people.

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Could This Be The 1st Step In The Impeachment Process? Democrat Files 'Resolution of Inquiry' on Trump - The Root