Protections for gays win final House OK
The House on Wednesday gave final approval to employment protections for gays and lesbians on a 36-29 vote.
The bill makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation.
The bill now heads back to the Senate so the upper chamber can consider the House’s changes.
Academic-freedom bill dies in House
A bill designed to protect professors from political pressure died in the House on Wednesday after opponents said the state has the right to keep an eye on how universities spend taxpayers’ money.
House members killed the bill by a vote of 35-30. The bill’s prime sponsor, Democratic Sen. Bob Hagedorn of Aurora, has said he introduced the bill to protect college faculty members who discuss their political or religious views in the classroom.
Hoffman honored for work at CU’s helm
Lawmakers honored outgoing University of Colorado president Betsy Hoffman for her five years of work at the state’s flagship university.
Hoffman announced her June 30 resignation in March after more than a year of controversy surrounding a sex and recruiting scandal that rocked the university’s athletic department, as well as scrutiny over remarks by controversial professor Ward Churchill.
But on Wednesday, legislators in both chambers streamed to the microphone to heap praise on Hoffman.
Hoffman said she thought she was coming to the Capitol for a meeting with legislative leaders about budget reform.
“I’m just kind of overwhelmed. I really appreciate that they can see what I did,” she said.
Owens vetoes cut in outsourcing by RTD
Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have allowed RTD to lower the amount of bus service it farms out to private contractors from 50 percent to 35 percent.
Labor groups and others who are leery of privatization had pushed the measure. Some customers of the Regional Transportation District have been highly critical of the quality of service offered by some private firms that have operated bus service for RTD.
But in his veto message, Owens said the bill “would turn back the clock on the progressive and innovative privatization efforts” that he helped sponsor when he was a state legislator 17 years ago.
RTD would incur significantly higher operating and maintenance costs for its bus service if the bill became law and the transit agency took back bus service now operated by private companies, Owens said.
Open-container ban heads to Owens’ desk
Legislation banning open alcohol containers in cars was approved by the House on Wednesday and is headed to the governor.
House Bill 1122 would make it illegal to have open drinks within reach of the driver or front-seat passenger, said bill sponsor Rep. Fran Coleman, D-Denver.
The bill would not pre-empt similar local ordinances, she said.
