We have had a number of issues with our Capitol intranet and I was unable to publish Monday's legislative update, which appears below. A lot has happened since Monday! We passed the Seatbelt bill on 3rd reading yesterday morning, and it will go to the Senate. Mandatory seatbelt laws exist in many states and save thousands of lives. Mandatory seatbelt laws also keep the State's medical costs for car crash victims much lower. Should the bill become law, Colorado is eligible to receive an additional $12 million in federal highway funds.

The Second Reading calendar is full and we are working longer mornings, as the bills come out of committees. (You didn't hear from me as we spent many evenings in both Health and Human Services Committee and Judiciary the past month with many bills on the committee calenders daily.)

I have introduced three bills recently in my capacity as a Colorado Uniform Laws Commissioner: the Uniform Trust Code, the Uniform Athlete Agent Act, and the Uniform Consumer Debt Management Act. In summary, the Uniform Trust Code fills in Colorado law where is has been short on answers to trust issues. The Athlete Agent Act requires Athlete Agents to follow certain standards when dealing with talented student athletes. The Consumer Debt Management Act addresses how consumer debt counseling companies take fees and ensure that those entities actually assist the consumer in paying the debt.

I have also introduced a bill to help with problem moving companies. I am working with the moving and storage industry to come up with a workable resolution to the problems caused by a few bad moving companies.

Capitol Update: 34th Legislative Day
The 2nd Session of the 65th General Assembly is well underway. We have been busy these past few weeks with statewide smoking ban and clean air legislation.

Last Friday, the House voted on second reading to pass H.B. 1175, the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act. I am proud to co-sponsor H.B. 1175 and worked hard to block any amendments on the floor. The House defeated amendments to allow exemptions to the bill for bingo halls and neighborhood taverns. A casino exemption slipped in after an initial defeat. Today, the full House approved a final version of H.B. 1175 and sent it to the Senate WITHOUT further amendment. I look forward to the Senate passing this bill and Governor Owens keeping his word and signing it. It is time to make Colorado a healthier state for our families by prohibiting smoking indoors.

My Clean Air bill was reintroduced in House committee after it was accidentally defeated by a colleague on second reading earlier this month. The new version of the bill, H.B. 1309, passed out of the House Health and Human Services Committee on February 6, 2006, and should be considered by the full House soon. The House and Senate leadership both support this important legislation designed to improve Colorado’s Air by requiring the Colorado Air Quality Commission to mandate clean air standards that exceed minimum EPA requirements.
As the session moves forward, I will do my best to keep you up to date! As always, please feel free to come and visit me any day. We normally meet Monday through Friday. If you’d like to visit, please call me at the Capitol at 303-866-2921.

Sincerely,

Anne

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