An appeal from a bi-partisan group of House lawmakers to pass a rain barrel bill stalled in the Senate failed. The measure died Tuesday night. (House lawmakers)
On the floor of the state Senate, Republican Jerry Sonnenberg looked at a picture of his colleagues in the House holding up a sign demanding he free the rain barrels, a reference to a bill he was holding up, and let out a laugh.
The journey for the rain-barrels bill ended Tuesday when the Senate didn’t take it up for discussion. Because bills can’t be debated on and officially voted on the same day and because Wednesday is the last day of the session, House Bill 1259 became the latest measure headed to .
Over the past few months this bill has captured the attention of Coloradans. Like many in the legislature, citizens do not understand why they are illegal or how Colorado could be the last state in the United States to allow citizens to use them,” Peter Maysmith, executive director of Conservation Colorado, state in a statement.
“It’s like growing flowers,” Sonnenberg said. “You can’t go over and pick your neighbors’ flowers just because you’re only picking a few. They’re not your flowers.”
House Bill 1259, by Democratic Reps. Daneya Esgar of Pueblo and Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge, and Sen. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, would have allowed the in up to two rain barrels if certain conditions are met.
“Colorado’s rain-barrel ban is little known and widely flouted, with rain barrels for sale at many home-gardening stores and commonly used by home gardeners. But the barrels technically violate Colorado water law, which says that people don’t own the water that runs on or through their property. They can use the water, but they can’t keep it,” the Associated Press reported.
The measure passed the 45-20 in March 45-20. During its hearing in Senate Ag, which Sonndermann chairs, he asked for a the state water engineer to figure out the cost of registering the barrels to get an idea of how many were out there. Sonnenberg said he didn’t hear back until last week week that the registration could be done within existing resources. He has of the measure. The bill passed out of Senate Ag Tuesday but wasn’t debated on the Senate floor.
“Let’s skip the games and have some common sense,” Rep. Jon Keyser, R-Morrison, wrote on his Facebook page. Keyser appeared in the photo about freeing the rain barrels.
Sonnenberg said plenty of people beside him are concerned about the measure and how much water it would take out of the system.
