Here are some of the highlights from Monday, the 111th day out of 120 days of session for the Colorado General Assembly.

Same-sex marriage

The Senate approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 to remove a ban on same-sex marriage in the Colorado Constitution. Amendment 43 was approved by voters in 2006 but deemed invalid when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriages were constitutional in 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges.

Senate Democrats were initially short one Republican vote to get to the required 24 needed for final passage. They got six — from Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen of Monument, Assistant Minority Leader Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs, and Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer of Weld County, Janice Rich of Grand Junction, Jim Smallwood of Parker and Cleave Simpson of Alamosa. 

The measure now moves to the House, where it will need 44 votes to pass. Given the House Democrats super-majority of 46, it is expected to head to the November ballot. The only barrier is that it is one of five measures to be referred to the ballot in the 2024 session, and the state constitution only allows for four referred amendments this year. One measure, on banning bail for first degree murder charges, is already on the ballot. 

Colorado’s wetlands

In the House, the vote was 43-20, with two Democrats voting with Republicans against, on House Bill 1379, which seeks to address the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that limited protections for half a million acres of wetlands in Colorado.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will go head to head against Senate Bill 127, another proposal on the issue of Waters of the United States that tackles the matter in a very different way. 

Enterprise fund for EV charging stations

The words “May 9” is starting to show up on actions taken in both chambers.

On Monday, that signaled the end of the road for Senate Bill 208, which sought to create an enterprise fund proposal for electric vehicle charging stations. Laying over a bill until May 9, as was the action taken, means the bill is dead for the session, given that the last day of legislative action is May 8.

That was also the fate of a bill last week that would have allowed direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk.

Inmate voting

On a 10-0 vote, the House State, Civil, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee approved Senate Bill 072, which requires county sheriffs to appoint at least one individual to facilitate voting for eligible inmates in county jails or detention centers.

The bill also requires jails to provide inmates with information on their voter eligibility status and instructions on how to verify or update their voter registration. Under the bill, jails and detention centers would be required to establish a designated area for ballot collection and inform inmates on to vote by mail. It passed out of the Senate last week on a party-line 21-12 vote.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, in the Senate. In teh House, the sponsors are Reps. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City, and Kyle Brown, D-Louisville.

Weapons investigations 

The House approved SB 003, which grants the Colorado Bureau of Investigation authority to investigate certain crimes involving firearms.

The bill passed on a narrow vote of 35-26, with 10 Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. The bill, which earlier secured a 21-10 party-line vote from the Senate, now goes back to the chamber for review of the House amendments.

SB3 was amended in the House to require CBI agents and employees who are peace officers to wear body cameras or use dash cams when conducting “public-facing” parts of an investigation. The House also added a a petition clause that would allow citizens to initiate a ballot measure for the November general election that could block its implementation.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood and Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge.

Guns in ‘sensitive spaces’

On a vote of 43-21, the House on Monday also passed SB 131, which prohibits the carrying of firearms in “sensitive spaces” such as schools, state legislative buildings, courthouses, and buildings that house local governing bodies.

The bill passed through the House Judiciary Committee on an 8-3 party-line vote before ultimately passing on third reading on the House floor. 

The House added two amendments to replace all instances of the word “preschool” with “licensed childcare center,” and to clarify that the bill does not go into effect for the Colorado General Assembly until January 4, 2025.

The bill is sponsored by Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Lafayette, and Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, and Reps. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville and Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora.