Homeowner Protection Act passes House despite drama

A press release from the House Democrats states, in part:

With an initial voice vote, the House today passed House Bill 1338, the Homeowner Protection Act of 2007. Sponsored by State Representative Jack Pommer (D-Boulder) and State Senator Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver), the bill preserves basic protections for homebuyers that protect them from contracts that leave them with no right to get a defective home fixed...

Nearly all major homebuilders in Colorado today use contracts that force homebuyers to waive their rights that are actually protected under the Construction Defect Action Reform Act. HB 1338 corrects this egregious problem by prohibiting homebuilders from systematically waiving the rights of homeowners. The bill now heads to the Senate for further debate.

HB-1338 has been the subject of much infighting among the GOP. As johne wrote yesterday, GOP stalwart Debbie Stafford claimed that she was threatened for supporting it. ColoradoPols reported that her Republican colleagues essentially called her a liar.

Today's Rocky reported on the threats and the robocalls before getting to the heart of the matter:

At issue is a measure designed to protect homeowners from having to waive their legal rights, at the time of buying their homes, to compel their home builder to fix construction defects.

Opponents argue that House Bill 1338 does much more than that, opening the door to lawyers collecting huge judgments for their clients.

"I don't get that," said Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, the Senate sponsor of the measure. "That's not in there."

It's really not. HB-1338 is a common-sense measure that will protect the rights of homebuyers.

UPDATE: The Rocky via ColoradoPols is reporting that the person who threatened Stafford was HD39 Republican David Balmer.

Opponents of New Energy Economy legislation wasting time

Governor Bill Ritter's New Energy Economy means jobs. It means innovation. It means a cleaner state. It means a habitable planet.

It also means a whole lot of whining from entrenched oil and gas interests and their friends in the legislature.

On Tuesday, a group of legislators led by Yuma Republican Cory Gardner asked Ritter to slow down energy legislation including HB-1341, which would overhaul the oil and gas panel. (Read about it in the Rocky or the Post.)

It begs the question, just how slowly would they like things to move? Climate change has been an issue for years. Decades, even. The effects are being felt now. We are lucky that Colorado still has the opportunity to seize a leadership position in the new - and essential - green economy.

Fortunately, the governor seems to understand this. And he isn't inclined to cave on one of the central planks of the Colorado Promise. A statement his office released Tuesday night reads, in part:

"My administration has made every effort to listen to the concerns of the energy and resource-development industry. We understand how important this industry is to our economy and the value it brings to our state. Our intent is to balance the extraction of resources with the concerns the people of this state have expressed surrounding impacts to our water, air and land. Over the past five years, members of the public have lodged more than 1,500 complaints with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conversation Commission regarding those impacts.

"By end of this year, the state will likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago. We will have received more than 33,000 permit applications. Colorado is in the midst of one of the largest energy-development cycles in decades, probably ever, and we must do all we can to protect the public's health and our environment.

"Harris Sherman, the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, and other members of my administration have spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Colorado Petroleum Association and others interested parties regarding HB1341. We have spent twice that amount of time on the phone gathering input from and listening to stakeholders."

Translation: "The oil and gas industry has been heard. And will be heard. And now you're wasting time."

The same could be said in our nation's capital, where for years oil and gas interests have blocked attempts to slow global climate change. Finally, the voices of science, progress, passion and optimism are being heard. One can only hope they are not too late.

Ritter hails energy legislation (and etc.)

Best email waiting for me in my inbox? Bill Ritter's press release supporting landmark New Energy Economy legislation:

Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the final passage of House Bill 1281, the legislative centerpiece of his 2007 renewable energy agenda for Colorado.

"I applaud lawmakers from both parties for their bipartisan cooperation and vision as they work to enact Colorado's New Energy Economy," Ritter said. "In 2004, when Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 37, we became the first state in the country to set renewable energy standards by citizen initiative.

"We're making history yet again with HB 1281 by expanding those standards and continuing to establish Colorado as the nation's renewable energy leader."

The governor congratulated lawmakers, investor-owned utilities, rural electric associations, environmental organizations, labor groups, consumer advocates and others for their collaborative efforts in shaping HB 1281.

"HB 1281 will help stimulate the rural areas at the heart of the New Energy Economy - regions like the Eastern Plains and San Luis Valley where wind, sun and agriculture are abundant," Ritter said. "The bill will help us attract manufacturers of wind turbines and solar products. It also will stimulate research and development of emerging energy technologies.

"And by expanding our renewable energy production and consumption, we'll reduce our reliance on foreign oil, which is good for our environment and our national security.

"I look forward to signing HB 1281 and the remainder of the New Energy Economy legislative package very soon," the governor added.

Other assorted good tidings:

• Hilarious: Bob Beauprez has a copycat.
• 2008 update: In Colorado, Washington and cyberspace.
• Lobbyists: Morgan Carroll owns you.

Blake misses in HB-1008 column

The headline from Peter Blake's column last Saturday asked "Can passing bad bills help GOP?" A better headline may have been, "How much misleading data can we fit into one column?"

Blake argues that HB-1008 is "a singularly cynical proposal" that Republicans may have decided to support to put "Gov. Bill Ritter in a bind once again."

The bill would make it easier for firefighters with cancer to get workers comp. So how does Blake try to make it sound like pro-union pandering? The column rests on two assumptions. The first is that HB-1008 "is roundly detested by those who would have to pay higher workers comp premiums, namely the municipalities and special districts that employ firefighters." This is a point the Rocky's editorial staff made - nearly word for word - in January, when it wrote, "HB 1008 would increase the cost of workers comp insurance purchased by the municipalities and special districts that employ firefighters."

But neither statement is accurate. In fact, statistics provided by the House Democrats cite a number of states that have passed presumptive cancer bills without impacting workers comp premiums:

• California has had "no impact" in actuarial assumptions or funding of the state's firefighter retirement system. An actuary in the system says that this legislation has had "minimal effect" on the actuarial costs to the retirement system.

• Illinois has had presumptive cancer legislation in its worker's compensation statute in place since 1984. For the first 6 years after the implementation of the statute, the City of Chicago (which employs 50% of the firefighters in the state) had an 8.3% reduction in the number of beneficiaries receiving occupational disability benefits.

• In the first 4 years after passing presumptive cancer legislation in Nevada, the state had a total of three claims. This averages to less than one claim per year for a rate of 0.02% in the state of 3,990 firefighters.

• Rhode Island had a total of 6 claims in the first 8 years after the presumptive cancer legislation was implemented in 1986. This, again, averages to less than one claim per year for the state of 5,000 firefighters.

• The state of Oklahoma had 22 claims paid in the 6 years after passing presumptive legislation, an average of 4 claims per year. The average cost per claim was $10,409 for a state of 12,420 firefighters. That is less than a dollar per year per firefighter to pay for the coverage of cancer in his/her profession statewide.

Blake's second assumption is that "[n]obody really knows what causes cancer and the only studies linking cancer to firefighting are funded by the firefighters. But HB 1008 says that most cancers afflicting firefighters after five years on the job 'shall be presumed to result' from their employment."

A press release from the House Democrats cites "studies done over the past 50 years [that] have provided evidence that supports the fact that members of the firefighting profession develop certain forms of cancer at an alarmingly higher rate than previously believed." The bill is limited to these forms of cancer - those that attack the brain, skin, digestive system, blood or genitourinary system.

It is unreasonable to place the burden of proof on a cancer victim. It is a fact that firefighters develop specific cancers at a high rate due to their exposure to various toxins. And presumptive cancer legislation has had only a minor impact in the states where it has been enacted. It seems like HB-1008 would be a hard peice of legislation for the GOP machinery to attack.

But Peter Blake has a history of leaving critical facts out of his columns. (For instance, Colorado Media Matters called him out for a column that "pointed to two of Colorado political consultant Dick Wadhams' campaign successes without acknowledging -- aside from a passing mention of comparisons between Wadhams and Karl Rove -- the negative campaign tactics Wadhams has used to achieve those successes.") But ignoring data in order to portray a good bill as a giveaway to the firefighter's union? He's really gone too far.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Injunction filed to halt 41 enforcement

(CoCo, Pols, Rocky)

UPDATE: Compromise reached.

UPDATE: Press release from the House Democrats:

The House of Representatives agreed today on House Bill 1304, a plan to implement Amendment 41. By passing the bill on an initial voice vote, the House sent a strong message that they respect the will of the voters in implementing Amendment 41.

Representative Rosemary Marshall (D-Denver), the sponsor of House Bill 1304 said, "This common sense approach brings clarity to Amendment 41's ambiguities. With the help of the Colorado Supreme Court, this bill will clarify and enact Amendment 41 in the quickest way possible."

A bi-partisan amendment to provide voters the opportunity to ratify the implementation of Amendment 41 was supported by a voice vote.

House Bill 1304 implements Amendment 41 by defining key terms and establishing an ethics commission to review violations of public trust by government officials and employees. House Joint Resolution 1019, which works in conjunction with HB 1304, is sponsored by Speaker Romanoff and sends an interrogatory to the Colorado Supreme Court to ask to what extent the legislature has the authority to clarify Amendment 41. HJR 1019 will be heard by the House at the same time as the final vote on HB 1304.

House Dems pass good-government bill (and other legislative news)

A press release states, in part:

Legislation that will increase transparency on campaign contributions passed along a party line vote today in the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs committee. Sponsored by State Representative Gwyn Green (D- Lakewood/Golden), House Bill 1323 would amend current campaign finance law to reveal the identities of financial backers in Limited Liability Corporations... HB 1323 now goes to the House floor for consideration.

Also passing committee today:

• HB-1301, which would establish a Cervical Cancer Immunization Fund.

• HB-1330, which would allow a second adult to adopt another adult's child. This would clear the way for same-sex or co-habitating couples to share responsibility for an adopted child.

• HB-1008, which would ensure firefighters receive the benefits they need when they contract work-related cancers.

Cross-posted at SquareState

Diana DeGette makes it easy to stay positive

Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week stays on track thanks to co-operation between federal and state legislatures, as evidence by CD1 representative Diana DeGette:

Friday, March 2, at 2 pm MT U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, will address the Colorado State Senate Select Committee on Renewable Energy. Rep. DeGette will share with State Senators the Congressional agenda for renewable energy and discuss how federal and state governments can work more closely together to fund and promote clean energy.

For those who missed it, here's a link to my post "The many, many people who are not Diana DeGette."

Healthcare Day of Action on Monday

Progress Now, Healthcare For All Colorado, the Colorado Consumer Healthcare Initiative, Nathan J. Wilkes and other healthcare activists are planning a Healthcare Day of Action on Monday at the state capitol.

Single-payer healthcare would deliver better outcomes cheaper and more effectively than the free market alternative. That's why insurance and pharmaceutical companies have had to spend so much trying to stop it. The healthcare industry has contributed $655 million to political campaigns since 1990. And pharmaceutical companies alone spent $800 million on lobbyists between 1998 and 2005.

Maybe that's why Americans are stuck spending "$477 billion a year more on healthcare than would be expected if the United States fit the spending pattern of 13 other advanced countries." And why "we're paying more than $50 billion so insurers can convince us we need care and then figure out how to deny those of us who'll actually use it."

Who's going to stick up for the truth? You are.

Use this link to tell the Colorado legislature how the current system has failed you. And if you can make it to the capitol on Monday, here's the schedule.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

House Dems pass military, energy bills

A press release from the House Democrats states, in part:

House Bill 1149, sponsored by State Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton)... creates an exception for military personnel by allowing them to apply for an absentee ballot without personally signing the application... House Bill 1253, sponsored by Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) would prohibit insurance carriers in the state from denying coverage to military personnel.

Rice's bill passed; Madden's has moved through the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Two seconds later, I received another release regarding two new energy bills that both passed through the House unanimously. Just the highlights:

House Bill 1087, sponsored by State Representative Andrew Kerr (D-Lakewood), would grant schools money to install wind turbines on campus... House Bill 1145, sponsored by Representative Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs)... ensures that leased public lands will be available for green powered projects. Ninety percent of revenues from state lands fund K-12 education.

Ick.

Republican State Senator Scott Renfroe buys his party a one-way ticket to permanent minority status.

HB-1072 watch

So much bother! But with the mainstream media still spreading rightwing misinformation, who knows what the governor will do.

Ritter signs bill creating Colorado Cares Rx Program

A Monday morning press release from the office of the guv states, in part:

[Bill Ritter stated,] "I pledged not only to seek long-term solutions to a health-care crisis that has 17% of our population without insurance, but also to take immediate action to lower costs. We took a step last week when I signed my first executive order and established a Preferred Drug List. We take another big step today by signing Senate Bill 1 and creating the Colorado Cares Rx Program."

The program will provide up to 264,000 eligible Coloradans with access to discounted medications.

HB-1072 passes

Passed:

"This doesn't set up a closed shop in Colorado," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver. "You're not required to join the union. All this does is get government out of the middle of private contractual agreements between management and labor."

And the Rocky thinks the filibuster was "more fun than fury."

Democrats take action on prescription drugs

The Colorado House and Governor Bill Ritter are both taking action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A press release from the House reads, in part:

House leaders fast-tracked a bill that would provide more than 260,000 people in Colorado with huge discounts on prescription drugs. "I'm thrilled that this historic bill is one of the first bills that Governor Ritter will sign," said Rep. [Alice] Madden. "We're not going to wait any longer to provide affordable prescription drugs to the people who really need them."

The bill would create the Colorado Cares Rx program, which allows the state to negotiate a fixed price for generic and non-patented drugs with manufacturers. Pharmacies that voluntarily participate in the program would then be able to sell the drugs to needy citizens who are eligible to participate in the program.

Meanwhile, Ritter today signed an executive order directing the state to "establish a Preferred Drug List for the purchase of prescription pharmaceuticals for Medicaid clients." The move is expected to save the state at least $1.6 million.

Colorado GOP wants to gum up the works somehow

And if they can't do it with abortion, they'll do it with immigration:

Republicans are unwilling to let the illegal immigration issue die this legislative session, even as they admit their proposals are probably headed nowhere.

ColoradoPols has more here.

New Energy Economy hits the state legislature

This is why we block-walked, phone-banked and donated our hard-earned money. From The Rocky Mountain News:

Lawmakers highlighted more than a dozen alternative-power bills designed to build a new transmission system to channel solar and wind energy from rural areas to urban consumers, require utilities to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, and plant wind-powered generators at schools to help cut electricity costs while teaching students the science of alternative energy.

UPDATE: And not a moment too soon.

Opening day in multimedia

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff gave a speech that was well received by members of both parties. (A welcome change from Joe Stengel's needlessly partisan opening to the 2006 session.) I heard Romanoff handed out copies of the controversial education report I wrote about on SquareState.

My mom attended, sent me some camera phone photos and kept me updated with text messages such as, "Romanoff... not l or r but forward."

Ah, texting. "4score & 7 yrs ago..."

Colorado Confidential has a report. As do the major dailies. And Wash Park Prophet. If you want to listen in yourself, a podcast of Senate president Joan Fitz-Gerald's opening day speech is on clickcaster.

"It's about Colorado leading the way, leading the nation."

Me and about 3,000 of my closest friends watched Bill Ritter take the oath of office shortly before noon. His speech opened with praise for everyone from Bill Owens and Robert F. Kennedy to Ritter's extensive family. And he repeated the themes that carried him to victory in November - renewable energy, education and healthcare reform.

I stood in a receiving line for nearly an hour to congratulate Ritter, along with Barbara O'Brien, John Suthers and Cary Kennedy. It's a little strange getting a 20 second audience with the Governor. I said, "Congratulations, good luck and nice weather we're having," or something similarly inane. Ritter smiled back like I was making sense.

It was even odder shaking hands with Suthers. The attorney general has a disturbing affinity for the Trailhead Group, but has recently attempted to create bipartisan legislation.

There's more coverage of the day here, here, here and here. This diary was cross-posted at SquareState.

Legislative session linkmania

The Ritter inauguration and the start of the national and Colorado 2007 legislative sessions are almost here. And with the Democrats in control, the right is already spreading misinformation about impending doom and annoying liberals. But the Democrats aren't likely to run afoul of any astute observers. They're mostly planning to "play fair" and stick to the popular agenda that won over voters in November.

Today's Rocky Mountain News has more on the goals of individual members Colorado's delegation, including Diana DeGette's resumed advocacy for stem cell research:

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, will be thrust back into a national spotlight as she tries to build a veto-proof majority for her legislation expanding federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. In 2006, she won majority passage but didn't have enough votes to reverse the president's first-ever veto.

Hat-tip to TalkLeft for the "annoying liberals" link. And, as always, much thanks to the Progress Now Action daily news digest.