Today is March 2, 2023 and here is what you need to know:

Colorado lawmakers have renewed deliberations on a proposal to allow sites for people to use drugs under supervision in order to – backers say – do it more safely and prevent overdoses.

The legislature’s discussion largely mirrors the talking points of five years ago, when lawmakers last brought a bill to allow such a center in Denver. But new faces populate the legislature this year, and Democrats have expanded their majorities in both chambers, likely giving the latest bill to authorize what supporters describe as “overdose prevention” sites in Colorado a better chance of passing.

The state House Committee on Behavioral Health spent Wednesday afternoon hearing testimony about House Bill 23-1202, which would allow cities to operate a facility where an individual can access illegal substances, including drug equipment, as well as access counseling and referral services.

Democratic legislators this week advanced legislation to allowing local governments to match offers on apartment buildings in hopes they’ll turn those units into affordable housing.

But some local governments aren’t interested, and several real estate lawyers who have spent their careers in developing affordable housing sharply criticized the proposal.

One a developer called it the worst real estate bill he’s seen in 15 years. 

Supporters, on the other hand, believe it will provide another tool for local governments starved for affordable housing. 

More than 700,000 Coloradans have medical debt. A new bill is seeking to remove that debt from their credit scores and credit reports.

The state House of Representative passed House Bill 1126 on Tuesday. If enacted, the bill would prohibit consumer reporting agencies in Colorado from including medical debt in credit reports and require debt collectors to notify Coloradans that medical debt will no longer be included in credit reports.

The bill is now being sent to the Senate for consideration.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris will be coming to Denver next week, according to Denver Gazette news partner 9News.

Harris will participate in a moderated conversation focused on the Biden administration’s investments to combat the climate crisis, according to a news release from the vice president’s office.

Among the topics Harris will cover is the administration’s ongoing efforts to build a new “clean energy economy that works for all,” according to the release.

Town Hall Collaborative, a woman-owned business, hosted a debate with the five female candidates on March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month.

While the debate questions concerned homelessness, housing and public safety, as other debates have, moderator and reporter Micah Smith asked “What would it mean to you to be the first woman to serve as Denver’s mayor?”