(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:
The threat of terrorism in Colorado is a matter of great concern to the people of thestate 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.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, Washington, D.C., andPennsylvania, 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;
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;
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.
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;
Coordination across disciplines, among levels of government, and with private andnongovernmental 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;
A state agency should be established to coordinate Colorado's response to the threatof 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.
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.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act amending subsection (1)(e) and adding subsections (1)(f) and (1)(g), see section 1 of chapter 240, Session Laws of Colorado 2012.