Highlights from the Legislature on Tuesday:
— The Senate gave initial approval to requiring social workers to follow up within 30 days with teachers, clergy members and others who are required to report suspected child abuse (Senate Bill 152). The requirement is one of the recommendations of a committee appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to study the child welfare system.
— A proposal allowing to Mesa State College to offer professional, technical degrees and a limited number of graduate programs passed its first vote in the Senate (Senate Bill 79).
— With no debate, the full Senate gave initial backing to foregoing a hike in expense payments for lawmakers from outside the Denver area (Senate Bill 119). Those lawmakers get $150 a day to cover housing and meals while they’re in Denver for the four-month session. The amount is set to rise to $191 a day in July. Delaying the raise will save the state $238,005, a very small dent in the state’s $1.3 billion budget shortfall.
