Colorado: Legislature

Gov. Bill Ritter said he will probably sign a bill passed Tuesday that extends health insurance benefits to gay and lesbian domestic partners of state employees.

“I expect to sign that but I haven’t heard from the opposition on that,” Ritter, a Democrat, told The Denver Post’s Tim Hoover. “If there’s a request to do that, I’ll certainly let them do that.”

Under Senate Bill 88, partners of state employees who swear they’ve been in a committed relationship for at least a year would be eligible to share health-care benefits with same-sex partners.

Opponents say the bill extends rights to unmarried same-sex couples that aren’t available to unmarried straight couples.

An ethics committee recommended Wednesday that a lobbyist who interfered in a House leadership race be formally admonished.

Erik Groves, who lobbied for the Colorado Chiropractic Association, issued a statement afterward that said he was "pleased that by cooperating with the committee I was able to help them understand" that he had made an "honest mistake."

Groves had earlier testified before the three-member committee that he was unaware of legislative rules that prevented lobbyists from getting involved in leadership races. In December he asked Rep.-elect Cindy Acree, R-Aurora, if he could talk to her about the race.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the legislature's executive committee, which has the final say-so

Final Report

on what will happen to Groves.

SB 108, the so-called FASTER plan to fund road and bridge repairs, is just a couple of minor procedural steps from hitting Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk for a signature after the state House of Representatives passed it 34-31 on final reading Wednesday.

Introduced by Dan Gibbs (D-Silverthorne) in the Senate and Rep. Joe Rice (D-Littleton) in the House, FASTER raises vehicle registration fees for most cars and trucks by $32 the first year, up to $41 after three years. It will raise more than $250 million a year to repair roads and fix the state’s 126 structurally deficient bridges.

Much like the debate in the Senate, Republicans once again tried to throw up a roadblock to keep FASTER from becoming a reality, claiming it’s another

State Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs. (Photo/Bob Spencer, The Colorado Independent)

On Wednesday, the Colorado Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 228 — legislation that seeks to provide greater flexibility to lawmakers in deciding where to spend the state’s shrinking revenues.

State Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs. (Photo/Bob Spencer, The Colorado Independent)

Sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Morse, the bill would eliminate the so-called Arveschoug-Bird provision, which restricts the state’s General Fund to 6 percent growth per year and allocates any surplus specifically to transportation and construction projects. Morse’s bill and the problem it seeks to address are tongue-twisting and arcane, yet the small corner room of the Capitol where the hearing took place was filled with laptop jockeys, community leaders, a webcast crew and a buzz that hung in the air when it became clear that SB228 was going to clear its first public hurdle.