What’s happening this week under the gold dome? Here are some select highlights from the legislative schedule, all of which of course subject to change, given that there are 100 lawmakers and a million lobbyists in the building each day.

Monday

HB 1038, prohibiting corporal punishment in public school and state-licensed day care centers. The “no hitting kids” bill will receive its last reading in the House, where it’s sure to pass, and be sent to the Senate for consideration. Sponsored by Rep. Susan Lontine, D-Denver, the bill sailed through its education committee hearing, with only conservative-libertarian Reps. Justin Everett, R-Littleton, and Tim Leonard, R-Evergreen, voting against it.

Tuesday

SB 39 would grant income tax breaks to parents who send their children to private schools. Sponsored by Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, the bill will be heard in the Senate Finance committee.

SB 003, also to be heard in Senate finance, 003 is the bill that proposes repealing the state’s Obamacare health exchange. It’s sponsored by Sen. Jim Smallwood, R-Parker. This will be its first legislative hearing. The hearing on the bill was delayed for a week. Last Wednesday protesters turned out in the hundreds to demand lawmakers kill the bill. Will they turn out again?

Wednesday

SB 45, the first of the construction-litigation reform bills rolls into the Senate business committee. This is one of the session’s top priority issues. Sponsors include Senate President Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City, and House Speaker Crisanta Duran, D-Denver. The idea is to push lawsuit and insurance prices down for builders so the enormous dip in condo construction will end and the state’s historic housing shortage will be alleviated. It’s a bipartisan bill. How will it be received?

SB 89, also headed to the Senate business committee. Sponsored by Sen. Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, with Republican Sen. Lundberg, the “Bergs and batteries” targets what the sponsors see as intentionally burdensome requirements and fees imposed by utility providers and meant to discourage Coloradans from setting up home energy storage systems – wall batteries, basically, that save renewable power for use when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing – or the price of utility-generated electricity spikes.

SB 063, a bipartisan weed bill sponsored by Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, and Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora, it’s also headed into the Senate business committee. The bill would establish marijuana clubs for out-of-the-house enjoyment of the state’s thriving cannabis culture. Odd couple Marble and Melton might never find themselves sponsoring another bill together, but if they pull this one off, who knows, they could become a powerhouse legislative couple.

Wednesday bonus: Sen. Lois Court, D-Denver, will accompany her texting while driving bill, SB 27, to the Senate’s kill committee, State Affairs. Court is looking to up fines for the dangerous scourge of addictively not paying attention to what you’re supposed to be doing in your rolling 4,000 lb. metal death contraption. But it’s hard to enforce these kinds of rules. Lawmakers don’t like that.

Thursday

HB 1029, Roxborough Park Republican Rep. Polly Lawrence’s open records bill would subject the judicial branch to the eyes of the public. Correction: Lawrence’s bill was killed by the Democratic-controlled House State Affairs committee on Thursday. A question on Monday was what that action might mean for the open records bill sponsored by Fort Collins Democrat SB 40, Sen. John Kefalas?

HB 1012, Pueblo Democratic Rep. Daneya Esgar’s bill would create a Pueblo chile special license plate. Delicious Pueblo chile, everyone! Cash generated would go in part to highway improvements.

Friday

Anything can happen day. Happy hour drinks might happen.

– john@coloradostatesman.com