§ 24-33.5-1601 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 24-33.5-1601

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 24: Government
• Art.: Public Safety

Text

(1) The general assembly hereby
finds and declares that:

(a) The threat of terrorism in Colorado is a matter of great concern to the
people of the state and affects the public interest. Therefore, this part 16 is enacted
for the purpose of protecting the health, peace, safety, and welfare of the people of
this state.

(b) The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, Washington,
D.C., and Pennsylvania, along with the subsequent sending of anthrax through the
mail, the previous attempt to destroy the world trade center, and the bombing of
the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, and the arson attacks in
Vail, Colorado, demonstrate that no part of the United States is immune from the
threat of terrorism;

(c) Responsible public agencies must anticipate and protect against new
forms of terrorism, including suicide hijacking, use of biological toxins and
hazardous materials, arson, and sabotage of telecommunications networks, the
food and water supply, and other critical infrastructure;

(d) In response to the threat of terrorism, the federal government and
several state governments are creating specialized agencies to coordinate efforts
to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and prosecute acts of
terrorism. Colorado currently has no such agency, and few of Colorado's criminal
laws address terrorism specifically.

(e) In 2005, hurricane Katrina emphasized and reinforced the importance of
robust emergency management systems and the need for an all-hazards approach
to homeland security, increased autonomy, and responsibility for emergency
management;

(f) Coordination across disciplines, among levels of government, and with
private and nongovernmental sectors is the best way to ensure that government
can deliver, to the best of its collective ability, the most effective and efficient
services regardless of the cause of any disaster;

(g) A state agency should be established to coordinate Colorado's response
to the threat of terrorism and other threats; facilitate tribal, state, local, and
regional homeland security activities; direct homeland security-related federal
funding to local governments; and share homeland security information among
entities participating in homeland security activities.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2002: Entire part added, p. 1206, � 6, effective June 3. L. 2012: (1)(e) amended and (1)(f) and (1)(g) added, (HB 12-1283), ch. 240, p. 1119, � 18, effective July 1.