Children in Colorado affected by abuse now have a little more protection, thanks to a bill sponsored by state Sen. Linda Newell, of Littleton, that went into effect this month.

House Bill 1007 aims to improve child protection efforts by adding domestic violence experts to local oversight groups that manage multi-agency services for families across the state. The inclusion of domestic violence experts will address a major gap in Colorado law and help prevent abused children from falling through the cracks, according to Newell.

Currently, these oversight groups include individuals from many different areas of expertise, but have not included domestic violence professionals.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that every child is safe and in a nurturing environment," Newell said. "It is critical to involve the domestic violence professionals who know the unique needs of abused children."

In homes where families become victims of domestic violence, every family member is affected, though children are often most hurt. They are the most vulnerable in these difficult situations, and they lack a voice to represent themselves in the process. The inclusion of domestic violence experts in local oversight groups will help to ensure that children are protected and that their needs are not forgotten in the process.

Newell has years of volunteerism and advocacy for domestic violence victims and has committed to continue to work for those survivors in the Legislature.

The freshman legislator also was recently selected by the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving state legislators in 13 Western states, to attend a prestigious training institute for lawmakers.

The purpose of the Western Legislative Academy is to build effectiveness and excellence in state legislators in the Western region. Admission to the Western Legislative Academy is highly competitive and is based on commitment to public service; desire to improve personal legislative effectiveness and interest in improving the legislative process.

Newell joined 38 other state legislators from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming as members of the Class of 2009 from Aug. 5-8 in Colorado Springs.

For three and a half days, lawmakers underwent an intensive training in subjects such as the legislative institution, ethics, team building, communications, negotiations and time management.

Faculty included the Eagleton Institute’s Alan Rosenthal, a nationally recognized authority on state legislatures; Washington, D.C., communications expert Arch Lustberg, and a leading retired U.S. Air Force team building trainer.

“I am honored to have been selected to be a part of the Western Legislative Academy, and I am excited to take what I learned back to the Colorado General Assembly to be a better public servant, elected official and colleague,” Newell said.