Seat-belt bill yanked in House again
A bill that would have let police pull over drivers for not wearing seat belts was killed Thursday by the House after critics said it would increase racial profiling and infringe on civil liberties.
The vote means Colorado loses out on an extra $12 million in federal highway funds that were up for grabs if failing to buckle up had been made a primary offense.
“When I weigh my civil liberties versus cash from the feds, mine aren’t for sale,” said House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder.
Under current law, drivers can be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt only if they have been pulled over for another offense.
It was the third year in a row the Senate passed the seat-belt legislation, only to see it die in the House.
When state representatives rejected the legislation, sponsor Joe Rice, D-Littleton, offered up a watered-down proposal – allow traffic stops only when children younger than 9 or less than 57 inches tall are not in booster seats.
But even that failed, as opponents argued it is impossible for police to determine the weight and height of a child until they pull over a vehicle.
House backs measure to curb LLC donations
The House on Thursday endorsed a bill to crack down on campaign contributions by limited liability corporations.
The measure would close a loophole exposed during last year’s elections when a number of donors used LLCs to get around the state’s contribution limits for individuals.
House Bill 1323 would prohibit donations to candidates, small- donor committees and political parties if one or more of the members of the LLC is a corporation, a labor organization, a lobbyist or foreign citizen or government.
Those LLCs contributing to campaigns would have to provide the names and addresses of its membership, confirmation of eligibility to make the donation, and information as to how the contribution is to be attributed among its members.
“Clean elections require transparency. Any attempt to conceal contributions to candidates is an effort to hide the truth from the American people,” said bill sponsor Rep. Gwyn Green, D-Golden.
In other action
The House on Thursday passed a bill to protect small businesses and their workers from drastic health insurance rate hikes. House Bill 1355 would prohibit health insurance companies from using the health history of workers in setting rates for businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The Senate gave final approval to a bill that would let same-sex couples adopt each other’s children. The bill passed 20-15 on straight party lines. It now goes to Gov. Bill Ritter, who has indicated he will sign it.
