Parks and wildlife agencies merge
Senate Bill 208 merges the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. Gov. John Hickenlooper sought to combine the divisions for efficiency. Opponents said the bill would shift funding from a robust wildlife program to an ailing parks system.
Tighter reins on Pinnacol travel
House Bill 1211 involves Pinnacol Assurance, the state-chartered workers’ compensation fund. It bars board members, employees and their spouses from incurring travel expenditures that are more than two times the rates allowed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The law comes in response to a series of high- profile luxury junkets by Pinnacol board members and executives.
Protections for tow-truck drivers
Senate Bill 260 allows tow-truck drivers to temporarily place a sign on the driver’s-side door of a car that is about to be towed, makes it a crime for others to remove the sign and requires that motorists yield the right-of-way to stationary tow trucks. The law follows the death of Allen Rose, a Colorado Springs tow-truck driver who was dragged to death after the driver of a vehicle allegedly drove away while Rose was hooking up the vehicle to be towed, causing him to become caught in a cable.
Limits on idling by commercial trucks
House Bill 1275 sets a statewide idling standard for commercial diesel trucks, barring idling for more than five minutes within an hour.
The law makes exceptions for situations such as traffic jams, emergencies, maintenance, extreme temperatures or when the truck is at a rest stop and the engine is being used to heat or cool a sleeping compartment.
Compiled by Tim Hoover, The Denver Post
