by Jery Payne
The 14th amendment to the United States constitution forbids states from denying “to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” That seems simple enough. Right? (more…)
Author: olls
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What is all that stuff after a statutory section in Colorado Revised Statutes, Annotated?
by Kathy Zambrano
You’re flipping through the 2013 C.R.S. book looking for that amended section that was key to getting a bill passed last session, and there it is, in black and ecru, but you also find stuff following the section. What is that stuff and why is it there? (more…)
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Can’t You Fix That in the Revisor’s Bill?
by Jennifer Gilroy, Revisor of Statutes
It seems that most people who are involved in the legislative process in any way whatsoever have heard about the revisor’s bill — a bill viewed as a legislative means of “fixing” problems in the statutes or in legislation. But very few people really seem to have a clear understanding of what the annual revisor’s bill can and, more importantly, cannot include. To some, it seems to be a mystical piece of legislation over which a solitary individual (the Revisor of Statutes) randomly (or so it seems) grants (or not) inclusion of a provision they need “fixed”. To others it’s simply a boring, technical bill that shows up on the calendar late in the legislative session and is only important to legislative drafters. Well, it’s really both of these things and neither of these things…at the same time. The following are a few facts about the often misunderstood revisor’s bill. (more…)
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Legislative Interim Committees Finalize Bills for Introduction in 2014 – Part I
by OLLS Staff
The 2013 legislative interim has kept several interim committees busy considering myriad issues ranging from wildfires to the legal representation of juveniles to the treatment of mentally ill offenders to transportation to water to early childhood education. Colorado LegiSource will be summarizing the activities and bills of each committee that is recommending bills. The Legislative Council will meet November 14, 2013, to approve the interim committee bills that will be introduced during the 2014 legislative session.
This week’s article discusses four of the eight committees that are recommending bills. In two weeks, Colorado LegiSource will summarize the bill output of the other four committees. (more…)
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So you think you’re so SMART?
By Esther van Mourik
Did you know that the General Assembly is now SMARTer? It is! Last session the General Assembly passed House Bill 13-1299, which repealed and reenacted the “State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act”. (more…)
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The Land Where the Columbines Grow
by Ashley Zimmerman
It’s a common sight in the capitol every year or so – school kids gleefully working with legislators to learn how a bill becomes a law and to make their own impact on the state by presenting a bill to designate a state symbol. This tradition goes back more than 100 years, to when the white and lavender Columbine flower became the state flower of Colorado. (more…)
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Colorado State Government Spotlight: Department of Higher Education
by Julie Pelegrin
Fifth in a series focusing on the organization of state government. Click here for DORA – Part 1, Secretary of State – Part 2, Education – Part 3, and Revenue – Part 4.
In accordance with their mission, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (Department) and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, known as CCHE, work with more than 450 Colorado public and private institutions of higher education in the state to provide access to high-quality, affordable education for all Colorado residents that is student-centered, quality-driven, and performance-based. To fully accomplish this mission, the Department not only works with the higher education institutions (enrolling more than 430,000 students), but also works with middle and high schools, students and their families, and, unexpectedly, the state historical society. (more…)
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Colorado State Government Spotlight: The Department of Revenue
by Chuck Brackney
Fourth in a series focusing on the organization of state government. Click here for DORA – Part 1, Secretary of State – Part 2, and Education – Part 3.
The Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR) is among those agencies that have responsibilities for a wide-ranging number of programs. While it’s not surprising that they are in charge of collecting taxes, they also have several less-obvious areas of expertise, from motor vehicles and driver’s licenses to liquor regulation and the state lottery. DOR also has the authority to regulate medical marijuana and will take over a similar task for retail marijuana when its sale and use becomes legal in 2014. (more…)
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Court ruling might reboot Colorado “Amazon tax”
by Esther van Mourik
A panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver recently ruled on the so-called “Amazon tax” in the DMA v. Barbara Brohl case. The ruling was a blow to out-of-state retailers seeking to avoid meeting certain reporting requirements or having to collect state sales tax from its Colorado customers on their purchases. (more…)
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Introduction to Statutory Construction – The Plain Meaning Rule
by Julie Pelegrin
You’ve worked hard to get your bill through both houses and onto the Governor’s desk. You worked with your colleagues on amendments to be sure the bill language clearly and explicitly said just what you intended. Now, the act is signed and on its way to implementation and you can rest easy. Right? Hopefully right. But there may be some people who don’t agree on what this new statute means or on what your carefully crafted language says. Some of these disagreements may be so serious that someone files a lawsuit asking the court to interpret the precise meaning of this new statute. How is the court going to interpret your bill and decide what it means? (more…)