DENVER – In the Senate, typical decorum was broken Wednesday when an amendment was proposed for House Joint Resolution 1004, which calls for several agencies to provide funding to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to cut down on nuisance aquatic species.
An amendment was brought forward by Sen. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, to clear up exactly what was classified as a nuisance species.
“I’ve become increasingly concerned about the term invasive species and its reuse,” Jones said.
The proposed amendment specified that the term “nuisance species” did not apply to Colorado lawmakers while participating in water sports.
“Yep, gotta fix it,” Jones said before the amendment was read to the Senate as a whole.
The amendment was promptly withdrawn after fulfilling its goal of ensuring everyone on the Senate floor was paying attention.
In addition to the passage of HJR 1004, 11 bills received third and final readings in the Senate, and seven bills received second readings in the House of Representatives.
S.B. 34, which extends the window for transferring of funds from a county’s general fund to disaster response and relief following the declaration of a disaster emergency from four to eight years, was among the bills clearing third reading.
Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, took a moment to ease any confusion by Senate President Kevin Grantham, R-Cañon City, between this bill and the earlier resolution while urging its passage.
“I just wanted to assure you Mr. President, and any member who might be listening in as well, that despite the fact that this bill has to do with an aquatic event called a flood, it does not have to do with aquatic nuisances or legislators connected thereof, and I urge an aye vote,” he said.
S.B. 1, concerning regulatory relief for small businesses in Colorado, also passed third reading.
The bill drew debate Tuesday over the number of employees a business can have and still be considered “small.”
State statute places this number at 500, which is seen by many Democrats as too high of a threshold, and their objections showed in the final 24-11 vote with all no votes coming from Democrats.
In the House, most time was dedicated to House Resolution 1005, concerning assurance of women’s access to reproductive health care.
In other action, bills passing second reading were:
H.B. 1034, which will standardize current licensing statute of medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries so that there is one code when businesses are relocating.House Bills 1025 and 1074, which look to remove nearly 30,000 of obsolete words from the Colorado Revised Statutes.Also, several bills received committee hearings including:
S.B. 10 reforms the laws governing habitual criminals and aggravated sentencing. It was heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee.“I don’t think it is justice to say: ‘Hey, three times, you’re done for life’ for someone who is a relatively minor criminal,” Sen. Daniel Kagan, D-Cherry Hill Village, said.
The way that present law applies to nonviolent criminals is not the type of justice that Coloradans want, Kagan said.
This bill would preserve the tripling and quadrupling of sentencing in all violent crimes, class 1, 2 and 3 felonies and Level 1 drug crimes and their usage classifying an individual as a habitual criminal. But it the died on a 3-2 party line vote, with Republicans voting to maintain the current statute for habitual criminals.
H.B. 1063 would reduce the amount of personal property taxes paid by businesses by raising exemption threshold from $7,300 to $50,000.The bill was heard in the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and it was killed on a 6-3 vote with Democrats voting to maintain the current threshold.
“This bill would have reduced taxes and relieved businesses from an onerous tax, giving owners more money to expand, increase wages and add jobs in Colorado,” Rep. Tim Leonard, R-Evergreen, said.
lperkins@durangoherald.com
