Colorado: Colo.

Workers said Wednesday the governor gave grocery chains an unfair advantage in contract talks by barring them from getting benefits if they're unable to work because of labor disputes.

In a lockout, an employer bars workers from their jobs during a labor dispute. Colorado's last lockout occurred in 1996 when employees of the King Soopers grocery chain went on strike and workers at Safeway were locked out.

"Gov. Ritter has aligned himself with the greedy corporations and shown his true colors," said Arlys Carlson, a grocery worker for

State Rep. Edward Casso, D-Commerce City, speaks out about Gov.

Here's how some major bills fared recently in Congress and how Colorado's congressional members voted, as provided by Thomas' Roll Call Report Syndicate.

HOUSE

The Colorado delegation District 1: Diana DeGette (D) District 2: Jared Polis (D) District 3: John Salazar (D) District 4: Betsy Markey (D) District 5: Doug Lamborn (R) District 6: Mike Coffman (R) District 7: Ed Perlmutter (D)

CONSERVATION

For: 282/Against: 144 Members failed to reach a two-thirds majority for passing a bill to give wilderness protection to 2.1 million acres in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia and protect federal land in other states.

Democrats in the chamber are moving ahead with the measure (Senate Bill 228) after bipartisan talks on a possible compromise broke down last week.

At issue is a state law passed in 1991 that prevents the operating side of the state's budget from growing by more than 6 percent above what was spent the previous year. Any leftover tax dollars must be spent first on transportation and then building construction projects.

The bill would eliminate those requirements and give lawmakers the flexibility to spend more money on state services, such as aid to the developmentally disabled or prisons, and less on roads.

Gov. Bill Ritter suffered a quiet loss Tuesday when the Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would repeal a program created by the first bill he signed into law.

The Colorado Cares Rx Program was created in 2007 as a way to help low-income Coloradans access affordable prescription drugs. Ritter gave it special status by making the bill that created it the first he signed as governor.

At the time, sponsors said the program would help more than 250,000 Coloradans, and Ritter called it a "significant step in containing health care costs for so many Coloradans."

But Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said Tuesday that the program never came together as lawmakers intended.