Wind, grease, graffiti on legislators' minds
It’s that time of year again when, according to Mark Twain, “no man’s life, liberty or property are safe” because the legislature is in session.
As of this writing, 200 bills had been introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives and 114 had been introduced in the Senate. In keeping with tradition, this column reports mostly on bills you are unlikely to hear about anywhere else. Here’s a brief description of a few bills introduced in the House that meet this criterion:
House Bill 10-1158. This bill would allow someone to sell land but reserve ownership of the right to use the wind blowing across the land.
House Bill 10-1125. This bill would empower the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to regulate the collection, transportation and disposal of restaurant-generated grease (and create Colorado’s first-ever grease police).
House Bill 10-1012. This bill would prohibit insurance companies from spying on individuals who have filed a claim for worker’s compensation benefits unless they have a reasonable basis to believe the claim for benefits is fraudulent.
House Bill 10-1166. This bill would require insurance companies offering auto, health, dental and long-term care insurance in Colorado to write their policies at or below a tenth-grade reading level and to use 12-point or larger type.
House Bill 10-1120. This bill would make it unlawful to sell items that can be used in the production of graffiti to anyone under the age of 18 without the written consent of a parent or guardian.
The prohibition includes aerosol paint containers, broad-tipped markers and paint sticks.
House Bill 10-1191. This bill would remove soft drinks and candy from the sales tax exemption applicable to food products — meaning sales tax would be charged on these items.
House Bill 10-1068. This bill would prohibit the delivery of telephone directories and the like to a property in the absence of a request from the recipient. A violation would constitute the new crime of “paper waste”—a misdemeanor. Violators would be subject to fines of up to $100,000 per year.
House Bill 10-1170. This bill would allow the sale of alcoholic beverages to adult occupants of luxury boxes at sports stadiums. Under current law, these individuals must leave their luxury accommodations and mingle with ordinary folks if they want a drink.
House Bill 10-1130. This bill would authorize yet another cause-related license plate, this time promoting the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.
House Bill 10-1184. This bill would make a third DUI conviction a felony.
House Bill 10-1056. This bill would prohibit government agencies and private businesses from disposing of records that still contain personal identification information.
Before disposition, paper documents would have to be shredded. For electronic documents, the information would have to be erased or otherwise rendered irretrievable.
Next week we’ll see what mischief the Colorado Senate has been up to. In the meantime, if you want to know other reasons why your life, liberty or property might not be safe, you can go to www.leg.state .co.us.
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Jim Flynn is a private attorney at Flynn Wright & Fredman LLC in Colorado Springs. The firm
primarily represents clients in the
real estate, financial services and
small-business sectors. Reach him at jtflynn@fwflegal.com.
