Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, sponsor of House Bill 1003, told members of the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee that graywater—water previously used for non-organic purposes such as showers, baths and laundry and then repurposed for uses like watering lawns—should be available  for those who want to conserve.

“This is water that is slightly used,” said Fischer. “I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but this would give them the opportunity to use graywater if they so choose.”

Fischer’s bill states that current statute is unclear regarding whether, and under what conditions, graywater may be used. The bill would have authorized the state Water Quality Control Commission to develop standards for the use of graywater; local governments also would have had to authorize graywater’s use in a given community.

Wastewater from toilets, urinals, kitchen sinks, nonlaundry utility sinks and dishwashers would have been prohibited under the bill for reuse as graywater.

Yet, Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, said passing legislation granting local governments the authority to set up guidelines for graywater infrastructure could open the door for mandates on new home construction and industrial sites.

“We see it time after time all over the place,” said Liston. “I’m wary that a local government or state government may try to mandate this.”

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The “Colorado Open Records Act,” or CORA, which keeps public records open for inspection by the public, allows exceptions for records pertaining to police investigations, attorneys and security investigations. House Bill 1036 makes clear that the exemption includes all civil, administrative or criminal cases.

Rep. Jim Kerr, R-Littleton, sponsor of the measure, says the clarification is needed to protect sensitive information.

“If you have the information ahead of time, you can compromise peoples lives,” Kerr told the House Judiciary Committee today. “Right now, transparency is accomplished when a case is finished without an ongoing fishing expedition.”

The committee debated the bill but delayed action until a later date.

However, Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Cherry Hills says if adopted the measure would compromise the public’s right to have access to public documents.

“I have serious concerns that this is a loss of transparency, drawing a cloak over the processes of government,” said Kagan.

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Senate Bill 16 would have allowed municipal governments to reduce their contributions for their employees to the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association by up to 2.5 percent, increasing employees’ contributions by the same amount. Two years ago, the legislature allowed the state to implement that provision for its own employees to help balance the strapped state budget.

Still pinched by tight tax revenue following a crippling recession, city governments across Colorado have been grappling for ways to balance their budgets, too, and have looked at curbing payroll costs, including contributions to the state public employees’ retirement program. Cities like Colorado Springs and Boulder have sought statutory permission to tinker with the retirement-funding mandate.

Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach addressed the Senate State Affairs Committee today in support of the bill.

“Without any flexibility, Colorado Springs will have few options of how we can address the growing financial burden PERA is placing on our budget,” Bach told the committee.

Kevin Bommer, the legislative advocacy manager for the Colorado Municipal League, in a prepared statement after the bill was defeated, said municipalities should be afforded the same latitude over their budgets that was granted the state, and he said without such flexibility, layoffs have taken place and will become more common in local governments.

“This decision could very well cost jobs for local government employees,” Bommer said.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, said the issue has been looming ever larger for government at every level in the state.

“Government retirement funds are a huge problem—if not a crisis,” said Lambert. “This is a major part of government spending and has no equivalent in the private sector.”

However, majority Democrats who defeated the bill in committee said the measure would amount to a 2.5 percent cut in pay for employees at city hall.

Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said the burden on employees just wasn’t acceptable.

“That’s a gift-horse to local governments,” Heath said. “It’s taking it out of the pockets of employees.”

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Senate Bill 15, nearly identical to last year’s unsuccessful proposal,  which failed in the Republican-led House, is again sponsored by Sens. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo and Michael Johnston, D-Denver.

The measure would create a tuition category for undocumented students that costs less than out-of-state tuition but is effectively higher than the rate for Colorado students who receive a stipend toward the in-state rate through the Colorado Opportunity Fund.

The committee’s chair, Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, said extending in-state tuition to undocumented students is a matter of recognizing reality.

“These people are Americans without the paperwork,” said Bacon.

Yet, Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, said the tuition proposal merely masks a larger issue.

“As long as it is not legal to hire a person who is not documented,  these kids will still be in the same predicament,” said Spence. They won’t be able to work, even if they are college grads.”

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Senate Bill 94, sponsored by Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, and Rep. Libby Szabo, R-Arvada, clarifies that the state’s sales tax exempts groceries no matter where they’re purchased—and that local governments seeking to tax such products cannot discriminate.

While Colorado’s statutory and home-rule cities may impose taxes on grocery sales—provided they secure local voter approval under constitutional taxing and spending limits—it’s the inconsistency that concerns Hodge. She told  members of the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee that a variety of municipalities are charging a local tax on certain food items sold at establishments designated as convenience stores.

‘This is a fairness issue,” said Hodge. “When you buy bread and milk at a convenience store it should be the same as at grocery stores.”

Sen. Ted Harvey, R- Highlands Ranch, said the measure simply codifies the intent of the exemption implemented decades earlier.

“This restores the original intent of legislation passed years ago,” said Harvey. “We shouldn’t be taxing the citizens of Colorado who want to put food on their tables.”

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House Bill 1061, by Rep. Daniel Kagan, D-Greenwood Village, dubbed the Skills for Jobs Act, directs the Department of Higher Education to work with the Department of Labor and Employment to evaluate workforce projections with regard to educational programs offered.

Kagan said matching job-market needs with education would stimulate job growth.

“This will foster business growth in the state by keeping Colorado graduates in the state in well-paying jobs,” said Kagan.

The data is already collected by the state and the federal governments, and Kagan said not to make use of that data would be a mistake.

“We already collect most of this information,” said Kagan “To go to all the trouble of collecting it, collating it, and not putting it out there for the use of the public, is folly.”

Still, Rep. Don Beezley, R- Broomfield, said he appreciates the concept, but his preference would be a more market-driven approach—for quality assurance.

“To be honest, I have a lot more confidence in the marketplace to achieve those goals as long as we don’t interfere and screw it up.”

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Senate Bill 12, sponsored by Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, and Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, changes the frequency of the audits from every 90 days to twice a year.  Additionally, it allows for more frequent covert, undercover, inspections to be done at the discretion of the Department of Revenue, which oversees the program.

Federal law requires the auditing to be done on a twice-annual basis, and King says it’s redundant to conduct the audits more frequently.

“Doing this above and beyond federal requirements is redundant and ineffective,” said King.

Yet, Weld County Republican Sen. Scott Renfroe, of Greeley, says he voted against the measure because he believes the entire program is redundant in light of evidence Renfroe says shows consistent air quality above and beyond Environmental Protection Agency standards.

“I don’t like the program at all,” said Renfroe. “When there’s not a problem that needs fixing—I have a problem.”

Committee chair Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Arvada, said the reduction in audits shows good governance.

“This is good-government bill that allows us to focus on areas that need improvements and not over-inspecting areas that don’t,” said Hudak.

The measure now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

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Sponsored by Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, Senate Bill 25 would have granted all law-abiding Coloradans, including students and others on campuses, the same concealed-carrying privileges given to those with permits.

Neville said it’s a matter of trust and Second Amendment rights.

“We as legislators need to trust our citizens,” said Neville. “ I don’t believe we should have to carry any permit.”

Yet, Sen. Bob Bacon said law-abiding citizens are prone at times to misbehave.

“The law abiding citizen is not a permanent condition,” said Bacon. “I’m concerned what will happen to students on campuses.”

The measure failed on a party-line vote, with majority Democrats, including Bacon, opposing the legislation.

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The bipartisan House Joint Resolution 1004, sponsored by Reps. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, in the House and Sens. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, and Michael Johnston, D-Denver, in the Senate, directs the Colorado Youth Advisory Council to study preventative measures regarding teen suicide and to report its findings to the legislature.

Citing statistics indicating that one out of every five teenagers in Colorado has considered suicide, Massey said nothing else could be more important than tackling the issue.

“If there’s anything we can do to stem this tide, it’s of paramount importance that we do whatever we can,” said Massey.

Kerr, a teacher, said he has seen the devastation teen suicide has bestowed on his school district in Jefferson County.

“I know personally that my community has been heavily impacted by teen suicide,” said Kerr. “Whatever we can do to prevent it from happening and raise awareness in our communities is critical.”

Driving the issue home, University of Denver student Thomas Tarler, who has struggled with depression throughout high school and his young adult life, said current approaches need to be augmented with a more direct approach.

“To say that there is a hotline to call, that does nothing,” said Tarler. “We need a more proactive approach. This should be the highest priority in Colorado. Suicide affects every teenager.”

The resolution is now headed for consideration by the full House before it heads to the Senate.

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Homeowner Sharon McKee said she and her husband Rick have been living in their home for 15 years and were always able to meet their obligations until the economy plummeted.  McKee once had a career as a bank officer but is now making $10 an hour, a wage that pales in comparison to her former salary.  McKee says she’s not looking for a handout but a helping hand.

“This is our home,” said McKee. “It represents our lives. My family will never again be on the upside of this economy—we need help.”

House Bill 1156, sponsored by Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver, would require lenders to provide proof that they are entitled to foreclose on a given property by showing the chain of custody over the loan.

Another proposal, yet to be formally introduced, sponsored by Rep. Cristanta Duran, D-Denver, would require lenders to provide homeowners with information on  available resources for loan-modification programs.  Additionally, lenders would have to explain why a loan-modification application has been denied.

Duran says the intent of the measures is to reach out to responsible homeowners.

“There’s so many people who have been hit hard in this economy, and they should be given an opportunity to stay in their homes,” said Duran.  ”Homeowners are not looking for a handout, they are looking for solutions to foreclosure.”

Yet, Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker says homeowners are already afforded the opportunity to cure their debt through the foreclosure hotline set up by legislation in 2006, rendering the new proposals duplicative while adding another layer of busy-work for lenders and trial attorneys.

“Homeowners won’t win—trial lawyers win,” said Holbert. “This is a problem that has already been solved by the hotline, whose counselors don’t need the process to be longer and more complicated. We don’t need the state to be more involved and for there to be more laws.”

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