Colorado Politics

Governor signs dozens of Colorado bills into law

 

Gov. John Hickenlooper had a busy day signing dozens of bills into law on Monday.

Highlights included legislation that prohibits “coal rolling”; allows women to obtain a one-year supply of birth control; allows Coloradans to easily donate to awareness for organ and tissue donation and transplantation; and adds transparency to judicial performance and retention.

Senate Bill 278 prohibits so-called “coal rolling” by prohibiting a nuisance exhibition of motor vehicle exhaust, which is the act of knowingly blowing back smoke through one or more exhaust pipes attached to larger vehicles.

“This new law protects Coloradans against people who are intentionally blowing thick clouds of black smoke to harass pedestrians, other cars or bicyclists – unfortunately a growing trend in Colorado,” said Rep. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins, a sponsor of the bill.

House Bill 1186 allows women in Colorado to be able to fill birth control prescriptions for a one-year supply. Supporters dressed in pink at the Capitol today to show support for the bill as the governor signed it.

“This law is a great example of how we can work across the aisle to bring meaningful changes to people’s lives,” Hickenlooper said. “This is an important step in supporting women across Colorado, especially those in rural areas.”

House Bill 1027 reauthorizes the Emily Keyes – John W. Buckner Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Fundfor another decade, which allows applicants for a Colorado driver license, ID card, instruction permit or license renewal to donate $1 or more to the fund, at their discretion. It’s been called the “feel-good bill of the year.”

House Bill 1303 aims at increasing transparency and citizen involvement in the process to retain judges in the state. It provides everyone who appears in front of a judge the opportunity to submit a survey on the judge’s performance; reclassifies the current designations surrounding judicial performance from “retain,” “do not retain” to “meets performance standard,” and “does not meet performance standard”; requires the state to maintain a database of relevant information related to judges; and requires an initial evaluation of each judge or justice within the first two years of their appointment onto the bench.

“In our judicial system, it is critical that our processes are fair, efficient and transparent,” said Rep. Cole Wist, R-Centennial, a sponsor of the bill. “The performance of our state’s judges is paramount to achieving this goal.”

Other bills signed by the governor included:

House Bill 1119, which prohibits mandatory fines on small businesses while creating protections for workers who are hurt on the job at a company that failed to obtain the required workers compensation coverage;

Senate Bill 17, which adds post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of debilitating medical conditions for qualifying for a medical marijuana recommendation; and

House Bill 1228, which essentially legalizes pet-sitting jobs through online applications.

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