State's Business Interests Concerned About Prevailing Wage Bill

The state's business community is in an uproar about a bill that would require contractors with Colorado's government to pay the "prevailing wage," as determined by federal labor law.

The measure, which is being sponsored by Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, would apply to both union shops and contractors that are not unionized.

An article published Tuesday in the Rocky Mountain News explores the controversy surrounding HB 1208.

Despite Partisan Battle, Carbon Monoxide Alarm Bill Gets Preliminary House OK

The House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that will require builders of new homes and sellers of existing homes, as well as landlords, to install carbon monoxide detectors.

The measure, which was inspired by the recent deaths of a Denver family on the west slope and a college student at the University of Denver, cleared the chamber on a voice vote after several Republican amendments failed.

Among those unsuccessful efforts to change the bill was a proposal to require all state buildings, including college dormitories, to install CO alarms.

But sponsoring Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, pointed out that most universities already require their installation and that most state nursing home facilities use boilers, which are physically separate from living quarters.

HB 1091 now moves on to a third and final reading in the House before heading over to the Senate.

Mandatory CO Monitor Bill To Get Committee Hearing Thursday

A House committee will hear Thursday a bill that aims to require all homes put up for sale in Colorado, whether new or existing, and all apartments to have carbon monoxide detectors.

HB 1091, named for its sponsors after the Lofgren family of Denver, is expected to draw support from firefighters in addition to state health officials.

"We have lost too many Colorado lives over the past few months," Rep. John Soper,
D-Thornton, a sponsor of the bill, said. "We must do everything we can to prevent these tragedies from occurring again. I am an electrician and I know that the installation of carbon monoxide detectors is a reasonable addition to new homes that can prevent senseless deaths and injuries.”

Soper and cosponsoring Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver, said they are motivated to push the bill after the Lofgren family of Denver died in a west slope carbon monoxide poisoning incident over the Thanksgiving weekend. Since then a University of Denver college student also died of CO poisoning in her apartment.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, will carry the bill in the Senate.

Soper, Court Vow to Push Mandatory CO Monitor Legislation

Two Democratic members of the House are promising to introduce a bill requiring all new homes and existing homes put up for sale have carbon monoxide monitors installed.

Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, and Rep.-elect Lois Court, D-Denver, said at a news conference today that the recent deaths of Parker and Caroline Lofgren and their children Owen and Sophie due to carbon monoxide poisoning at a west slope cabin motivated their efforts.

“So many Coloradans knew and loved the Lofgrens and are so devastated by their deaths,” Court said. “I think the Lofgrens would be happy to see their community mobilized to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.”

The proposed legislation, which would be similar to one considered by the General Assembly in the 2008 session, would be called the "Lofgren Family Home Safety Act."

The Lofgren family lived in the district of outgoing House speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver. Court was elected to replace the term-limited Romanoff in November.

Spam Reduction Bill Heads to Ritter

A bill that would markedly toughen penalties for sending unsolicited commercial email messages, and give the state maximum ability to enforce the federal CAN-Spam Act as well as consumers education needed to fight spam, is on its way to Gov. Ritter.

HB 1178, sponsored by Reps. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, Sara Gagliardi, D-Arvada, and John Soper, D-Thornton, as well as Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, cleared the House a second time Thursday morning. The House had to take up the bill again, after initially giving it final clearance in February, because the Senate amended it before giving a final nod last week.

Carroll lauded the measure as an essential tool to fight a growing economic burden on business.

"Today the legislature sent a strong bi-partisan message – enough!” Carroll said. "Colorado companies and average citizens spend too much time, energy and money sifting through ridiculous claims of million dollar paydays, ads for E.D. medications and various other schemes -- just to get to their personal emails. This will not do."

According to a report issued by the University of Maryland, spam cost U.S. business about $22 billion in lost productivity in 2005. Another report, released by Nucleus Research in April 2007, says the lost productivity value is now about $70 billion.

Hagedorn said the bill is also aimed at helping the elderly, who are increasingly targets of computer crime.

"Spammers are using increasingly more sophisticated methods to target elderly folks and those with less computer know-how, conning them out of money and personal information like credit and social security numbers,” he said.

The average American receives, on average, at least 2,200 spam email messages each year, according to SpamFilterReview.com.

The proposed Spam Reduction Act of 2008 will become law in August if signed by Ritter.

Senate Clears Computer-Assisted Hunting Ban

The Senate cleared Thursday a bill that would ban computer-assisted hunting in Colorado.

HB 1200 would criminalize the use of such technology to aid in finding or killing wildlife. It does, however, allow accommodations required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

The bill was amended in the Senate and so now must return to the House for a determination as to whether the amendment will be accepted there or if a conference committee will be requested.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, and Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton.

Bill to Ban Remote Control Hunting Introduced

A bill that would prohibit the use of remote-controlled, computer-operated weapons in hunting was introduced Thursday.

HB 1200, sponsored by Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, and Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, applies to computers and software used to remotely control a weapon used in an effort to kill wildlife, including firearms and archery equipment.

It also prohibits computer-assisted remote hunting facilities, such as blinds, offices, rooms and weapons intended to facilitate remote-control hunting.

The bill specifies that a person who engages in remote-control hunting in the state commits a misdemeanor.

It does not apply to reasonable accommodations for disabled persons provided by the Department of Wildlife.

Democratic Anti-Strike Bill Escapes Committee

A bill by Rep. Jim Riesberg to prohibit state workers from going on strike was passed by a House committee Thursday afternoon.

HB 1189, unlike the more expansive ban proposed by the GOP, does not apply to workers for any government entity other than the state. It makes violation a misdemeanor, instead of permitting felony criminal sanctions as would Rep. Bob Gardner's more hard-line measure.

The bill passed 6-5, with all Republicans and Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, opposed.

Carroll said she would not support the bill because she did not think that state workers' right to strike should be taken away.

Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, indicated that he was not enthusiastic about the bill but nevertheless voted "yes."

Gov. Bill Ritter has argued that his executive order granting state employees the right to collectively bargain on a limited range of issues precludes strikes. But he has also said that he will sign a strike ban bill.