Colorado: Jim Kerr

The unanimous voice vote came after Rep. Jim Kerr, R-Littleton, claimed that Gov. Bill Ritter's administration had withheld budget information from the Legislature on one occasion, misleading lawmakers about the cost of programs they were voting on.

The administration denies any wrongdoing.

House Bill 1112 faces a third reading before going to the Senate.

The bill would require state agencies to work with legislative budget analysts and justify their calculations. It also limits changes to financial requests once a bill has been submitted. But it carries no penalties. And under current law, state agencies don't have to provide financial impact statements to accompany legislation introduced by the administration.

The unanimous voice vote came after Rep. Jim Kerr, R-Littleton, claimed that Gov. Bill Ritter's administration had withheld budget information from the Legislature on one occasion, misleading lawmakers about the cost of programs they were voting on.

The administration denies any wrongdoing.

House Bill 1112 faces a third reading before going to the Senate.

The bill would require state agencies to work with legislative budget analysts and justify their calculations. It also limits changes to financial requests once a bill has been submitted. But it carries no penalties. And under current law, state agencies don't have to provide financial impact statements to accompany legislation introduced by the administration.

The House voted 52-12 for a bill that would make Sept. 11 an optional holiday.

Rep. Ed Casso, D-Thornton, ran the bill after realizing the overwhelming emotions that people feel about the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. The measure would allow state employees to take off Sept. 11 if they work on one of the other state holidays that falls during the week.

Seven Democrats - Debbie Benefield, Claire Levy, Beth McCann, Jack Pommer, Joe Rice, Jim Riesberg and Sue Schafer - and five Republicans - Laura Bradford, Larry Liston, Ellen Roberts, Ken Summers and Spencer Swalm - voted against the bill.