Highlights from the Colorado Legislature on Wednesday:
— Democrats took another crack at new congressional districts by proposing a map that more closely resembles existing districts. Both parties planned public hearings Thursday on new district proposals.
— The Senate gave final approval to an alternative bond program that could allow some criminal defendants to avoid paying bail bondsmen (Senate Bill 186). The measure passed 18-17 despite objections from several dozen bondsmen protesting outside the Capitol.
— The Senate gave preliminary approval to a new “cottage foods” exemption to allow farmers to sell some foods they prepared in their home kitchens, rather than commercial kitchens (Senate Bill 258).
— The Senate killed a proposal to repeal Colorado’s Bedding Act, which requires that beds be sanitized before they can be resold (Senate Bill 184). Sponsors said there were bed-bug concerns about repealing the safety measure and shelved the measure.
— Gov. John Hickenlooper signed 11 bills into law The new laws included Colorado’s first statewide autopsy standards (House Bill 1258), new license plates for taxicabs (House Bill 1234) and a pilot program to award grants to home sellers with energy efficiency ratings below minimum standards (House Bill 1160).
— The Senate Judiciary Committee has given its approval to two marijuana bills, one a ban on synthetic marijuana (Senate Bill 134) sold as Spice or K2 and another requiring labels on edible marijuana (House Bill 1250).
— The House gave final approval to a bill that would fine employers who fail to show proof that their workers are in the country legally (House Bill 1309). The proposal now heads to the Senate for consideration.
— The House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would potentially expand the dates when bears can be hunted to manage the animals’ growing population (House Bill 1294). The bill faces one more House vote before it passes to the Senate.
