Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday pulled out his veto pen to cancel three more bills sent to him by the legislature.
Owens, who vetoed 57 bills during the first six years of his administration, has vetoed six bills this year.
The vetoes fulfill a promise Owens made in January at the start of the legislative session when he warned statehouse Democrats that he would block bills he opposed.
On Thursday, Owens vetoed bills that would:
Sen. Dan Grossman, D-Denver, the sponsor of two of the bills, said he was “disappointed’ with the vetoes, particularly of the open-space bill.
“We worked really hard with the governor’s office,’ Grossman said.
Senate Bill 174 would have given counties permission to exceed current limits on using sales tax revenues to “fund county-owned open space and park land.’
In his veto message, Owens said there weren’t enough protections to ensure that the money would be used to buy open- space land.
Chip Taylor, legislative director for Colorado Counties Inc., said the bill appropriately would have let counties maintain the open space they have.
Senate Bill 25 called for an increase in the amount of non-economic damages that litigants can collect, which is limited to $366,000. The bill would have adjusted that amount for inflation since 1998 – raising the cap to $440,000.
Grossman, sponsor of the bill, said the adjustment was necessary to be fair to people involved in lawsuits.
“This was a one-time adjustment for inflation,’ Grossman said. “Every year that passes penalizes an injured person to a greater degree.’
In his veto message, Owens wrote, “I believe the current cap of $366,000 represents a balance between the need to compensate the injured party and the need to protect all Coloradans from out-of-control litigation costs.’
Senate Bill 69 would have removed the requirement to print the names of county workers in the annual publication of salaries. Instead, the bill would have allowed the information to be published by title.
“Government employees are accountable to the taxpayer who pay their salaries,’ Owens wrote.
Meanwhile, the House gave final approval to measures that now require only the approval of Owens to become law.
House Bill 1061, sponsored by Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, seeks to give tenants more power when negotiating with landlords. It passed on a 33-31 vote.
“Good landlords have nothing to fear in this bill,’ Merrifield said. But Republicans renewed their opposition.
“This is just colossally invasive,’ said Rep. Mike May, R-Parker.
A Wray Republican’s bill also cleared the General Assembly.
House Bill 1218, sponsored by Rep. Greg Brophy, an avid cyclist, establishes a right-of-way for cyclists on state roads. It was approved 41-24.
Opponents objected that it was vague and it would wrongly encourage cyclists to ride two abreast on narrow mountain roads.
Staff writer Jim Hughes contributed to this report.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at mcouch@denverpost.com or 303-820- 1794.