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A House committee approved Tuesday a measure that would require all rural electric cooperatives with more than 100,000 customers to implement conservation programs.
While the bill does not name any particular rural electric cooperative, it is aimed at the only such entity in Colorado with that many customers - Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA).
IREA, which is based in Sedalia and serves customers in Douglas, El Paso, Park, Teller, Clear Creek, Elbert, Arapahoe and Adams counties, has strongly resisted efforts to strengthen programs aimed at reducing electricity use.
The organization, through a vote of its members, opted out of Amendment 37 in 2005. That vote, in which only a small percentage of the cooperative's members voted, stood in contrast to the vote on Amendment 37 in its service territory. More than 50 percent of the electorate in IREA's service area supported Amendment 37 when it was on the ballot in 2004.
Under current state law rural electric cooperatives who have not opted out of Amendment 37 must generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
Under HB 1323, IREA would have to implement conservation and energy efficiency progams that would achieve a use of renewable energy equivalent to two percent of its 2008 sales by 2012 and to ten percent of its 2008 sales by 2020.
The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, must also be approved by the House Appropriations Committee before it is considered by the full House.
IREA, in addition to opting out of Amendment 37, has also spent large amounts of money on efforts to convince the public that global climate change is not happening or that it is a natural event.
A grass-roots organization called IREA Voices has been organized to advocate for greater use of renewable energy sources and energy conservation programs by the organization.
IREA Voices is sponsoring three candidates for seats on the annual election for seats on the organization's Board of Directors. The election for those seats is to be completed April 18.
Showing posts with label Jennifer Veiga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Veiga. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sen. Veiga to Retire at End of Session
A veteran Denver state senator has announced that she will retire at the end of this year's session of the General Assembly.
Sen. Jennifer Veiga, a Democrat who represents downtown and the north-central area of the Mile High City, has been a legislator since 1997.
Veiga, 46, said she would retire so that she could move to Australia with her long-term partner.
She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. She moved to the Senate when a vacancy committee appointed her in 2003 to replace Doug Linkhart, who had been elected to the Denver City Council. Veiga won election to the Senate in 2004 and again in 2008.
Veiga served as House minority leader in 2003 and is currently chair of the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee.
She holds a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a law degree from George Washington University.
A Democratic vacancy committee for Senate District 31 will appoint her replacement.
Veiga has not indicated the specific date on which her resignation from the Senate will take effect.
Sen. Jennifer Veiga, a Democrat who represents downtown and the north-central area of the Mile High City, has been a legislator since 1997.
Veiga, 46, said she would retire so that she could move to Australia with her long-term partner.
She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. She moved to the Senate when a vacancy committee appointed her in 2003 to replace Doug Linkhart, who had been elected to the Denver City Council. Veiga won election to the Senate in 2004 and again in 2008.
Veiga served as House minority leader in 2003 and is currently chair of the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee.
She holds a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a law degree from George Washington University.
A Democratic vacancy committee for Senate District 31 will appoint her replacement.
Veiga has not indicated the specific date on which her resignation from the Senate will take effect.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Senate Kills Plastic Bag Ban
The Senate rejected Tuesday a proposal to forbid large retailers from making plastic bags available to their customers.
The bill, which was the brainchild of a group of students at the Kent Denver School, died by bipartisan hands.
Sponsoring Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said a ban is needed because the large stores affected by SB 156 distribute more than 540 million plastic bags every year. That represents about 70 percent of the plastic bags distributed to consumers every year in Colorado.
Veiga reminded fellow senators that plastic bags cause significant environmental damage.
About 100 million tons of garbage, about 90 percent of which is composed of plastic bags, floats in an area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that every square mile of the ocean contains 46,000 pieces of plastic.
Scientists say that nurdles, which are the building blocks of plastic, attract dangerous chemicals that are eaten by marine life and move up the food chain to humans.
But opponents at the capitol argued that the state has no business dictating customer choice of bags and that shoppers would likely choose a more environmentally destructive alternative if plastic bags were not available.
Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said that the legislature should not interfere if customers like plastic bags, while Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, argued that paper bags would likely be used in place of plastic bags and the production of paper bags require 91 percent more energy than plastic bags.
Mitchell also ridiculed Veiga's comments indicating that other countries, including China, have banned plastic bags, arguing that China likely did not seriously discuss the pros and cons of such a proposal.
"There is an irony in citing a country like China for policy," Mitchell said. "What else has China banned? They've banned organized religious gatherings, they've banned having more than one child, they've banned political debate and speech, so it was probably pretty easy to pass their bans."
The bill would have required large retailers to phase out plastic bags within three years.
SB 156 lost on a voice vote.
The bill, which was the brainchild of a group of students at the Kent Denver School, died by bipartisan hands.
Sponsoring Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said a ban is needed because the large stores affected by SB 156 distribute more than 540 million plastic bags every year. That represents about 70 percent of the plastic bags distributed to consumers every year in Colorado.
Veiga reminded fellow senators that plastic bags cause significant environmental damage.
About 100 million tons of garbage, about 90 percent of which is composed of plastic bags, floats in an area of the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that every square mile of the ocean contains 46,000 pieces of plastic.
Scientists say that nurdles, which are the building blocks of plastic, attract dangerous chemicals that are eaten by marine life and move up the food chain to humans.
But opponents at the capitol argued that the state has no business dictating customer choice of bags and that shoppers would likely choose a more environmentally destructive alternative if plastic bags were not available.
Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said that the legislature should not interfere if customers like plastic bags, while Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, argued that paper bags would likely be used in place of plastic bags and the production of paper bags require 91 percent more energy than plastic bags.
Mitchell also ridiculed Veiga's comments indicating that other countries, including China, have banned plastic bags, arguing that China likely did not seriously discuss the pros and cons of such a proposal.
"There is an irony in citing a country like China for policy," Mitchell said. "What else has China banned? They've banned organized religious gatherings, they've banned having more than one child, they've banned political debate and speech, so it was probably pretty easy to pass their bans."
The bill would have required large retailers to phase out plastic bags within three years.
SB 156 lost on a voice vote.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Extension of State Employment Benefits to Domestic Partners Gets OK From Senate Committee
A bill that would require the state to extend coverage under insurance policies to the domestic partners of government employees earned the endorsement of a Senate committee Wednesday.
SB 88 aims to prevent the state government from treating same-sex partners of public employees differently than spouses.
"It is the right policy," Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, told committee members. "It is the right time."
Veiga is the only openly gay member of the Senate.
The measure was approved by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on a 4-3 party-line vote, with all of the committee's Republicans opposed to it.
In 2006 the state's voters rejected Referendum I, which would have recognized domestic partnerships under state law and mandated that the state provide domestic partners coverage under insurance policies held by its employees.
The proposed "Colorado Domestic Partnership Benefits and Responsibilities Act" was defeated by a 53%-47% margin.
According to the Denver Post, Veiga said Wednesday that her bill, if enacted, would not conflict with the voter's decision in 2006 because it is limited to the issue of benefits for state employees with same-sex spouses.
SB 88 will next be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 88 aims to prevent the state government from treating same-sex partners of public employees differently than spouses.
"It is the right policy," Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, told committee members. "It is the right time."
Veiga is the only openly gay member of the Senate.
The measure was approved by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on a 4-3 party-line vote, with all of the committee's Republicans opposed to it.
In 2006 the state's voters rejected Referendum I, which would have recognized domestic partnerships under state law and mandated that the state provide domestic partners coverage under insurance policies held by its employees.
The proposed "Colorado Domestic Partnership Benefits and Responsibilities Act" was defeated by a 53%-47% margin.
According to the Denver Post, Veiga said Wednesday that her bill, if enacted, would not conflict with the voter's decision in 2006 because it is limited to the issue of benefits for state employees with same-sex spouses.
SB 88 will next be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Post: Bill Imposing Fee on Grocery Store Plastic Bags Coming
The Denver Post reports today that lawmakers will soon introduce a bill requiring consumers to pay a fee for each plastic bag they use to carry groceries from a store.
The measure, which has not been introduced yet, is inspired by a group of students from the Kent Denver School.
According to the Post story,
The sponsors will be Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver.
A 2006 report estimated that Americans recycled more than 800 million pounds of "post-consumer film," which includes plastic grocery bags, in 2006.
The measure, which has not been introduced yet, is inspired by a group of students from the Kent Denver School.
According to the Post story,
The bill, introduced Friday, would require shoppers to pay 6 cents for each plastic bag they used.
The vendor and the state, which would use the money to increase environmental awareness, would split the fee evenly.
The proposal would apply only to businesses that are the largest sources of the bags — stores of 10,000 square feet or more and those that generate more than $1 million in annual revenues.
The bags would be eliminated from those stores after three years.
The sponsors will be Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver.
A 2006 report estimated that Americans recycled more than 800 million pounds of "post-consumer film," which includes plastic grocery bags, in 2006.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Senate, on Party-Line Vote, Gives Final OK to Expansion of Anti-Discrimination Law
A Senate divided by party affiliation gave final approval Monday to a bill that would extend the state's current protections against discrimination on the basis of disability, marital status, religion, gender, age, nationality and race to gay and lesbian Coloradans.
SB 200 passed on a 20-15 vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.
The measure, which is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, also harmonizes the existing anti-discrimination laws to ensure that all classifications are covered equally.
SB 200 passed on a 20-15 vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.
The measure, which is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, also harmonizes the existing anti-discrimination laws to ensure that all classifications are covered equally.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Senate Gives Preliminary Nod to Expansion of Sexual Preference Discrimination Ban
The Senate, after a heated and emotional argument over a Republican attempt to equate discrimination against short people with discrimination against gay men and women, gave preliminary approval this morning to a measure that would expand the scope of the state's ban on sexual preference discrimination.
Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, introduced an amendment aimed at preventing private sector discrimination on the basis of height, which provoked a tempestuous, and at times heated, exchange. Brophy argued that gay people don't face different treatment in any area of public life.
“What I’m talking about is economic discrimination, political discrimination, employment discrimination,” Brophy said. “I find no pattern of any of those.”
That statement prompted strong responses from several Senate Democrats.
“It must be nice, as a white male, to sit back and mock the real discrimination that occurs in our society, especially on the basis of sexual orientation,” Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said.
And Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, recounted how his son, who is gay, felt compelled to leave Colorado to practice law because he did not believe he would have a fair chance to succeed in this state.
Senate president Peter Groff of Denver also indicated that he was displeased by Brophy's comments.
“Discrimination is a practice that has gone on in this country too long,” Groff said. “It is the birth defect of this country. And I think it’s time we deal with that.”
SB 200 would expand the reach of existing state law preventing discrimination on the basis of race and gender, among other demographic characteristics, in a wide variety of areas, including in housing, places of public accommodation, consumer credit, labor unions and school enrollment, to cover sexual preference.
Last year the General Assembly enacted, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a measure that prohibits private employers from making job-related decisions on the basis of a person's sexual preference.
The bill faces a final vote in the Senate before moving on to the House.
Brophy withdrew his amendment before the second reading voice vote took place this morning.
Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, introduced an amendment aimed at preventing private sector discrimination on the basis of height, which provoked a tempestuous, and at times heated, exchange. Brophy argued that gay people don't face different treatment in any area of public life.
“What I’m talking about is economic discrimination, political discrimination, employment discrimination,” Brophy said. “I find no pattern of any of those.”
That statement prompted strong responses from several Senate Democrats.
“It must be nice, as a white male, to sit back and mock the real discrimination that occurs in our society, especially on the basis of sexual orientation,” Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said.
And Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, recounted how his son, who is gay, felt compelled to leave Colorado to practice law because he did not believe he would have a fair chance to succeed in this state.
Senate president Peter Groff of Denver also indicated that he was displeased by Brophy's comments.
“Discrimination is a practice that has gone on in this country too long,” Groff said. “It is the birth defect of this country. And I think it’s time we deal with that.”
SB 200 would expand the reach of existing state law preventing discrimination on the basis of race and gender, among other demographic characteristics, in a wide variety of areas, including in housing, places of public accommodation, consumer credit, labor unions and school enrollment, to cover sexual preference.
Last year the General Assembly enacted, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a measure that prohibits private employers from making job-related decisions on the basis of a person's sexual preference.
The bill faces a final vote in the Senate before moving on to the House.
Brophy withdrew his amendment before the second reading voice vote took place this morning.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Energy Efficiency Bill Hits Senate Roadblock
A bill that would require most of the state's municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives to set aside some of their revenues to fund energy conservation efforts was derailed, at least temporarily, in a Senate committee Wednesday.
HB 1107 applies to municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives that have at least 5,000 customers. The bill specifies that those entities would have to dedicate one percent of their revenues in 2009 and two percent of revenues in succeeding years to programs aimed at encouraging their customers to use less electricity.
A similar requirement affecting Colorado's investor-owned utilities, such as Excel, is already in effect. The General Assembly mandated such programs for the IOUs in 2007.
During Wednesday's hearing before the State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee, Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, succeeded in amending the bill to limit its applicability to rural electric cooperatives with more than 85,000 members. Romer's amendment entirely removed the municipal utilities from the mandate in the bill.
However, the committee then voted 2-2 on the bill. Without a majority of the five-member committee voting to send it to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the bill is in limbo.
According to a report by John Ingold in the Denver Post's Colorado Capitol Insider blog, committee chair Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, said he worries about the impact of the bill on utility rates for lower-income families but that he would keep an open mind about moving the measure out of committee.
According to the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, the bill would inject about $32 million per year into energy conservation programs around the state, resulting in a reduction of electricity use by 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (KwH) by 2020, an amount equivalent to the annual use of electricity by 170,000 average Colorado households. Colorado residential and business utility consumers would save $600 million in electricity rates between 2008 and 2020.
The bill was approved by the House, 33-32, on Feb. 27. It was sponsored in the House by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder. The Senate sponsor is Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver.
HB 1107 applies to municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives that have at least 5,000 customers. The bill specifies that those entities would have to dedicate one percent of their revenues in 2009 and two percent of revenues in succeeding years to programs aimed at encouraging their customers to use less electricity.
A similar requirement affecting Colorado's investor-owned utilities, such as Excel, is already in effect. The General Assembly mandated such programs for the IOUs in 2007.
During Wednesday's hearing before the State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee, Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, succeeded in amending the bill to limit its applicability to rural electric cooperatives with more than 85,000 members. Romer's amendment entirely removed the municipal utilities from the mandate in the bill.
However, the committee then voted 2-2 on the bill. Without a majority of the five-member committee voting to send it to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the bill is in limbo.
According to a report by John Ingold in the Denver Post's Colorado Capitol Insider blog, committee chair Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, said he worries about the impact of the bill on utility rates for lower-income families but that he would keep an open mind about moving the measure out of committee.
According to the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, the bill would inject about $32 million per year into energy conservation programs around the state, resulting in a reduction of electricity use by 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (KwH) by 2020, an amount equivalent to the annual use of electricity by 170,000 average Colorado households. Colorado residential and business utility consumers would save $600 million in electricity rates between 2008 and 2020.
The bill was approved by the House, 33-32, on Feb. 27. It was sponsored in the House by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder. The Senate sponsor is Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Payday Loan Rate Cap Subject of Odd Senate Maneuvering
A controversial bill that would cap the interest rates and fees that could be charged by "payday lenders" received initial approval by the Senate Tuesday, but then the Senate reversed itself and, in an unexpected move, sent the bill back to committee.
HB 1310 has drawn vociferous opposition from the industry because it caps the annual interest rate that can be charged on short-term loans at 45%.
Under current law so-called "payday" lenders can charge fees that add up to an equivalent annual interest rate of 390%.
Data collected by the Office of the Attorney General indicates that the average borrower of a short-term loan was loaned $353.88 for a period of about 5 1/2 months. That average borrower paid $573.06 in finance charges.
The Senate, after approving the bill by voice vote in a close divide, sent it back to the appropriations committee to consider an amendment by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, requiring establishment of a financial literacy program. That program would be funded by a ten cent per loan fee.
The ill-fated vote to initially approve HB 1310 was 19-16, with Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, joining the Republicans in opposition.
Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and Senate president Peter Groff, D-Denver, are the principal sponsors of the measure.
HB 1310 has drawn vociferous opposition from the industry because it caps the annual interest rate that can be charged on short-term loans at 45%.
Under current law so-called "payday" lenders can charge fees that add up to an equivalent annual interest rate of 390%.
Data collected by the Office of the Attorney General indicates that the average borrower of a short-term loan was loaned $353.88 for a period of about 5 1/2 months. That average borrower paid $573.06 in finance charges.
The Senate, after approving the bill by voice vote in a close divide, sent it back to the appropriations committee to consider an amendment by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, requiring establishment of a financial literacy program. That program would be funded by a ten cent per loan fee.
The ill-fated vote to initially approve HB 1310 was 19-16, with Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, joining the Republicans in opposition.
Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and Senate president Peter Groff, D-Denver, are the principal sponsors of the measure.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday Liquor Sales Bill Gets Preliminary House OK
The House gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that will allow liquor stores to open on Sundays.
SB 82 would take effect July 1. The House defeated a proposed amendment by Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, to strip the bill's "emergency clause." That means the measure is not subject to a referendum.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, and Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Golden.
SB 82 would take effect July 1. The House defeated a proposed amendment by Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, to strip the bill's "emergency clause." That means the measure is not subject to a referendum.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, and Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Golden.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Turtle Bill Clears Senate
The bill that would designate the Western painted turtle (Chrysemis picta bellii) as Colorado's official reptile passed the Senate this week.
HB 1017 arose from interest expressed by some Adams County children who discovered the state has no official reptile.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cherilyn Peniston, D-Westminster, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, awaits Gov. Bill Ritter's signature.
HB 1017 arose from interest expressed by some Adams County children who discovered the state has no official reptile.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cherilyn Peniston, D-Westminster, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, awaits Gov. Bill Ritter's signature.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bill Expanding Ban on Discrimination Against Gays Introduced
A bill that would expand the state's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual preference has been introduced in the Senate.
SB 200, by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, would mandate equal treatment in housing, public accommodations, credit decisions and many other areas, including:
* Membership in labor organizations;
* Inclusion in public works projects;
* Issuance of a license to practice law;
* Sales of cemetery plots
* Determination of whether expenses paid at or to a club that
has a policy to restrict membership are tax deductible;
* The provision of funeral services;
* Enrollment or classification of students at private
occupational schools;
* Eligibility for jury service;
* Enrollment in a charter school, institute charter school,
public school, or pilot school for expelled students;
* Written local school boards of education policies regarding
employment, promotion, and dismissal;
* The assignment or transfer of a public school teacher;
* Leasing portions of the grounds of or improvements on the
grounds of the Colorado state university - Pueblo and the
Colorado school of mines;
* Employment in state personnel system;
* The provision of adequate hospital facilities;
* Availability of family planning services;
* Employment practices of county departments of social
services involving selection, retention, and promotion of
employees;
* Participation in the managed care program under the
children’s basic health plan;
* Making or committing to make a housing facility loan by
the Colorado housing and finance authority; and
* Imposition of a discriminatory occupancy requirement on
charitable property for which the owner is claiming an
exemption from property taxes based on the charitable use
of the property.
The bill would apply to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered individuals. It also extends the provisions summarized above to other categories, including sex,
marital status, disability, age, national origin, ancestry, and religion.
Last year the General Assembly approved, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a bill that prohibits discrimination against people in those categories in employment decisions.
SB 200, by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, would mandate equal treatment in housing, public accommodations, credit decisions and many other areas, including:
* Membership in labor organizations;
* Inclusion in public works projects;
* Issuance of a license to practice law;
* Sales of cemetery plots
* Determination of whether expenses paid at or to a club that
has a policy to restrict membership are tax deductible;
* The provision of funeral services;
* Enrollment or classification of students at private
occupational schools;
* Eligibility for jury service;
* Enrollment in a charter school, institute charter school,
public school, or pilot school for expelled students;
* Written local school boards of education policies regarding
employment, promotion, and dismissal;
* The assignment or transfer of a public school teacher;
* Leasing portions of the grounds of or improvements on the
grounds of the Colorado state university - Pueblo and the
Colorado school of mines;
* Employment in state personnel system;
* The provision of adequate hospital facilities;
* Availability of family planning services;
* Employment practices of county departments of social
services involving selection, retention, and promotion of
employees;
* Participation in the managed care program under the
children’s basic health plan;
* Making or committing to make a housing facility loan by
the Colorado housing and finance authority; and
* Imposition of a discriminatory occupancy requirement on
charitable property for which the owner is claiming an
exemption from property taxes based on the charitable use
of the property.
The bill would apply to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered individuals. It also extends the provisions summarized above to other categories, including sex,
marital status, disability, age, national origin, ancestry, and religion.
Last year the General Assembly approved, and Gov. Bill Ritter signed, a bill that prohibits discrimination against people in those categories in employment decisions.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday Liquor Sales Bill Clears First Committee Hurdle
A bill that would allow Colorado liquor stores to be open on Sundays was approved by a Senate committee Wednesday afternoon, clearing its first hurdle on the path to law.
SB 82 is similar to bills that have been defeated in the legislature in prior years. This year, however, some previous opponents of Sunday liquor sales are backing the bill because they think it will strengthen independent liquor store owners' profitability if the General Assembly also enacts a separate bill that authorizes grocery stores to sell liquor.
Current law allows supermarkets to sell only 3.2 beer.
34 other states allow Sunday liquor sales.
The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 82 is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, and Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Golden.
SB 82 is similar to bills that have been defeated in the legislature in prior years. This year, however, some previous opponents of Sunday liquor sales are backing the bill because they think it will strengthen independent liquor store owners' profitability if the General Assembly also enacts a separate bill that authorizes grocery stores to sell liquor.
Current law allows supermarkets to sell only 3.2 beer.
34 other states allow Sunday liquor sales.
The bill now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 82 is sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, and Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Golden.
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