Highlights from the Legislature on Wednesday:
— Gov. Bill Ritter signed a package of bills taxing everything from candy and soda to online sales. The governor says the money is needed to help close a $1.5 billion shortfall this year and next.
— The House has given initial approval to a measure (House Bill 1275) that would require people who bury human bodies on their property to record the location with the county clerk within 30 days of burial. The bill faces a third reading before it goes to the Senate.
— The Senate made some changes to a series of budget cuts and transfers to close an additional $475 million shortfall in this year’s budget. The changes included unfreezing $5.1 million in state grants to help communities near casinos deal with the impact of gaming. The budget balancing moves face another vote in the Senate on Friday.
— The Senate passed a measure (Senate Bill 150) to take $46.1 million in income earned on state school lands and the lands’ permanent fund in order to shore up the education budget. The land was given to Colorado at statehood to help support schools.
— The Senate gave initial approval to changing the requirements for people applying for welfare to make them similar to other safety net programs, like food stamps (Senate Bill 68). The changes include eliminating a review of people’s assets and allowing pregnant women to qualify as soon as they can verify pregnancy. Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, feared the changes could lead to a rise in the number of people seeking benefits. Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said people can only get a maximum of five years of welfare benefits over their lifetime and doubted that people would frivolously apply for benefits and exhaust them.
