The Colorado legislature will debate a bill that would strip César Chávez’s name from a holiday less than a week after an investigation reported allegations that Chávez sexually abused women and girls for decades.
was introduced Friday afternoon and is set to be heard in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Monday. If the measure passes, it would rename César Chávez Day — which commemorates the works of the civil rights movement he led — to Farm Workers Day.
The voluntary legal holiday is observed by the state on March 31, on the late Chávez’s birthday, but government is still open. Denver, which observes its official holiday by closing city offices on the final Monday each March, last week announced that it’s changing the name, too.
If the new bill speeds through the legislature, it could take effect before the upcoming holiday. Nearly every member of the House, Democrat and Republican alike, has signed on as a co-sponsor to the measure.
While schedules are always subject to change, here is what else is on the legislature’s docket this week.
Tuesday
The Senate will debate , a proposal to ban the 3D printing of firearms. It is one of a handful of measures aimed at tightening restrictions around firearms this year. The proposal would still need a formal vote by the body before it goes to Gov. Jared Polis. The measure already cleared the House.
The Senate is slated to debate , one of two measures aimed at overtime regulations for agricultural workers. This bill would raise the overtime threshold to 60 hours per week. A separate bill that would have lowered the threshold from its current level died earlier in the session.
Also on Tuesday, the House Health and Human Services Committee will conduct the first hearing for . That bill would levy fees on large employers that don’t provide medical benefits and whose employees are paid so low that they qualify for Medicaid.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear a measure intended to create financial protections for children who are used in online content creation. has already cleared the House.
The Senate Transportation and Energy Committee will hold the first hearing on . The proposal would create an optional fee, paid during motor vehicle registration, to help create wildlife crossings on major highways. Where implemented, the crossings reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by almost 90%.
Thursday
The second of two competing bills about data centers will be heard by the House Energy and Environment Committee. , the measure under consideration, would use tax incentives to encourage data center companies to comply with regulations. It has industry support.
The other measure, , would offer no incentives but would institute new regulations across the state. It has support from environmental groups. It was heard in its first committee last week but has not yet been voted on.
