By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
A pair of bills carried by Republican members of the Colorado House have been signed into law, along with a few other victories as the countdown to closure of the state legislature draws near.
There are nine business days left in session, with sine die, the closing day of the session, scheduled for May 8.
In an email detailing the successes of the ‘Mighty 19’ Republicans in the House, noted were the signing into law of Senate Bill 87 sponsored in the House by Rep. Mary Bradfield to ease prescriptions of topical medications and House Bill 1072 sponsored by Rep. Lisa Frizell to protect victims of sexual crimes.
Five other bills with Republican support have passed the House.
Senate Bill 125 to enact an interstate compact for the placement of children, sponsored in the House by Rep. Gabe Evans, passed without House objection. The bill moves to the Senate where it has bipartisan support.
Senate Joint Resolution 17 designating April 18 as Colorado Sportsmen’s Day, sponsored in the House by Rep. Mike Lynch, also was approved without objection. The resolution notes that 1.2 million outdoorsmen and women contribute $3.2 billion in economic impact each year, supporting 25,000 jobs and generating $187 million in state and local taxes. The resolution was signed by the Senate president six days after the day it was intended to designate.
House Bill 1327, a sunset review of physical therapy regulation and new recommendations, sponsored in the House by Rep. Brandi Bradley, passed the House 56-6.
House Bill 1371, which regulates massage facilities and requires local governments to perform criminal background checks, sponsored in the House by Rep. Anthony Hartsook, was passed through the House on a 60-2 vote.
House Bill 1431, an effort to provide stable housing assistance for survivors of abuse, sponsored in the House by Rep. Ryan Armagost, passed on a 54-8 vote.
Rep. Ty Winter also passed House Joint Resolution 1023 out of committee. The resolution, heavily supported by Republicans in both chambers, opposes forced labor in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and calls for taxpayer dollars not to be used to pay for electric vehicles which may have been manufactured with forced labor.