Rather than passing oil and gas bill, Democrat legislature passes bills on ferret rabies, low-flow toilets, and Scottish license plates
DENVER (May 9, 2014) – Rumors continue to fly about a special session in the Colorado legislature to create political cover for the Governor and pre-empt the job-killing oil and gas initiatives. We, at Compass Colorado, were wondering, why has it come to a special session? In the last 120 days was there not ample time for the disparate Democrat factions to find some compromise?
“It’s absolutely unconscionable that the Governor and the legislature are now considering a costly special session after they failed the people of Colorado through ‘calendar abuse’ in the last 120 days,” said Kelly Maher, executive director of Compass Colorado.
A recap of some of the bills that the legislature DID pass:
“It’s absolutely unconscionable that the Governor and the legislature are now considering a costly special session after they failed the people of Colorado through ‘calendar abuse’ in the last 120 days,” said Kelly Maher, executive director of Compass Colorado.
A recap of some of the bills that the legislature DID pass:
- Ferret rabies bill (H.B.14-1313) – This bill, sent to the Governor, would prohibit owners of cats and ferrets from receiving a pet permit or license without a valid rabies vaccination certificate. Although no one wants rabies infested ferrets running around town, when the legislature was prioritizing how to spend their time this session, why was this higher on the list than energy?
- The film credit in the state budget – While this isn’t a standalone bill, the time spent debating it could have been spent trying to avoid a costly special session. It produced some gems like THIS.
- The paint tax (S.B.14-029) – This bill created a mandated, state-run architectural paint recycling program, nevermind that this already existed in the private sector. In addition, the state should be incentivizing people to take care of their homes and businesses rather than making the act of beautifying more expensive.
- Low-flow toilet mandate (S.B.14-103) – This bill opened Coloradans’ bathroom doors to the Environmental Protection Agency by mandating low-flow toilets, faucets and shower heads. Not only is this an uncomfortable intrusion, but could pose problems for Coloradans with old plumbing systems.
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