Highlights from the Legislature on Wednesday:
— The Senate Health and Human Services Committee backed a proposal (Senate Bill 211) requiring drivers to carry $10,000 of medical coverage on their car insurance plans. The bill would have originally required $25,000. Ambulances services and hospitals say they’ve been losing money in unpaid bills since the state dropped its no-fault car insurance system in which car insurance companies paid medical bills. Car insurance companies say requiring medical coverage isn’t fair to drivers who also have health insurance.
— The Senate gave initial backing to trying to phase out state standardized tests for 10th graders and replace them with a battery of tests like the ACT program. The proposed change was added to a larger bill (Senate Bill 212) aimed at updating the state’s curriculum standards to make sure high school graduates are ready for college or the working world.
— The House and Senate honored Jeanne Assam, the volunteer security guard who wounded gunman Matthew Murray at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
— The House approved a proposal (Senate Bill 77) to make it a misdemeanor to trick online ticket sites into selling more than the maximum number of tickets. The measure was proposed partly in response to problems the Colorado Rockies had with their World Series ticket sales. The bill goes back to the Senate for consideration of amendments.
New bills:
— Changing membership of the Colorado State University board of governors (Senate Bill 227).
— Allowing hospitals that provide Medicaid services to ask voters to levy a sales tax (Senate Bill 229).
