“Plan B” backers petition Owens
Supporters of emergency contraception delivered 5,000 postcards to Gov. Bill Owens on Wednesday, hoping to persuade the governor to sign House Bill 1212.
The bill would give pharmacists the power to prescribe “Plan B” to girls and women who want to prevent a pregnancy.
Owens has expressed “strong concerns” because the bill would allow pharmacists to dispense the drug to minors without medical consultation.
The bill cleared its final legislative hurdle Friday when it was approved by the Senate.
Owens has 10 days after the bill arrives on his desk to sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature. The governor had not yet received the bill Wednesday, said Owens spokesman Dan Hopkins.
Change to water laws advances
The House on Wednesday gave tentative approval to a bill requiring clean-water analyses for large water transfers in Colorado.
House Bill 1352 survived a 33-32 vote, with critics saying that water judges already have the power to consider how water transfers will affect water quality.
“This is a major change to the water law of Colorado,” said Rep. Diane Hoppe, R-Sterling, arguing against the bill.
But its sponsor, Democratic Rep. Buffie McFadyen of Pueblo West, said that water judges need more direction from the legislature.
“There’s no better reason for a bill than when you hear there are discrepancies in what judges determine to be the law,” she said.
Governor signs bill for elder alerts
Gov. Bill Owens has signed a bill authorizing Amber Alert-like public notices for mentally impaired senior citizens who go missing.
Similar to the notices for missing children, the alerts will appear as crawls on television screens and periodic radio announcements.
The notices will “bring peace of mind to many Colorado families and caregivers,” said Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, the House sponsor of Senate Bill 57.
“Finding a missing senior in the first two hours is critical, especially when someone who appears to be normal suddenly realizes that they do not know who they are, where they are or how they got there.”
It will be the first program of its kind in the country, according to a Democratic news release.
