DENVER – On Tuesday, the two chambers of the state Legislature gave 18 bills a third reading, 24 a second reading, while 20 were scheduled for committee hearings.
House Bill 1215, which would promote the drafting and implementation of policies by law enforcement agencies to provide counseling for officers and on-scene response from mental health professionals for incidents involving mentally ill individuals, cleared third reading in the House 50-14. It now heads to the Senate.HB 1186, which would require health insurance providers to cover multiple month supplies of contraceptives, passed the House, 50-14, on third reading, and it heads to the Senate.Senate Bill 125, which would allow individuals who had been wrongly convicted of crimes and subsequently exonerated to opt for a lump sum payment of reparations provided by the state rather than a monthly payment, was unanimously approved by the House upon third reading and heads back to the Senate for a final look before going to the governor.SB 62, which would abolish “free speech” zones on college campuses and prohibits institutions from placing limits on where students can exercise their First Amendment rights unless the expression disrupts normal college functions,was also unanimously approved by the House and heads to the Senate for a final look before heading to the governor’s desk.During a night session on the Senate floor, SB 200, which would appropriate 1 percent of total K-12 funding and redistribute it among the top-performing rural and nonrural schools, was adopted upon second reading after Democrats attempted to change the essence of the bill. Included in the amendments were attempts to switch the funding to the lowest performing schools or split it evenly between the top and bottom schools. All amendments were overturned by members of the GOP.
House Bill 1215, which would promote the drafting and implementation of policies by law enforcement agencies to provide counseling for officers and on-scene response from mental health professionals for incidents involving mentally ill individuals, cleared third reading in the House 50-14. It now heads to the Senate.HB 1186, which would require health insurance providers to cover multiple month supplies of contraceptives, passed the House, 50-14, on third reading, and it heads to the Senate.Senate Bill 125, which would allow individuals who had been wrongly convicted of crimes and subsequently exonerated to opt for a lump sum payment of reparations provided by the state rather than a monthly payment, was unanimously approved by the House upon third reading and heads back to the Senate for a final look before going to the governor.SB 62, which would abolish “free speech” zones on college campuses and prohibits institutions from placing limits on where students can exercise their First Amendment rights unless the expression disrupts normal college functions,was also unanimously approved by the House and heads to the Senate for a final look before heading to the governor’s desk.During a night session on the Senate floor, SB 200, which would appropriate 1 percent of total K-12 funding and redistribute it among the top-performing rural and nonrural schools, was adopted upon second reading after Democrats attempted to change the essence of the bill. Included in the amendments were attempts to switch the funding to the lowest performing schools or split it evenly between the top and bottom schools. All amendments were overturned by members of the GOP.SB 27, which would increase the penalty for texting while driving to a Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense with a $300 fine and 5 points off of a driver’s license, was passed by the House Judiciary Committee, 10-1, and heads to the House Finance CommitteeThe penalty under SB 27 would be only applied if the individual was driving in a careless manner because of texting while driving.
lperkins@durangoherald.com
