First Regular Session

Sixty-seventh General Assembly

STATE OF COLORADO
REVISED

LLS NO. R09-0966.02 Amanda King HJR09-1019

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House Committees Senate Committees

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-1019

101 CONCERNING COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY
102 1999-2009.

1 WHEREAS, April 20, 1999, was a day that forever changed not
2 only Colorado but an entire nation; a day on which the Columbine High
3 School community, the state of Colorado, and the nation as a whole
4 suffered the tragic loss of innocence; and
5 WHEREAS, April 20, 1999, became a "new beginning" for
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6 countless families and others who recognized this tragedy as a benchmark
SEN A TE

7 for change; and

8 WHEREAS, In the ten years since the tragedy at Columbine High
9 School, efforts have been made throughout Colorado and the nation to
10 understand how this tragedy happened and to prevent similar tragedies
11 from occurring; and
12 WHEREAS, Parents of the innocent victims killed at Columbine
13 High School determined that the old library had to be eradicated, formed
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14 an organization called HOPE (Healing of People Everywhere) and, with

H O U SE

Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

Capital letters indicate new material to be added to existing statute.
Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute.
 1 the help of the community and the entire nation, raised donations of $3.1
2 million in money and resources; the old library was razed and a new
3 library erected to show that the Columbine community would not let the
4 past tarnish the future; they created a positive change and established
5 hope for a new beginning; and
6 WHEREAS, The Columbine Memorial was dedicated on
7 September 21, 2007, at Clement Park which contains a Ring of
8 Remembrance and a Ring of Healing, creating a respectful place for
9 everyone to reflect, remember, and ensure the innocent victims who died,
10 were injured, or endured the tragedy are not forgotten; and
11 WHEREAS, The Columbine license plate, "Respect Life", was
12 created to remember and value the life of innocent victims and survivors
13 of the Columbine tragedy; and
14 WHEREAS, After the tragedy at Columbine High School, dozens
15 of charitable funds were established to help people triumph over this
16 tragedy; many provided scholarships in honor of the memory of innocent
17 lives lost, while others provided support services to help people in the
18 Columbine community deal with the aftermath of this tragedy; and
19 WHEREAS, Many of the students who were affected by the
20 tragedy at Columbine High School altered their life paths and have
21 pursued degrees in fields that allow them to work with the mentally ill or
22 in other professional sectors in which they can help individuals and
23 communities ease suffering and live without violence; and
24 WHEREAS, Books have been written to pay tribute to the
25 innocent victims killed at Columbine High School; and family members
26 as well as the injured victims themselves have traveled around the world
27 as spokespersons to help others cope with tragedy; and
28 WHEREAS, Law enforcement agencies now provide immediate
29 deployment training, educate first responders, have improved interagency
30 radio communications, and have developed protocols to engage and
31 neutralize any active threat; and
32 WHEREAS, Legislation was enacted to create an environment free
33 of bullying as part of all school districts' safe school plans; and
34 WHEREAS, While the deaths that occurred at Columbine High
35 School on April 20, 1999, were a great tragedy, the community, the state
36 of Colorado, and the nation have triumphed over that tragedy by
37 maintaining thoughtful remembrance of the innocent victims, applying
38 the lessons learned by school and law enforcement officials, and
39 continuing to strive for violence-free communities; now, therefore,
40 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-seventh
41 General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
42 (1) That we, the members of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly
43 of the state of Colorado, remember and honor those innocent victims who
44 were killed, injured, or affected by the Columbine High School tragedy;

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 1 (2) That we thank those individuals and organizations who have
2 helped honor the innocent victims of the Columbine High School tragedy
3 through charitable contributions that provide scholarships and other
4 community resources, including the reconstruction of the Columbine
5 High School library and the construction and maintenance of the
6 Columbine Memorial;
7 (3) That we recognize and commend the individual and group
8 efforts of the Columbine High School community in turning this tragedy
9 into a triumph;
10 (4) That we encourage all Coloradans to remember the Columbine
11 High School community on April 20, 2009; and
12 (5) That April 20 be known statewide as a "Day of
13 Recommitment", a day to remember all innocent victims of school
14 shootings and a day to encourage all Coloradans to recommit themselves
15 and their families to being better people, better parents, and better
16 community members.
17 Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent
18 to the families of the thirteen innocent victims killed and the twenty-five
19 innocent students and staff members injured at Columbine High School
20 as follows: Kyle Velasquez, Lauren Townsend, Isaiah Shoels, Dave
21 Sanders, Daniel Mauser, Kelly Fleming, Steven Curnow, John Tomlin,
22 Rachel Scott, Daniel Rohrbough, Matthew Kechter, Corey DePooter,
23 Cassie Bernall, Val Schnurr, Lisa Kreutz, Jeanna Park, Lance Kirklin,
24 Anne Marie Hochhalter, Dan Steepleton, Patrick Ireland, Richard
25 Castaldo, Sean Graves, Brian Anderson, Kacey Ruegsegger, Nicole
26 Nowlen, Mark Taylor, Mark Kintgen, Jennifer Doyle, Stephanie Munson,
27 Adam Kyler, Michael Johnson, Nick Foss, Patti Nielson, Joyce
28 Jankowski, Makai Hall, Evan Todd, Charles Simmons, and Austin
29 Eubanks.
30 Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution also
31 be sent to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department; the Jefferson
32 County School District Communications Services Office; Frank
33 DeAngelis, principal, and the faculty of Columbine High School; and the
34 members of the Sixty-second General Assembly.

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