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Sponsored by Majority Leader KC Becker, Rep. Jeff Bridges and Rep. Chris Kennedy, three pieces of legislation to increase transparency and accountability in Colorado’s elections passed out of the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee this afternoon.

“One thing we can do to create greater confidence in our electoral system and our elected officials is to create greater transparency—and both of these bills will do just that,” said Majority Leader Becker, D-Boulder, referring to HB17-1261 and HB17-1262.

Sponsored by Majority Leader Becker and Rep. Bridges, HB17-1261 ensures that voters know who is paying for any mass electioneering communications by requiring “paid for by” disclaimers on all electioneering materials.

HB17-1262, also sponsored by Majority Leader Becker and Rep. Bridges, closes a crucial gap in reporting requirements between the date of the primary and 60 days before the general election. The bill applies the same disclosure requirements throughout the campaign—from before the primary and continuing up to the general election.

“Everyone knows that elections last for more than just 60 days,” said Rep. Bridges, D-Greenwood Village. “This is a necessary step to make sure Coloradans know who is spending money to influence their vote. This bill brings dark money into the light and reflects the Colorado values of transparency and accountability. We owe it to the people of Colorado to pass this bill.”

The third bill, sponsored by Rep. Kennedy, limits individual contributions to county candidates to $2,500 per cycle with proportional limits for partnerships, political committees, small donor committees, and political parties. HB17-1260 maintains the prohibition on corporate contributions.

“Not having any contribution limits whatsoever for county candidates is really an outlier in our state’s campaign finance laws,” said Rep. Kennedy, D-Lakewood. “I’ve seen a county candidate who received a $40,000 contribution and it was perfectly legal. Contributions that size raise concerns that elected officials may not be putting the people first. Putting in place these contribution limits is a reasonable step to restore faith in county elections.”

All three bills passed on a 6-3 party-line vote and now proceed to the House floor.

Michaelson Jenet-Danielson Bill Helps Vets Receive College Credit for Certain Military Training

A bill by Reps. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Jessie Danielson to facilitate applying college credit for military service passed the House unanimously this morning with a 63-0 vote. Every representative present in the chamber also chose to co-sponsor the measure, signaling overwhelming support for the bill.

“Coming from a military family, I understand the frustration of Colorado veterans who return to civilian life and face unnecessary obstacles,” said Rep. Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City. “We owe it to our veterans to honor their service and training, and empower them to pursue their educational goals.”

“We have an obligation to our veterans to honor the American dream they fought for,” said Rep. Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge. “And part of that is taking concrete steps to give them access to the good paying jobs available to them. One significant obstacle that veterans face when transitioning to civilian life is not being able to convert their service into college credit. That’s where our bill comes into play.”

HB17-1004 would require Colorado colleges and universities to have a policy in place to award credit for military service.

The bill now continues to the Senate for consideration.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) spoke on the Senate floor today in support of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

(Click here  to watch his full remarks.)

DENVER — Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved Senator Bob Gardner’s, R-El Paso County, bill assessing a penalty for the sale, possession, adulteration, or interaction with counterfeit or misrepresentation of prescription drugs. 

House Bill 17-1224 authorizes assessment of a penalty ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for the misrepresentation of black market drugs. 

While current federal law prohibits any sales and distribution of counterfeit drugs, there remain gaps in Colorado statute.

In 2017 alone, 13 criminal indictments have been filed by the FDA regarding misbranded, mislabeled or counterfeit drugs.

Black market, misbranded drugs often do not contain the same active ingredients as their FDA-approved counterparts, or may even contain toxic substitutes that can seriously harm patients who need them the most. 

“There are horror stories about cancer patients receiving medications that lack the active ingredient,” said Gardner. “This is absolutely preventable. Health care professionals place themselves and the public at risk when they seek out unethical and unlicensed cost-cutting measures. We should ensure that we always look to provide the highest quality of care for Colorado patients.”

House Bill 1224 now continues on to the Committee of the Whole.

Speaker Pro Tem Jessie Danielson’s bill to fight the financial exploitation of seniors before it occurs won final House passage this morning.

HB17-1253, sponsored by Rep. Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, creates a reporting requirement for investment advisors and brokers who have a “reasonable belief” that someone has ripped off, or is scheming to defraud, a Coloradan over the age of 65.

Financial exploitation is the fastest-growing category of elder abuse in many states. One out of every five citizens over the age of 65 has been victimized by a financial fraud.

“We owe it to Colorado seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes and tight budgets, to put a stop to these crimes,” Rep. Danielson said. “The generosity that came to define the ‘Greatest Generation’ is exactly what makes seniors targets for this form of elder abuse.”  

Groups representing the financial planning industry, law enforcement and older Coloradans support the bill.  

The vote was 36-28, with every House Republican voting against creating this barrier to unscrupulous operators trying to prey on Colorado seniors.

The bill goes to the Senate.

Winter-Bridges Bill Lays Foundation for Operation of Driverless Cars in Colorado

The House gave final approval with a 58-6 vote this morning to a bill by Reps. Faith Winter and Jeff Bridges that would make Colorado one of the first states in the nation to pass a driverless car bill.

“We know the automation revolution is coming,” said Rep. Bridges. “It is our job as elected officials to figure out how to make sure we have a strong Colorado economy and safety on our roads. This bill lays the foundation to ensure we bring jobs and innovation to our state while protecting public safety.”

“This is a law that sets a framework to encourage innovation in a growing field,” said Rep. Winter. “And this bill is particularly important because last year 605 people died on Colorado highways. There were over two million crashes and 90 percent of those were from human error. Autonomous vehicles can’t drive drunk, they can’t drive distracted, and they can’t drive when they’re tired.”

SB17-213 recognizes and defines autonomous vehicles in statute and declares that autonomous vehicles must follow the same laws as every other car on the road. It also gives clear authority to the

Colorado Department of Transportation and State Patrol to authorize testing to ensure autonomous vehicles can follow all state and federal laws.

Studies show that autonomous vehicles have the potential to decrease traffic and increase safety. They also promise to provide new mobility options for elderly and disabled Coloradans and have the potential to increase capacity on Colorado roads.

The bill now heads back to the Senate for consideration of House amendments.

This morning, the House passed a resolution, sponsored by Reps. Jessie Danielson and Dominique Jackson, recognizing Equal Pay Day, the day in the calendar that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn the total wages men earned in the previous year.

“In the United States, mothers are the breadwinner in half of the families with children under the age of 18, yet mothers with full-time, year-round jobs are paid just 70 cents for every dollar paid to fathers,” said Rep. Jackson, D-Aurora, citing a report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “A lack of paid family leave and affordable child care, plus discrimination in compensation, recruitment and hiring all contribute to the wage gap and are all issues we need to address head on.”

As Rep. Jackson pointed out in her remarks, the wage gap is even larger for minority women. For every dollar a white male earns, Asian/Pacific Islander women earn 70 cents, African American women 64 cents, Native American women 58 cents, and Latina women only 53 cents, according to a 2017 report by the National Women’s Law Center.

“I support this resolution for my mother who raised 11 children on her wages as a janitor cleaning buildings in downtown Colorado Springs,” said Rep. Tony Exum Sr., D-Colorado Springs. “She would be very disappointed that we are still trying to get equal pay for her daughters and even her granddaughters and great-granddaughters.”

“We are bringing this resolution because we believe that people should be paid based on the quality of their work and their merit,” said Rep. Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge. “People should be compensated fairly for their hard work and the hours they put in. They should not be systematically discriminated against because they happen to be female.”

The resolution was passed by the House on a voice vote and was also sent to the Trump Administration, which just last week revoked the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order signed by President Obama to ensure that companies that receive federal contracts, and thereby taxpayer dollars, abide by certain critical labor and civil rights requirements, including a requirement on wage transparency and a ban on forced arbitration clauses for cases of sexual harassment.