Madden: All bills will get fair hearing
House Minority Leader Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, complained on the House floor Wednesday that Democrats won’t listen to the spending plans of Republicans who voted against Referendum C. Stengel cited a Denver Post article on Monday in which House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, described anti-C Republicans as people who “chose not to be part of the solution.” He claimed she was implying that Republicans with plans to use Referendum C money would not be allowed to speak. That’s untrue, Madden replied. “All bills will get a fair hearing” as required by state constitution, she said.
Property-tax proposal meets resistance
The House Finance Committee voted 8-5 Wednesday against Rep. Bill Crane’s proposal to boost the property-tax exemption for senior citizens. Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, joined the seven Democrats in voting against the bill. Crane, an Arvada Republican who voted against Referendum C, wanted to funnel $18.5 million from roads and bridges to boost the property-tax exemption for seniors. Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, said she was “amused” that an opponent of Referendum C had a plan for some of the extra money the state will collect.The bill is still pending because lawmakers didn’t vote to postpone it indefinitely – the step that usually kills a bill.
Bill seeks oversight for higher-ed mandates
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education would lose its power to set mandates without legislative approval under a bill by Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada. The senator says the commission overstepped its authority when it set college-entry requirements telling high school students what courses they had to take to get into one of the state’s four-year public colleges. The bill also says at least two members of the commission must have higher-education experience and that colleges’ governing boards must be politically balanced.
Tax exemption for Web phone calls killed
The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-6 on party lines to kill a Republican-sponsored proposal to give a tax exemption to Internet-based telephone services.
House Bill 1173, sponsored by Rep. Matt Knoedler, R-Lakewood, called for exempting “Voice over Internet protocol” service from state and local taxes.
According to the legislature’s financial analysis of the bill, the exact cost to the state was unquantifiable. But officials said it would hasten the migration of phone calls away from traditional wire and cellphone services.
In fiscal year 2004-05, the Department of Revenue collected $43.7 million in state sales tax from wired telecommunications providers and $31.6 million from cellular service providers.
Also of note …
The Senate on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 25, which would allow prosecution of a dog owner after a dog attacks for the first time. It now moves to the House.
As expected, Democratic Sen. Moe Keller killed Senate Bill 17 in committee because the measure to cut health insurance costs for small businesses didn’t have business support.
A Senate committee on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 19, requiring drivers to carry emergency medical coverage to pay for trauma treatment.
Democratic Sen. Bob Hagedorn said he plans to introduce a competing bill that would replace a $25 emission-test fee every two years with a $10 annual fee to ensure emergency-care providers are being paid quickly.
A Senate committee passed House Bill 1200 Wednesday to provide $24 million to help low-income residents pay their heating bills and increase their homes’ energy efficiency.
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This article has been corrected in this online archive. Due to a reporting error, it originally said the House Judiciary Committee voted on two tax-exemption bills. In fact, the House Finance Committee voted on those bills.
