(April 24) – Rep. Jeni Arndt’s bill to allow Colorado to stop being a dumping ground for other states’ radioactive materials won preliminary approval in the House tonight. Currently, Colorado’s lax laws on radioactive waste storage make it a destination of choice for North Dakota and other states looking to dump radioactive materials, either naturally
(April 24) – Rep. Donald Valdez’s bipartisan bill to tighten penalties for theft of firearms won the House’s preliminary OK tonight. HB18-1077, sponsored by Reps. Valdez, D-La Jara, and Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, raises the penalty for stealing firearms or ammunition from a Class 4 felony to a Class 3, matching the penalty for stealing
(April 24) – House Democrats passed a bill today to better prepare Colorado for the impacts of climate change. HB18-1297, sponsored by Reps. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, and Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, directs the Colorado Resiliency and Recovery Office to develop a toolkit to help Colorado communities and individuals to be less susceptible to wildfires, floods and
(April 24) – Rep. Jeff Bridges’ bill to crack down on a surge of false reports of active shooters won bipartisan House approval today. SB18-068, sponsored in the House by Reps. Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, and Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch, takes on the crime called “swatting” – the false reporting of an active shooter, bomb
(April 23) – Four Democratic-sponsored bills to address Colorado’s chronic teacher shortage passed the House Education Committee today, for a total of six bills in the 2018 legislative process that seek to make it easier to attract and retain teachers. “In Colorado we have 3,000 teacher positions unfilled,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “These bills
(April 23) – The House Finance Committee approved two bills today to help close the wage gap in Colorado. Currently, the gender wage gap is projected to not close until 2057 in Colorado and 2059 nationally. “Women are the sole breadwinners in seventy-five percent of hardworking families in Colorado,” Rep. Buckner said. “We are fighting for
(April 20) – Rep. Daneya Esgar’s bipartisan bill to extend a program to prepare students for middle-skill jobs won final House approval today. The House voted 47-14 for HB18-1266, sponsored by Rep. Esgar, D-Pueblo, with Rep. Jim Wilson, R-Salida. It would extend a pilot program begun by her in 2016 to incentivize school districts to
(April 20) – The House gave final passage today to Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet’s bill for a coordinated statewide campaign to reduce youth suicide in Colorado. “Suicide prevention does not happen at the moment of suicidality, it happens long before someone reaches crisis stage,” Rep. Michaelson Jenet said. “This bill takes a multifaceted approach to
(April 20) – The House gave final passage today to Rep. James Coleman’s bill to help increase the availability of quality child care providers in Colorado. HB18-1004, sponsored by Reps. Coleman, D-Denver, and Jim Wilson, R-Salida, extends a tax credit for donations to child care facilities. The donations can be used to hire more staff
(April 19) – Three major components of the House Democrats’ effort to combat the epidemic of opioid addiction in Colorado won voice-vote approval in the House tonight. HB18-1136 is Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s bill for a tenfold increase in residential and inpatient substance abuse treatment through Medicaid coverage, mostly by drawing down federal funds. Currently, Medicaid
