Highlights from the Legislature on Wednesday.
— The House gave initial approval to a bill that would require health insurance firms to get prior approval for rate hikes, punish them for improper denial of claims and encourage efficiencies. The plan, dubbed the Fair & Accountable Insurance Act (House Bill 1389) faces a third reading before it goes to the Senate.
— The House approved and sent to the Senate the school finance act. This year’s school finance act will put tens of thousands of 4- and 5-year-olds in preschool and kindergarten next year.
Lawmakers also want to allow 22,000 more 4- and 5-year-olds to enroll in preschool and kindergarten over six years.
— The House approved a bill (House Bill 205) that would allow a judge to decide if convicted criminals get a new trial if DNA evidence is destroyed. The measure was inspired by the case of Clarence Moses-EL, who says he was wrongly convicted of a 1987 rape in Denver. Police destroyed evidence in the case after a judge ordered it be tested further. The bill now goes back to the Senate for consideration of amendments.
— The Senate Appropriations Committee killed a bill introduced to set limits on what payday lenders can charge (House Bill 1310). Senate President Peter Groff asked for it to be killed because he said it was amended to protect the industry rather than consumers.
— The Senate gave final approval to a tax break to encourage the harvesting of trees infested with pine beetles (House Bill 1269). It would exempt all lumber, furniture and wood chips made from infected trees from the 2.9 percent state sales tax. It now heads back to the House because of changes made in the Senate.
— The Senate gave initial approval to requiring that lawmakers try to make competitive congressional districts after considering other factors, like keeping counties intact (Senate Bill 198).
— The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 6-4 to reject the second of two proposals to change the homestead property tax exemption that seniors and disabled veterans can claim on half of the first $200,000 of their property’s value. The proposal (Senate Concurrent Resolution 1) would have barred anyone from living in a home worth more than $500,000 from taking the deduction.
New bills:
— Require that all petition circulators be Colorado residents and that petition organizers pledge that gatherers have been told not to lie or mislead voters (House Bill 1406).
— Prohibit insurance companies from unreasonably delaying or denying a claim for payment of benefits (House Bill 1407).
— Deny bail for a person who has committed a serious felony or driving under the influence offense and is in the country illegally (House Bill 1013).
