2013 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 13-017 BY SENATOR(S) Newell, Aguilar, Carroll, Giron, Guzman, Heath, Hudak, Kefalas, Kerr, Nicholson, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop, Todd, Morse; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Lee, Buck, Buckner, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Everett, Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Joshi, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Labuda, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Levy, May, McCann, McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Murray, Navarro, Nordberg, Pabon, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rosenthal, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Schafer, Singer, Sonnenberg, Stephens, Swalm, Szabo, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams, Wilson, Wright, Young, Ferrandino. CONCERNING RECOGNITION OF OCTOBER AS "CONFLICT RESOLUTION MONTH" IN COLORADO. WHEREAS, Conflict resolution encompasses many forms of mediation, arbitration, facilitation, collaborative decision-making, ombuds activities, restorative justice, and other responses to differences; and WHEREAS, These conflict resolution processes empower individuals, families, communities, organizations, and businesses to foster communication and devise solutions that are acceptable and responsive to the needs and interests of all parties involved; and WHEREAS, Conflict resolution is taught and practiced by citizens in many school systems, universities, and graduate programs throughout Colorado and the world as a way of solving disputes; and WHEREAS, Community-based programs work to strengthen local relationships by fairly and equitably resolving neighborhood and community conflicts and opening community dialogues based in reason and mutual respect; and WHEREAS, Professional associations of conflict mediators promote peaceful and creative resolutions to disputes; and WHEREAS, The General Assembly, in passing House Joint Resolution 97-1020, demonstrated its support of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) because of the cost- and time-savings that ADR brings to the handling of disputes by the state court system; and WHEREAS, Additional benefits produced in appropriate cases through facilitative, party-centered mediation include more creative and more durable interest-based resolution; increased satisfaction for the parties who are active participants and ultimate decision-makers in the negotiation; and the preservation of personal relationships, thereby decreasing the likelihood of strained relations among the parties and further disputes; and WHEREAS, Colorado's reputation for working across party lines to enact sound policy has had a very real impact on economic progress and job creation throughout the state; and WHEREAS, Governor John Hickenlooper has proclaimed the month of October to be Conflict Resolution Month in the state of Colorado; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: (1) That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, join the Governor in recognizing October 2013 as Conflict Resolution Month in the state; (2) That we invite Coloradans to create events that celebrate and promote the use of productive conflict resolution in their communities; (3) That we call upon leaders across the state to use this month as an occasion to discuss the principles and use the practices of conflict resolution in their homes, schools, neighborhoods, congregations, and workplaces; and (4) That we encourage every citizen of the state to reflect upon the conflicts present in his or her own life and to work responsibly to peacefully resolve those conflicts. Be It Further Resolved, That, in conjunction with Conflict Resolution Month in Colorado, October 2013, the General Assembly encourages development of educational and training programs that emphasize the special benefits of facilitative, interest-based, party-centered, and restorative mediation and that bring these special benefits to the attention of judges and other officials and staff in the state court system, state executive branch, and local governments throughout the state. Be It Further Resolved, That the General Assembly encourages the participation of judges and other officials and staff in the state judicial branch, state executive branch, and local governments in projects and programs celebrating and observing Conflict Resolution Month 2013; and, like House Joint Resolution 97-1020, that copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, the state court administrator, the chief judge of each judicial district in the state, and the court administrator of each judicial district in the state. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution also be sent to Governor John Hickenlooper; Dace West, Director, Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships; Chuck Turner, Executive Director, Colorado Bar Association; Greg Brown, Chair, Colorado Restorative Justice Coordinating Council; Gregory L. Moore, Editor, The Denver Post; Robyn McDonald, President of the Mediation Association of Colorado; Holly Panetta, Office of Dispute Resolution in the Colorado Judicial Department; Ariana Harner, President, Board of Directors, The Conflict Center; Jim Laurie, President, Board of Directors, the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado; Mary Zinn, President, Zinn Mediation Associates; Barbara Fields, Executive Director, Association for Global New Thought; each of the following organizations for posting on their web sites: The Colorado Association of School Boards, the Colorado Municipal League, the Colorado District Attorney's Council, and Colorado Counties, Inc.; and the members of the Colorado Congressional delegation. ____________________________ ____________________________ John P. Morse Mark Ferrandino PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES