Legislature
Colorado State Sen. Vicki Marble blames media, mom of Cub Scout for story hoopla in Post op-ed
DENVER – In a new editorial published Tuesday in the Denver Post, the Colorado state senator whose exchange with a Broomfield Cub Scout led to national headlines about the boy being kicked out of his den blamed the press and the Scout’s mother for causing the hoopla surrounding the incident.
State. Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, said she didn’t blame the boy, 11-year-old Ames Mayfield, for asking her the questions about her 2013 comments about African-Americans, saying, “I believe there was an element of manipulation involved.” Continue reading
Colorado insurance commissioner warns Trump health care order could spell end of employer coverage
DENVER – Colorado’s insurance commissioner said Thursday afternoon that President Trump’s executive order aimed at solving his promise to repeal and replace the federal health care law will “cause problems” for the state’s health insurance market and warned it could end employer-provided coverage in the state.
“Expanding association health plans and short-term health insurance without [Affordable Care Act] protections will fracture the individual and small group markets,” Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar said. Continue reading
Partisan fighting continues to kick off Colorado special session; Senate committee kills measure
DENVER – Republicans in a Colorado Senate committee kicked off the first special session in Colorado in five years by killing one of two measures brought forth by Democrats aimed at fixing a bill-drafting mistake that left several special districts in the state without the ability to collect on a state marijuana tax.
On a party-line vote, the Senate Transportation Committee struck down the first measure, continuing to push Republicans’ stance that the special session is unnecessary and that the tax fix needs to be sent to voters. Continue reading
Colorado’s CHP+ program has funding through January, but state says Congress needs to act quickly
DENVER – Colorado officials say the health insurance program for children and pregnant women has enough federal money left over to remain operational through the first month of the year, but warn the money could be gone after that if Congress does not act to restore funding in the next couple months.
Funding for the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ran out Saturday when Congress failed to act to restore funding for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Continue reading
Hickenlooper, GOP leadership continue fiery battle over pot tax mistake on eve of special session
DENVER – On the eve of next week’s special session to address a marijuana tax mistake made in this year’s legislative session, Gov. John Hickenlooper blasted state Republicans for playing political games with taxpayer money and said the bipartisan gains made in the Legislature this year had been lost in the “political circus” surrounding the session.
But the same Republicans who he took to task returned the favor, saying Hickenlooper is disregarding state law about raising taxpayer revenues. Continue reading
New Colorado laws take hold this week: New DUI sentencing guidelines, protections for DV victims
DENVER – More than 100 new laws made by the state Legislature earlier this year will take effect on Wednesday, when the 90-day period for a petition on the bills ends.
Among them are new laws that will impose mandatory jail time for anyone convicted of multiple felony DUIs, one that will allow people to break into hot cars to save people or animals without repercussions, and one that will force convicted stalkers and domestic violence offenders to be held without bail before they are sentenced.
New DUI sentencing guidelines take hold
The new DUI law will require anyone convicted of felony DUI to serve between 90 and 180 days in jail if they are granted probation for their sentence. People sentenced to work release will have to serve between 120 days and 2 years in jail.
The law came to pass this session after years of work to address what many say are lenient sentencing guidelines in Colorado. Two years ago, the Legislature made it a felony to have a fourth or subsequent DUI, which carries a sentence of between 2 and 6 years.
Under the new law that takes effect Wednesday, those convicted will also have to serve between 48 and 120 hours of public service time.
Protections for hot car Good Samaritans
Also taking effect Wednesday is a new law that will protect people who break into hot cars to rescue animals and people who are at risk of heat exposure and heat stroke.
The new law protecting Good Samaritans sailed through the Legislature, garnering only four “no” votes total in the House and Senate before Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill in April.
Once the law goes into effect, there will be a checklist people have to fulfill in order to not be charged as well:
- The vehicle in question can’t be a law enforcement vehicle.
- An at-risk person or non-livestock animal has to be in the car, and the Good Samaritan must believe that person or animal is “in imminent danger of death or suffering serious bodily injury.
- The vehicle must be locked.
- The Good Samaritan must make a “reasonable effort” to find the vehicle’s owner and document the vehicle’s characteristics.
- The Good Samaritan must contact a law enforcement, fire, or animal control agency before they enter the vehicle.
- The Good Samaritan must not interfere with the duties or direction of a law enforcement agent or first responder.
- The Good Samaritan can’t use “more force than he or she believes is reasonably necessary.”
- The Good Samaritan must remain with the at-risk person or animal and near the vehicle until law enforcement or first responders arrive.
- If the Good Samaritan can’t stay at the scene until first responders or law enforcement arrive, they have to let the responders know and leave their contact information with the vehicle.
The law does not apply to livestock, the term of which the law covers: cattle, horses, mules, burros, sheep, poultry, swine, llamas and goats.
Before the law takes hold, people face charges of criminal mischief, criminal trespass or criminal tampering involving property if a district attorney decides to pursue charges in a hot-car break-in.
New protections for stalking, DV victims
Another new law taking hold Wednesday is the No Bail for Stalking and Domestic Violence Offenders Act, which will force people convicted of felony stalking or habitual domestic violence to be held without bail while they await sentencing.
The law came to be after a Colorado Springs woman was allegedly killed by an ex-boyfriend who had already been convicted of stalking her.
CBO: Senate healthcare bill leaves 22M fewer insured by 2026, but more deficit-friendly than House’s
DENVER – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says the Senate’s health care bill will leave 22 million people who currently have insurance under the Affordable Care Act without it over the next 10 years—a slight improvement on the 23 million people who would lose insurance under the House version of the bill scored in May.
But the CBO estimates that 15 million people will lose insurance next year alone when compared to those insured under the Affordable Care Act. The CBO estimated 14 million people would lose insurance in 2018 under the House version of the bill. Continue reading
It’s hot car season, but Colorado’s new Good Samaritan law won’t take effect until August
DENVER – The Colorado Legislature made a new law this year protecting people who break into hot cars to rescue at-risk people and animals, but you could still risk punishment if you do so, as summer will be more than halfway over before the law goes into effect.
Temperatures are expected to reach near-record-breaking levels across Colorado Tuesday. The forecast high in Denver is 95 degrees—just 2 degrees below the record high of 97 set in 2007.
At 95 degrees outside, it takes just 10 minutes for the inside temperature of a car to rise to 115 degrees even if the windows are cracked or the car is parked in the shade.
The new law protecting Good Samaritans sailed through the Legislature, garnering only four “no” votes total in the House and Senate before Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill in April.
But it carries a provision that says it won’t go into effect until Aug. 9 – the end of the 90-day period following the adjournment of the legislative session – so people could still risk a penalty if they break into a hot car before then.
Once the law goes into effect, there will be a checklist people have to fulfill in order to not be charged as well:
- The vehicle in question can’t be a law enforcement vehicle.
- An at-risk person or non-livestock animal has to be in the car, and the Good Samaritan must believe that person or animal is “in imminent danger of death or suffering serious bodily injury.
- The vehicle must be locked.
- The Good Samaritan must make a “reasonable effort” to find the vehicle’s owner and document the vehicle’s characteristics.
- The Good Samaritan must contact a law enforcement, fire, or animal control agency before they enter the vehicle.
- The Good Samaritan must not interfere with the duties or direction of a law enforcement agent or first responder.
- The Good Samaritan can’t use “more force than he or she believes is reasonably necessary.”
- The Good Samaritan must remain with the at-risk person or animal and near the vehicle until law enforcement or first responders arrive.
- If the Good Samaritan can’t stay at the scene until first responders or law enforcement arrive, they have to let the responders know and leave their contact information with the vehicle.
The law does not apply to livestock, the term of which the law covers: cattle, horses, mules, burros, sheep, poultry, swine, llamas and goats.
Once the law goes into effect, any person who breaks into a vehicle to rescue an at-risk person or animal, as prescribed by the law’s parameters, won’t be subject to any penalties.
People can currently face charges of criminal mischief, criminal trespass or criminal tampering involving property if a district attorney decides to pursue charges. They could also face civil liabilities from the vehicle’s owner.
Since the beginning of 2017, Denver Animal Protection has received at least 175 calls about dogs left inside of vehicles during extreme heat or cold.
In Denver, people who leave animals in hot cars face animal cruelty charges and a fine of up to $999 and a year in jail.
It’s also illegal for dogs to ride in pickup truck beds, as the hot metal and direct sunlight can burn and dehydrate animals.
Denver also requires all pets to have outdoor shelters if they stay outside, lest owners also face animal cruelty charges.
Anyone wanting to report unsafe car or outside conditions for animals is asked to call 311 or 720-913-1311 immediately.
If an at-risk person is left in a car, call 911.
New marijuana growing rules taking hold in Colorado by start of next year: what you need to know
DENVER – Colorado law enforcement and marijuana growers will have to make some adjustments regarding marijuana growing in the state over the next six months, as two new laws aimed at reducing illegal marijuana cultivation and dealing will take effect.
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed two bills last week aimed directly at cutting down on high plant limits and reducing the flow of Colorado pot to other states—something law enforcement agencies say has become an increasing problem in recent years.
House Bill 1220 will cap the number of plants allowed for recreational users to only 12 per house or “residential property,” and will cap the number of plants for medical marijuana growers and caregivers at 24.
The law will allow local jurisdictions and municipalities to enact rules to allow growers to raise more plants than the statewide limit, however.
Denver, Colorado Springs, Douglas County, Carbondale and Lafayette were among the jurisdictions that had already capped the number of marijuana plants allowed to be grown on residential property at 12.
Colorado had been the only of dozens of states that have medical marijuana programs to allow patients or caregivers to grow more than 16 plants. The state allowed them to grow up to 99 based off a doctor’s recommendation.
House Bill 1220, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2018, will also allow district attorneys to charge people who break the new plant limit law.
A first offense involving more than 12 plants will be considered a level 1 drug petty offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
A second or subsequent offense involving between 12 and 24 plants will carry a level 1 drug misdemeanor charge, and a second or subsequent offense involving more than 24 plants will be considered a level 3 drug felony.
The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Cole Wist, R-Centennial and Rep. KC Becker, D-Boulder, said the bill will establish much-needed safeguards against illegal growing, which leads to a larger black market for Colorado pot.
And starting on July 1, state and local officials will start cracking down on illegal marijuana growers and distributors as a result of House Bill 1221, which Hickenlooper also signed last week.
The bill creates an enforcement grant program that will allow local jurisdictions to apply for grant money to fight illegal grows and distribution networks, with priority added to rural municipalities and counties with small budgets to do such work.
The bill defines “rural areas” as counties with fewer than 200,000 people and towns or cities with less than 30,000 people that is at least 10 miles away from a town or city with more than 50,000 people.
The grants will help small district attorney’s offices and agencies to cover the costs incurred by identifying and busting unlicensed grows.
The money for the grants would come from either the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund or the Proposition AA refund account. Under the bill, any money not dispersed through grants that is appropriated can be spent the next year without being re-appropriated.
The bill also mandates that beginning Nov. 1, 2019, the Division of Local Government would have to update to Senate and House committees on the program’s effectiveness. Subsequent updates would be required on or before Nov. 1 of each following year.
Around $5.94 million has already been appropriated to the Department of Local Affairs to enact the program starting July 1. Nearly all of the money will be used for the grant program, though $21,000 will cover the purchase of new IT services and around $4,700 will cover legal services.
The bill also allows the prosecution of anyone not in compliance with state caregiver guidelines to begin under the new law starting July 1.
Colorado’s Republican House Minority Leader seemingly uses congressman’s shooting to raise money
DENVER – Colorado’s Republican House Minority Leader is under fire for what some are saying was a thinly-veiled attempt to raise money for a conservative political action committee off of Wednesday’s shooting of a U.S. congressmen, several aides and police officers.
Denver Daily Beast contributor Dave Maney first raised the issue, tweeting out an email from Colorado Liberty PAC signed by House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, in which Neville says that the Virginia shooting was an “attack tantamount to political terrorism aimed at shutting up Conservatives, Republicans, and Americans like you.” Continue reading