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_________________________________________________________________________ 2008 Legislative Session in Review….
Colorado’s 2008 legislative session ended May 6, 2008 – one day ahead of schedule. The session was marked with a vast array of legislation that covered everything from healthcare to housing to income tax credits. The Colorado Catholic Conference experienced several great successes this session. Below please find a highlight of some the legislation the Conference was involved with throughout the session.
Statute of Limitations: HB 1011 sought to open a two-year window which would have made it possible for plaintiffs to sue private institutions based on allegations of past sexual misconduct of their employees; even if the employee is deceased or incapacitated. This bill did not pass out of the House Judiciary committee.
Adult Stem Cells: HB 1372 creates the adult stem cell cure fund with the intent to encourage the voluntary donation of umbilical cords, which contain adult blood stem cells, for the purpose of aiding in the cure of life-threatening diseases. This bill successfully passed through both houses with broad bi-partisan support.
Discrimination Prohibitions: HB 1080 sought to repeal an amendment to an employment nondiscrimination bill from the 2007 legislative session. The amendment helped to ensure that a nonprofit who receives public funds (such as Catholic Charities) was able to hire and fire and the basis of religion. Thanks to the efforts of a broad-based coalition of various nonprofits from across the state, HB 1080 was removed from the roster of bills heard this session. SB 200, which dealt with the expansion of discrimination prohibitions, was successfully amended to remove the term “religion” from various sections of the bill and an amendment, stating that nothing in the bill is intended to impede the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession guaranteed in section 4 of article II of our state constitution, was also added. SB 200 passed through both houses, with various amendments as mentioned above.
Child Care Facilities Income Tax Credit: HB 1049 extends the income tax years for the child care facilities tax credit. This tax credit has a great benefit to Catholic Charities which uses the monies from this tax credit to provide childcare assistance for the working poor. This bill successfully passed through both houses.
Catholic Healthcare: Throughout the session several pieces of legislation were introduced that sought to impede the pending sale of Good Samaritan and Lutheran hospitals to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. HB 1173 was amended to remove the language that would have affected the sale, HB 1203 was amended to the satisfaction of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, but the bill is still troublesome to other Catholic healthcare providers who might seek to purchase hospitals in the future. Both HB 1173 and HB 1203 passed both houses in their amended versions. SB 182 did not pass out of the Senate Health and Human Services committee.
Miscellaneous: Two pieces of legislation that the Conference supported were SB 95 and SB 112. SB 95 would have required a woman to be provided with information about her right to have an ultrasound prior to an abortion. SB 112 would have restricted a governmental entity from substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion. Unfortunately, both bills did pass out of the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee.
The Conference would like to thank everyone who participated in the process this session via the Legislative Network. Every email, every phone call and every letter is important and necessary to ensure the democratic process works the way it is supposed too; every voice is important and needs to be heard!
For more information about the Colorado Catholic Conference and to join the Legislative Network please visit: www.cocatholicconference.org
To read the final versions of any piece of legislation please visit the Colorado General Assembly website: http://www.leg.state.co.us/ |
