It’s a Wrap: Education, Marijuana, Floods & Wildfires Tackled in 2014
View From the House Floor
By Rep. Beth McCann
Colorado House District 8
Colorado’s 2014 legislative session concluded on May 7. It was productive and bipartisan; fully 96 percent of the bills that passed did so with support from both sides of the political aisle. We passed a balanced budget of just under $24 billion. We also passed important bills addressing education funding, marijuana regulation, economic growth, flood and wildfire compensation, and criminal justice.
I was honored to serve again as the Majority House Whip and am grateful to all of you for your support. It is truly a privilege to serve in the Colorado House of Representatives, which includes the western portion of Park Hill.
Democrats and Republicans came together and passed several bills to bring relief to those hit the hardest by recent devastating floods and fires. We increased funding for higher education by more than $100 million and prohibited tuition increases more than 6 percent. It is great news that we were able to increase annual per pupil funding this year in K-12 to $7,021, an increase from $6,652 in previous years.
We passed an important package of childcare reforms that will give working families greater access to affordable, high quality childcare.
A package of five bills updated telecommunications law. The Uber and Lyft bill established a first-in-the-country regulatory system for these ride-sharing businesses.
We are investing $8 million in parole reforms to more closely monitor recently released criminal offenders. We also passed a bill prohibiting placing an inmate with serious mental illness in solitary confinement. Juvenile offenders will now be able to have appointed attorneys and social workers involved in their cases as the court determines how best to handle them.
A bill provides for public input before RFP’s are distributed for large transportation projects and also provides for legislative approval of any funding for projects projected to last more than 35 years.
We also dealt with recall elections, allowing for mail ballots to be used in recalls.
We increased benefits for development of biogas, hydroelectric and geothermal energy.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) is directed to adopt and update a state water plan.
We passed a bill to allow the development of credit union co-ops for marijuana businesses and a bill to allocate how money from the marijuana taxes will be spent once it is collected. Other marijuana bills limit the use of concentrates and edibles.
In working on behalf of House District 8, I was able to successfully pass a number of bills. After three years of work, I was able to pass consumer protection bills for those facing foreclosure. HB 1130 provides that any excess money that a borrower provides beyond the amount required to cure a default is returned to the borrower not given to the lender. HB 1295 requires a lender to establish a single point of contact for a borrower renegotiating a loan. It also prohibits “dual tracking” which occurs when a lender forecloses on a property despite the borrower being in a loan modification making payments.
Prescription drug overuse and misuse is a serious problem in Colorado. HB 1283 requires all licensed professionals who dispense narcotics to have an account with our drug monitoring program. Medical providers and designees will have access to the data to ensure their patients are not getting prescriptions from several prescribers. The bill also allows the Department of Regulatory Agencies to send notices to providers when patients are getting multiple prescriptions. The program for licensing addiction treatment programs was due to expire and licensing was extended for another five years with HB 1173. Currently, prescription drug outlets can only compound drugs for office use by a medical practitioner. SB 95 allows outlets to also compound drugs for hospitals giving patients quicker access to life saving drugs.
Due to a wrinkle in federal law, there was inconsistency between insurance plans offered inside and outside of the Colorado Health Exchange. Another bill I carried, HB 1053, will ensure that pediatric dental benefits are included both in plans within and outside of the exchange.
My human trafficking bill, HB 1273, strengthens our current law and extends the protections of the Rape Shield Law to victims of human trafficking. It clarifies that ignorance of the age of the victim and consent of the victim are not legal defenses. It creates the Council on Human Trafficking to coordinate efforts in this area and develop standards and curriculum for law enforcement and victim services groups. I am grateful for the widespread support from law enforcement and many non-profit groups working in this area. A related bill, HB 1372, prohibits advertising through a public medium for the purposes of placing a child for adoption or finding a child to adopt.
HB 1266 successfully implements changes recommended by the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice to equalize penalties for certain crimes based on the value of a stolen or damaged item.
Finally SB 39 allows first responders to administer critical care to our furry family members in emergencies, and Senate Joint Resolution 31 designates the month of October as School Safety Month.
My door is always open; please let me know your ideas, comments or concerns at beth@bethmcann.org.