Colorado: Udall

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a credit-card holders protection act — a version of an idea first introduced in the House more than four years ago by then-Rep. Mark Udall.

The bill that passed the Senate — and which will be reconciled with a House version this week — clamps down on the freedom of banks and credit-card companies to sharply increase rates even on consumers with good credit.

Sen. Udall, a Democrat from Eldorado Springs, hatched the idea in 2005 after watching a staff member's experience with a credit-card company that boosted his interest rate to 21 percent even though he had never missed a payment.

Sleeves rolled up, jacket off, Colorado's newest senator walks before a few dozen Democrats at a recent meet-and-greet and waves off the microphone he's offered with a smile.

The Democrat rattles off a brief stump speech without notes, talking up President Barack Obama's stimulus plan and plans to reform education and health care. Then he switches gears and tells a funny anecdote about running into a fellow member of Congress from Colorado in the laundry room of his Washington apartment building.

The crowd laughs—then peppers Bennet with questions, not all of them friendly, for more than two hours.

Democratic Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced today in a joint press release that they are now officially part of a moderate working group/coalition/thingy called "The Moderate Dems Working Group." According to the announcement:
The Moderate Dems Working Group will meet every other Tuesday before the Democratic Caucus lunch to discuss legislative strategies and ideas. The Moderate Dems held their second meeting Tuesday to focus on the upcoming budget negotiations and the importance of passing a fiscally responsible spending plan in the Senate.

Leading the new group are Democratic Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana, Tom Carper of Delaware and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

As the Longmont Daily Times-Call reports:
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, will no longer accept private corporations' and other non-government groups' requests for earmarks in federal appropriations bills, his staff announced Wednesday.

Udall's policy will now be to consider only those funding requests proposed by public entities in Colorado seeking federal funding, his staff said.

Udall's staff said he'll still encourage Colorado's cities, counties, colleges and universities, special districts and water conservancy districts, for example, to submit proposals for possible inclusion in congressional appropriations bills...

Udall said Wednesday that "political contributions from people or companies requesting earmarks can taint the legislative process.

"Government entities, however, are not allowed to make political donations, and government entities and officials are directly accountable to Coloradans, unlike private sector entities," Udall added.