Highlights from the Colorado Legislature on Tuesday:
— House members geared up for their side of a fight over next year’s $18 billion budget. Democrats and Republicans spent much of the day huddled in rival caucuses to prepare for Wednesday’s floor debate over the budget (Senate Bill 209).
— A bill moving Colorado’s primaries from the second Tuesday in August to the last Tuesday in June won preliminary approval in the Senate (Senate Bill 189). The change is needed to put Colorado in compliance with a new federal voting law giving overseas and military voters more time to cast ballots.
— A Senate ethics panel dismissed a complaint against Democratic Leader John Morse of Colorado Springs, who was accused of taking excessive per diem payments in 2009. However, members of the bipartisan ethics said the legislative per diem rules are murky and decided to ask legislative leaders to further define what sort of work makes a lawmaker eligible for per diem payments from the state.
— The Senate gave preliminary approval to a new Girl Scouts license plate honoring the group’s 100-year anniversary (Senate Bill 197). Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman raised issue with creating time-sensitive specialty plates, but went on to vote for the Girl Scout tag.
— Senators delayed action on a bill allowing the Division of Wildlife to merge with the State Parks Department to save money (Senate Bill 208). The Senate voted to debate the proposal April 18.
— Lawmakers announced a busy Friday. The Senate has plans to debate a divisive measure on immigrant tuition at state colleges, while a bipartisan panel of lawmakers planned to present maps showing possible new congressional district lines required after the 2010 Census.
— Women wearing red rallied outside the Capitol to draw attention to pay inequality, while both chambers approved resolutions observing “Equal Pay Day.”
