on 2023 legislative season

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Under the gold dome at the state Capitol, Colorado lawmakers take on issues ranging from health care to the safety of children to families’ ability to recover after wild res.

All that and more was on the docket for this year’s legislative session, the four-month part of the year when lawmakers pass bills.

Colorado’s session began in early January and ended in early May. Here’s a look at what the state senators who represent parts of Douglas County — all of whom are Republican — worked on and what they had to say about their bills. Responses were lightly edited for clarity.

For a look at what Douglas County’s state House representatives pushed for this year, see Colorado Community Media’s previous story at tinyurl.com/DouglasHouseMembers.

Mark Baisley

State Sen. Mark Baisley represents parts of Douglas, Je erson and several nearby counties outside the Denver metro area.

Castle Rock benefits

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When Matt and Caroline Procik moved into their Castle Rock home over a year ago, it was mostly accessible to their daughter Juniper’s wheelchair, with one major exception — the step at the front door.

Lifting 3-year-old Juniper and her wheelchair over the front step became a daily task for the Prociks any time they had to leave the house.

“ ankfully she’s small enough right now that I can carry her up or down the stairs, but it’s not going to be that way forever,” Matt said. e family tried going through their insurance, Medicaid, to nd a e most important bills he felt he supported touched on property taxes, Colorado’s manufacturing industry and home insurance in cases of disasters like wild res. Here’s what he had to say about them:

State Senate Bill 23-108, on property taxes: “In November of last year, county commissioners alerted me to the imminent shock of property tax valuations. We introduced Senate Bill 108 in early January to encourage local government authorities to temporarily keep property tax rates about the same as they were in 2022.

“SB23-108 received unanimous votes in both the House and the Senate. Many taxing authorities — county commissioners, water districts, metro districts and so on — are hoping that Gov. Polis will sign this bill into law so that they can immediately take advantage of this exibility and relieve the concerns of property owners.”

State House Bill 23-1174, on homeowner’s insurance: “ is bill, signed into law mid-May, addresses the second shock that owners of homes destroyed by disasters like the Marshall re have encountered. Of course, their initial shock was that their home was lost. en (many) learned that their homeowner’s insurance fell short of replacing their house — by an average of $165,000.

(Assuming a rebuild cost of $300 per square foot, 55% of the policies were underinsured and the average amount of underinsurance per policy is estimated at $164,855, according to a fact sheet from the state Department of Regulatory Agencies, cited by Baisley.)

“HB23-1174 requires that insurance companies o er full-replacement policies and that they communicate clearly how much each type of policy will cover in the case of a total loss.”

HB23-1260, on manufacturing incentives: “ is bill, signed into law in late May, invests $72 million dollars to meet the requirement for Colorado’s participation in the federal government’s CHIPS Act. is program, designed to bring microprocessor manufacturing out of China and back to the U.S., will bring as much as $5.5 billion in tax credits directly to private companies in Colorado. Many existing local technology companies will qualify.”

SB23-103, on Colorado recreation:

“For decades, owners of vast areas of land in Colorado have allowed access across their property for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists to climb fourteeners, sh at remote river spots and camp in wilderness. Property own- ers relied on existing Colorado law to protect them from liability should someone get hurt while crossing their property without charge.

“However, a successful lawsuit changed everything when an injured cyclist was awarded $7 million in a lawsuit. SB23-103 would have strengthened Colorado statute to ensure that property owners who permit free access are not liable for injuries of recreators. (SB23-103 did not pass.)

“Unfortunately, (certain) 14,000-plus-foot peaks (have been) o limits to the public. It would be pointless to reintroduce this bill again so long as Democrats hold the majority.”

Kevin Van Winkle

State Sen. Kevin Van Winkle represents northwest Douglas County, including the Highlands Ranch area. e most important bills he felt he supported related to school safety, health care price transparency and retail delivery fees.

Here’s what he had to say about them: hardworking taxpayers a little bit each day.”

Several bills and budget amendments, on school safety: “ is year cumulated four years of intensive work leading the legislature to advance school safety programs that honor Kendrick Castillo, and other young heroes, to ensure safer schools for our kids and teachers.

Looking ahead: “Also on track is ensuring the creation of our state’s rst new judicial district — centered in Douglas County — in roughly 60 years. (Judicial districts are responsible for operating district courts, which hear criminal cases and other matters.)

“I work for the citizens of Douglas County, will remain accessible to anyone, and will ensure that citizens’ voices are heard and accounted for by the ruling majorities at the state Capitol.”

Jim Smallwood e bills he supported that he felt were most important regarded taxes, prescription drugs and an o ense against minors.

State Sen. Jim Smallwood represents much of northeast Douglas County, including the Parker and Castle Rock areas.

Here’s what he had to say:

HB23-1135, on indecent exposure in view of minors: “ is bill makes indecent exposure in view of a child a class 6 felony, up from a class 1 misdemeanor. I feel our children need the same protections from these o enders regardless of this type of behavior occurring online or in person, and this new law helps create this parity.

“For this new law to apply, the offender must have known there was a child under 15 years of age in view of the act and the o ender must be more than 18 years of age and more than four years older than the child. is bipartisan bill surprised me by passing unanimously out of the Senate but then facing ‘no’ votes from a huge number of House Democrats. is bill is on the governor’s desk (as of June 2), and I hope to see it signed into law very soon.”

Ground-level ozone is invisible and the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue. Created from pollutants like car exhaust, ozone is a leading cause of respiratory problems.

Improving our air quality takes all of us, and there are many ways to help. We encourage you to #JustSkipTwo car trips a week, mow your lawn after 5 p.m., don’t idle your car, telework a few days each week, and take the bus, bike, or walk.

Sign up for air quality alerts and learn more about the simple steps you can do to help.

SimpleStepsBetterAir.org

“ ere were several bills and budget amendments passed that range from upgrading physical security of buildings, assuring faster emergency response, improving mental health programs, and cracking down on so-called ‘swatting’ false emergencies. Together these will improve the safety and security of schools so that children feel safe to learn and can ultimately reach their full potential.

SB23-252, on health care price transparency: “Medical price transparency will provide families with clear and upfront price transparency that is an important step forward to allowing free-market principles and competition into a health care space that desperately needs it. is will lead to more informed decision making, cost containment, improved care and consumer empowerment without the use of any heavy-handed bureaucratic burdens.”

SB23-143, on reducing retail delivery fees: “Finally, reducing the Democrats’ new 27-cent retail delivery fee on home delivery, and its burden on businesses. It will reduce costs for both retailers and customers by saving

HB23-1277, on taxable income: “ is is a simple bill that makes it easier for small businesses to le their tax returns by allowing the ling of composite returns, consolidating the composite return and withholding options, and clari es calculations of tax payments.

“ e bill also aligns the due date of income tax return deadlines between the federal government and the state of Colorado. is commonsense, bipartisan bill should really make life easier for Colorado taxpayers and has already been signed into law by the governor.”

SB23-041, on prescription drugs: “ is was another simple, threepage, bipartisan bill that would have ensured that health professions would not face disciplinary action by the sole act of prescribing an FDA-approved drug for an o -label use.

“Shockingly, after passing the Senate without a single ‘no’ vote, this bill was killed on a party-line vote in the House Health and Insurance Committee, with all Democrats voting against the bill and all Republicans voting in favor. I hope to introduce this bill again next year and hope the majority party takes some time to better understand the issue.”