Good, bad and silly bills

Having been in session over a month now the Colorado State Legislature is beginning to weed out the bills deemed frivolous, unpopular, too complicated, or just plain lacking support. From not just my point of view, but also considering the best interests of the county, some good, bad and silly proposals have gone by the wayside.

The commissionerís policy is that if a bill does not have a direct impact on county government we will not do a resolution to support or oppose. However, if it will have an impact on county government we may pass a resolution in either support or opposition.

An example of a bill I am confident a majority of the commissioners opposed but will not pass a resolution on is SB08-49. It is called the Safe Storage bill, and it imposes restrictions and criminal penalties regarding the storage and misuse of firearms. Clever name, because everyone believes firearms should be stored safely, however there are already many laws regarding the storage and misuse of firearms and this bill just emboldens criminals by assuring them firearms for personal protection are not accessible.

A bill the commissioners could pass a resolution on is HB08-1006, this relates to visits of siblings in foster care. It would require that siblings in foster care be allowed to visit often enough to maintain the sibling bond, with some exceptions for extenuating circumstances of course. Since Foster Care is managed by the County through the Department of Human Services it could have a direct impact on staffing needs, budgets and space, as many of those visits would need to be supervised at a neutral facility. This particular bill will probably not get a resolution from the board but is eligible if a commissioner or staff member were to ask for it. In this case we will probably just watch it and make adjustments as necessary if and when it becomes law.

The commissioners have all testified at both committee and General Session hearings on bills that affect the citizens of El Paso County, but only rarely pass a resolution to put the full force of county government in support of or opposition to a bill. A move that should and is used sparingly.

CONTACT THE WRITER • HISEY4CD4@MSN.COM

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