The Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Yuma’s Don Brown, the governor’s pick for Commissioner of Agriculture, on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. Brown is expected to sail through the confirmation hearing and win full confirmation from the Senate.
The Senate Thursday voted along party lines to change the renewable energy standard for rural electric co-operative associations. As established in Senate Bill 13-252, co-ops were required to meet a 20 percent standard by 2020. Under Senate Bill 15-044, that goal would be reduced to 15 percent.
Senators waged a lengthy debate on Wednesday and Thursday over the renewable energy standard, with Democrats claiming reducing the standard would set the state back on its renewable energy goals, and Republicans pointing out that the bill does not prohibit co-ops from using more renewable energy if they find it more cost-effective.
However, SB 44 is not expected to reach the governor’s desk. The bill now heads to the House and to almost certain defeat.
In other action at the capitol:
Monday, House and Senate committees debated bills that would repeal the gun control laws passed in 2013.
The Democrat-majority House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee killed five bills dealing with gun control issues; the Senate-majority Judiciary Committee passed two bills on gun issues.
In 2013, the Democrat-majority legislature passed and sent to Gov. John Hickenlooper three bills dealing with gun control measures. House Bill 13-1224 limited the size of weapons magazines to 15 rounds. HB 1228 required the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to charge a fee for background checks for gun transfers, in addition to gun purchases. HB 1229 requires background checks for weapons transfers.
The judiciary committee approved SB 86, which would repeal the law on background checks for transfers, and the law requiring the CBI to charge the fee for background checks for gun transfers.
The judiciary committee also had first-time testimony from witnesses at a remote location. Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction hosted a remote site connection, allowing about a half-dozen witnesses to testify on the bills heard by the committee. The testimony was split 50/50, with half in favor and half opposed.
Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, sponsors SB 86. The second bill, SB 32, would allow a person legally allowed to do so to carry a concealed handgun without a concealed carry permit. Its sponsor is Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins.
Both bills passed on 3-2 party line votes.
The House state affairs committee, the House’s “kill committee,” also voted, mostly along party lines, to kill five gun bills. Rep. Steven Humphrey, R-Severance, sponsored House Bill 15-1009, which would repeal the 2013 law limiting the size of large-capacity weapons magazines.
Rep. Janak Joshi, R-Colorado Springs, sponsored HB 1050, which attempted to roll back the criminal background checks and fees charged by the CBI.
Three other bills did not deal with the 2013 laws.
Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, R-Colorado Springs, sought approval for HB 1127, which would reduce the civil liability for a business owner that allows its customers to bring in concealed handguns, so long as the customer has a concealed carry permit.
HB 1168, sponsored by Rep. Pat Neville, R-Franktown, would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring guns onto public K-12 school grounds. The bill failed 4-7, with Rep. Dan Thurlow, R-Grand Junction, joining the Democrats to kill the bill.
HB 1049, sponsored by Rep. Justin Everett, R-Littleton, would allow owners, managers and employees of a business to use deadly force against intruders into that business. The bill is known as the Make My Day Better law, but failed on a 5-6 vote. State law currently allows the use of deadly force only to protect homeowners against intruders.
Unlike 2013, when the capitol was deluged with people opposed to the gun control bills, Monday’s hearings were quiet affairs. Dudley Brown of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners sent out dozens of emails prior to Monday, encouraging his members to show up in force.
The Senate judiciary hearing was held in the capitol’s largest hearing room, with a capacity for 140 people, not including legislators. The House state affairs hearing was held in the Old Supreme Court Chambers, which holds about 120 seats for the public. The Senate hearing was less than half full; the House hearing drew in people to fill about half of the room’s capacity.
The Senate bills passed on Monday, like the renewable energy standard bill, have little chance of getting through the House and on to the governor.
Finally, legislators this year plan to look at economic grants targeting rural communities, but they got off to a slow start this week.
SB 36, sponsored by Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Edwards, would put about $2 million into a “Rural Economic Emergency Assistance Grant” for counties with less than 50,000 residents. Municipalities with less than 50,000 residents would also be eligible if they are at least 50 miles from another municipality of 50,000 or more residents.
Grant criteria would be a “significant economic event” like a plant closure that has a measurable effect on the area’s unemployment.
Donovan’s bill, however, was sent to the Senate “kill committee,” the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, where it was defeated on a 2-3 party-line vote.
But that is far from being the end of the discussion. Donovan is the Senate sponsor of HB 1177, which would create a rural economic developing initiative grant for “highly distressed rural counties.” The bill’s House sponsors are Rep. Yeulin Willett, R-Grand Junction, and Rep. KC Becker, D-Boulder. Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, is a co-sponsor.
Becker told this reporter this week that the bill would put about $3 million into the grant program, which would be available to the 30 most “highly distressed rural counties,” to be determined by the Colorado Office of Economic Development.
The $3 million would come from the state’s general funds. Becker said he normally isn’t a fan of using general funds money for new programs before paying off the state’s debts. He said he is more in favor of using state dollars to reduce the so-called “negative factor” for K-12 education, but he supports HB 1177 because he believes the state “owes it” to rural communities affected by some of the decisions made by the legislature in the past.
The third bill, co-sponsored by Becker and Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, is HB 1157. Its major sponsors are Willett and Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver.
HB 1157 would set up an economic development working group for highly distressed rural and urban areas, to come up with recommendations on improvements to the economic condition of those areas.
Neither House bills have been scheduled for hearings; both are awaiting action from the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.
