by Christopher Kolomitz
69th General Assembly
A Democratic-led Colorado House and Senate have tackled a handful of hotbed social issues during a furious first three months of the 69th General Assembly.
Limits on the size of ammunition clips, gun background checks for all, approval of civil unions for same-sex couples, and granting in-state tuition for illegal immigrant students have all been approved by lawmakers. The session ends May 8.
Arguably, the most intense action so far has centered around six gun-related proposals sponsored by the Democrats. So far, only three have made it to the governor’s desk. In early March, lawmakers went though marathon debates and long committee hearings with emotional testimony, and were attacked with loud protests and aggressive lobbying from gun-rights activists.
On March 20, Gov. Hickenlooper signed into law three gun-related bills. The first, and perhaps the most controversial, was HB 1224 which limits ammunition magazines to 15 rounds. A magazine clip manufacturer in Erie claims the company will leave the state because of the bill.
The other two bills signed by the governor relate to background checks. One law requires background checks for all gun sales, including retail and private sales. The other requires the potential gun owners to pay for the cost of the checks.
Two gun-related bills were removed for consideration. One would have banned guns on college campuses, and the other would have made assault weapon owners liable for damages caused by their guns.
Another bill currently under consideration is SB 197, which would restrict access to guns from people who have committed an act of domestic violence.
Legislative Shorts
• Fort Garland Rep. Ed Vigil, a Democrat, joined all House Republicans in voting against the mandatory gun background check. Durango Rep. Mike McLachlan, a Democrat from House District 59 which includes the southern half of Gunnison County, now faces a potential recall effort for his gun-related votes.
• Lawmakers are considering in committee hearings a bill that would allow Colorado voters the chance in 2014 to repeal the death penalty.
• Hickenlooper signed a bill authorizing civil unions on March 21. The state now joins Hawaii, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island and Delaware legalizing civil unions. Challengers to the new law vow a court fight. Voters in 2006 approved a ban on gay marriage in the state, although the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on that case soon. Nine states allow gay marriage.
• Two senators, Republican Steve King and Democrat Cheri Jahn, are proposing to invest about $20 million annually for a state-operated aerial firefighting fleet. It would be funded by a new Colorado Lottery keno game and by corporate sponsorship.
• Jim Wilson, Republican representative from Salida, had his first piece of legislation signed into law in mid-March. It was a cleanup of earlier legislation regarding preparation of records for county court appeals. Wilson is also working on a bill to expand four-year degrees to community colleges in areas that traditional colleges and universities do not serve.
• General fund revenue for the fiscal year that started in July is expected to be $8.1 billion. Before the recession, the peak was $7.7 billion in 2007.
• Senator Gail Schwartz has two related water bills working their way through the process. The first bill allows farmers and ranchers to conserve water without concern over losing future water rights. Under current water law, if water users reduce the amount of water they divert, it could potentially reduce their historical consumptive use. The second bill deals with 15 water storage and other projects totalling more than $70 million. Another Schwartz bill reauthorizes the wildlife habitat stamp program.
