DENVER – Colorado lawmakers wrapped up a four-month legislative session headlined by political battles over spending, primary elections and roads.
Test your knowledge of the 2016 session with this quiz from The Associated Press:
1. Worried about children getting their hands on edible pot, lawmakers banned edibles in the shape of what?
a. Animals.
b. Fruits.
c. People.
d. All of the above.
2. Lawmakers spent the term debating a Medicaid fee that helps pay medical bills for the needy. Why?
a. Most state employees make so little they need Medicaid to get health insurance.
b. Republicans wanted to save money on Medicaid by charging patients a fee if they smoke or are overweight.
c. Democrats wanted to reclassify the fee to free up tax money to spend on other things like roads and schools.
d. Federal officials informed Colorado the state would have to pay more unless it bans pot.
3. A jury’s decision last year not to sentence Aurora theater shooter James Holmes to death inspired lawmakers to consider what changes to the death penalty?
a. Getting rid of it.
b. Making it easier for prosecutors to win death-penalty cases.
c. Limiting state expenditures on public defenders in capital cases.
4. The General Assembly approved a $27 billion budget that includes what controversial ticket item?
a. Long-acting contraceptives for teens.
b. Payments to motorists who bought snow tires because they thought Colorado would start mandating them.
c. Free ladybugs for marijuana growers who can’t use certain pesticides on their weed anymore.
d. Ties for Gov. John Hickenlooper, who claims to hate the menswear considered a politician’s staple.
5. A bill to allow the terminally ill to get life-ending drugs failed after emotional debate. Where did the proposal fall short?
a. The Republican Senate.
b. The Democratic House.
c. Vetoed by the governor.
6. Health authorities supported an attempt to crack down on Colorado’s generous vaccine exemption policy. How did lawmakers propose changing that policy?
a. Allowing teachers to administer vaccines.
b. Banning students from the state science fair unless they’ve had all their shots.
c. Starting a state database of which kids haven’t had vaccines.
7. A high-school sexting scandal prompted lawmakers to consider a new crime for underage kids sending naughty photos. Why did they abandon the effort?
a. Researchers told lawmakers that teen sexting is too common to be any kind of crime.
b. Legislative leaders feared the debate would require the display of some dirty pictures.
c. Lawmakers were inundated with emails from angry parents.
d. No one could agree whether teens have a First Amendment right to share pictures of their privates.
8. A Democratic committee killed a Republican plan to ask voters if they want to approve $3.5 billion in bonds for new Colorado highways. What were some reasons lawmakers gave before rejecting the plan?
a. Colorado doesn’t have enough money to back the bonds.
b. Colorado doesn’t have enough money to maintain new highways.
c. Self-driving cars will soon ease traffic congestion.
d. All of the above.
9. Lawmakers scrambled to find $115 million at the end of the session to pay what bill?
a. Gov. Hickenlooper’s plan to build more bicycle paths.
b. Buy another layer of gold leaf for the Capitol dome.
c. Reimburse energy companies whose oil and gas operations were overtaxed.
d. Printing of presidential primary ballots just in case Colorado adopted one.
10. Bills to do away with Colorado’s confusion-ridden party caucuses ultimately failed. Why?
a. Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on whether independent voters could vote.
b. Independent voters wanted their own presidential primary.
c. Superdelegates prefer a super-confusing system.
d. All of the above.
Answers: 1-d, 2-c, 3-b, 4-a, 5-b, 6-c, 7-a, 8-d, 9-c, 10-a
