Highlights from the Legislature on Thursday.
— Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill that will provide $26 million to expand Colorado’s bioscience industry by expediting research from the lab to the marketplace. The bill (House Bill 1001) provides money to research institutions and private companies for bioscience research.
— The governor signed a measure (House Bill 1270) that extends the types of energy efficiency items homeowner association must allow. Solar panels are already permitted under state law, but this bill will expand that to wind generators, awnings, shutters, attic fans, swamp coolers and retractable clothes lines.
— The governor signed House Bill 1097, which provides job security for members of the Civil Air Patrol. The bill allows an employee who is a member of the Civil Air Patrol to take a leave of absence from their job for up to 15 days a year if they are called away to duty.
— The Senate effectively killed a proposal to charge a $5 toll on Interstate 70. Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany asked lawmakers to delay a vote until May 26, after the Legislature adjourns, after failing to get enough votes to pass it.
— The Senate gave initial backing to transferring $250,000 into the state’s wildfire emergency respond fund, which now only has $50,000 in it (Senate Bill 232). The aim is to pay for early slurry drops on wildfires before they spread into larger, more dangerous blazes. Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, said fire and sheriff’s departments need to know they can get help from the state early without worrying about paying for an air tanker or helicopter.
— The Senate voted 21-12 to back a proposal (Senate Bill 198) requiring lawmakers to try to create competitive congressional districts after taking other criteria into account, such as keeping counties intact. The measure now heads to the House.
— The Senate gave initial backing to a bipartisan plan (Senate Bill 218) that changes the formula for how federal energy revenue is distributed. Of the $2.7 billion that’s expected in the next 10 years, nearly $2 billion would pay for higher education construction and grants for larger scale projects in oil and gas communities.
— The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill (House Bill 1356) that would prohibit a residential landlord or tenant who prevails in an eviction process from recovering attorney fees, unless it’s in the contract. It also creates a “warranty of habitability” that would guarantee that an apartment has basic amenities including a roof with no leaks, hot and cold running water and a sewage system that works. The bill also makes it easier for tenants to get out of leases.
— The House approved and sent to the Senate 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 has been dubbed the Fair & Accountable Insurance Act (House Bill 1389).
— The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill requiring the preservation of DNA evidence in cases where a person is sentenced to life in prison (House Bill 1397).
