Highlights from the Legislature on Wednesday:
— Gov. Bill Ritter signed 20 bills, including a plan to provide about 1,100 low-income 3- and 4-year-olds with a free lunch. Other bills signed into law include a measure that would allow a spouse to collect unemployment insurance if they are forced to move if an active duty serviceman is killed in combat, and a new law that excuses farmers who use irrigation wells along the South Platte from having to replace water their wells drew before March 15, 1974, from an aquifer that supplies the river.
— The Senate gave final approval to landmark new regulations for oil and gas drilling despite warnings from Republicans that the rules could cost the state jobs during the recession. The measure (House Bill 1292) now heads to Ritter, who pushed for the changes. He plans to sign the bill but hasn’t announced when yet.
— Colorado could get an extra $127.5 million for expanding unemployment benefits under a measure (Senate Bill 247) backed by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee. The extra money would come from the federal stimulus package.
— The House approved Senate amendments and sent to the governor a measure (House Bill 1260) that would allow any two unmarried people, including same-sex couples, to arrange for the other to inherit property, visit them in the hospital and make funeral arrangements.
— The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would allow hospitals to charge provider fees to cover the cost of caring for uninsured patients and to help ensure hospital care continues to be available. Supporters say the measure (House Bill 1293) would provide coverage to nearly 100,000 Coloradans and provide some guarantee that hospital care would be available to the other 700,000 Coloradans, including 180,000 children, who would still need coverage.
— The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would require minors 16 to 18 to complete a four-hour driver awareness program to get an instruction permit (House Bill 1176).
— The House approved and sent to the Senate a measure making it a crime when a person deliberately tries to infect, harass or alarm a police officer, a firefighter or emergency medical technician with body fluids or any hazardous material (House Bill 1120).
New Bills
— Require a ballot issue changing the state constitution to be referred to as an amendment, and a ballot issue changing state statutes to be referred to as a proposition (House Bill 1326).
