Sponsors of Colorado’s “Ralph Carr Freedom Defense Act” plan to roll out the bill Thursday during a press event on the west steps of the Capitol.

The hot-button bill, sponsored by Democrats Joe Salazar from Thornton and Daneya Esgar from Pueblo in the House and Lucia Guzman from Denver and Daniel Kagan from Cheery Hills Village in the Senate, is meant to guard against what the sponsors view as the threats to civil rights posed by the Trump administration. It would prohibit officials in Colorado from providing any information that could be used by the federal government to monitor or detain residents based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status or religious affiliation.

The bill feels like it has been rolled out several times already.

News that it was in the works came even before the session began in January, weeks before President Trump took office. The bill was a shadow figure throughout deliberations on an “anti-sanctuary” bill introduced by Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Dave Williams. His “Colorado Politician Accountability Act” sought to hold officials criminally liable for crimes committed by immigrants. It was killed by majority House Democrats in committee shortly after it was introduced.

The “Ralph Carr” bill is named for the Republican Colorado governor who pushed back against federal policies that led to the detention of Japanese Americans during World War II. Carr resisted round-up efforts in Colorado and welcomed Japanese-Americans from other states.

The bill is scheduled to be heard by the House judiciary committee after the noon press conference on Thursday. Speakers lined up for the event so far include a Japanese-American survivor of the World War II internment program, an Iranian-American human rights advocate and a director at the Anti-Defamation League.

Correction: The headline of the original version of this story listed the roll out event as scheduled for Wednesday. It is, as the story reports, scheduled for Thursday, at noon.

– john@coloradostatesman.com