Senate Bills 2014 -

Bill # / Sponsor (s)	Bill Title	CCC Position
SB 14 – 005 Sen. Ulibarri Rep. Singer	Wage Protection Act Concerning alternative administrative remedies for the processing of certain wage claims, and, in connection therewith, amending the provisions for written notices of a wage claim.	SUPPORT
DESCRIPTION: For purposes of duties, obligations, and liabilities related to the payment of wages, the bill: ! Expands wage claims to include violations involving the state minimum wage; Requires an employer to maintain records reflecting information in an employee’s pay statement for at least 3 years after payment of the wages and to make the records available to the employee and the division of labor in the department of labor and employment (division). The bill authorizes the executive director of the division to impose a fine on an employer who fails to retain or make available the records. Requires an employer to mail a check for wages to the employee’s last-known address within 60 days after the check was due if an employer is unable to otherwise deliver the check to the employee. Under current law, to recover penalties in an action for unpaid wages, an employee is required to make a written demand on his or her employer to recover penalties, and the penalties are increased by 50% if the employer’s failure to pay is willful. The bill: Provides that failure to respond to a written demand creates a rebuttable presumption that the failure to pay was willful; Provides that service of a small claims court complaint serves as the written demand; and Reduces the penalties for failing to pay wages by 50% if the employer makes legal tender to the employee of the amount that the employer believes in good faith is due the employee. The bill authorizes the director of the division to establish an administrative procedure to adjudicate wage claims. For wage claims filed with the division for $7,500 or less, the bill establishes procedures for the division to adjudicate the claim and issue citations and notices of assessments for the amounts due. A person dissatisfied with a decision may commence a de novo civil action in any county or district court of competent jurisdiction. Current law provides that fines collected by the division are deposited in the general fund. The bill provides that the fines are deposited in a new wage theft enforcement fund. The bill provides that an employee is entitled to reasonable attorney fees in an action to recover the minimum wage.
ACTIVITY: 01/08/2014 Introduced In Senate – Assigned to Judiciary 01/22/2014 Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Finance 02/04/2014 Senate Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Appropriations 04/11/2014 Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole 04/15/2014 Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily – No Amendments 04/16/2014 Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments – Committee, Floor 04/17/2014 Senate Third Reading Passed – No Amendments 04/21/2014 Senate Third Reading Reconsidered – No Amendments 04/21/2014 Senate Third Reading Passed – No Amendments 04/22/2014 Introduced In House – Assigned to 04/29/2014 House Committee on Business, Labor, Economic, & Workforce Development Refer Amended to Appropriations 04/30/2014 House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Finance 04/30/2014 House Committee on Finance Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only 05/01/2014 House Committee on Finance Re-Refer Unamended to Appropriations FINAL ACTION: CLICK HERE TO READ SB 005

Bill # / Sponsor (s)	Bill Title	CCC Position
SB 14 – 019 Sen. Steadman Rep. Moreno	Status of Taxpayers Who May File Joint Returns Concerning the state income tax filing status of two taxpayers who may legally file a joint federal income tax return.	OPPOSE
DESCRIPTION: The bill requires any 2 taxpayers who may legally file a joint federal income tax return to file separate state income tax returns if they file separate federal income tax returns and to file a joint state income tax return if they file a joint federal income tax return.
ACTIVITY: 01/08/2014 Introduced In Senate – Assigned to Finance 01/14/2014 Senate Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole 01/17/2014 Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily 01/21/2014 Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments 01/22/2014 Introduced In House – Assigned to Finance 01/22/2014 Senate Third Reading Passed 02/05/2014 House Committee on Finance Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole 02/10/2014 House Second Reading Laid Over Daily 02/14/2014 House Second Reading Passed 02/17/2014 House Third Reading Passed 02/20/2014:41 PM 04:10 Signed by the President of the Senate 02/20/2014:24 PM 04:20 Signed by the Speaker of the House 02/21/2014 Sent to the Governor FINAL ACTION: 02-27-2014 Signed in to law by the Governor CLICK HERE SB 019 FINAL ACT

Bill # / Sponsor (s)	Bill Title	CCC Position
SB 14 – 033 Sen. Lundberg	Tax Credits For Nonpublic Education Concerning the creation of income tax credits for nonpublic education.	SUPPORT
DESCRIPTION: The bill establishes a private school tuition income tax credit for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2014, that allows any taxpayer to claim a credit when the taxpayer enrolls a dependent qualified child in a private school or the taxpayer provides a scholarship to a qualified child for enrollment in a private school and the private school issues the taxpayer a credit certificate for either enrolling a dependent qualified child in the private school or providing a scholarship to a qualified child for enrollment in the private school. The credit may be carried forward for 3 years but not refunded, and the department of revenue is granted rule-making authority. The amount of the credit is: For any qualified child attending a private school on a full-time basis as described in the state board of education rules, an amount equal to either the tuition paid or the scholarship provided to a qualified child, as applicable, or 50% of the previous year’s state average per pupil revenue, whichever is less; and For any qualified child attending a private school on a half-time basis as described in the state board of education rules, an amount equal to either the tuition paid or the scholarship provided to a qualified child, as applicable, or 25% of the previous year’s state average per pupil revenue, whichever is less. The bill establishes an income tax credit for income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2014, that allows any taxpayer who home-schools a qualified child to claim an income tax credit: In an amount equal to $1,000 for a taxpayer who home-schools a qualified child who was enrolled on a full-time basis as described in the state board of education rules in a public school in the state prior to being home-schooled; and In an amount equal to $500 for a taxpayer who home-schools a qualified child who was enrolled on a half-time basis as described in the state board of education rules in a public school in the state prior to being home-schooled. The credit may be carried forward for 3 years but not refunded.
ACTIVITY: 01/08/2014 Introduced In Senate – Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs FINAL ACTION: 01/22/2014 Senate Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Postpone Indefinitely CLICK HERE TO READ SB 33

Bill # / Sponsor (s)	Bill Title	CCC Position
SB 14 – 175 Sen. Kerr Rep. Primavera	Reproductive Health Freedom Act Concerning freedom from government interference in an individual’s reproductive health decisions.	OPPOSE
DESCRIPTION: The bill prohibits a state or local policy that denies or interferes with an individual’s reproductive health care decisions or a state or local policy regarding reproductive health care that is inconsistent with, or that denies or interferes with access to information based on, current evidence-based scientific data and medical consensus.
ACTIVITY: 03/31/2014 Introduced In Senate – Assigned to Health & Human Services 04/10/2014 Senate Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole 04/15/2014 Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily – No Amendments FINAL ACTION: 04/16/2014 Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 5/08/2014 – No Amendments CLICK HERE TO READ SB 175

Bill # / Sponsor (s)	Bill Title	CCC Position
SJR 14 012 Sen. Kefalas Rep. McCann	Human Trafficking Awareness Advocacy Day Concerning Human Trafficking Awareness Advocacy Day	SUPPORT
DESCRIPTION: CONCERNING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS ADVOCACY DAY
ACTIVITY: 02/14/2014 Introduced In Senate – Assigned to 02/14/2014 Senate Third Reading Laid Over to 02/20/2014 02/20/2014 Introduced In House – Assigned to 02/20/2014 House Third Reading Passed 02/20/2014 Senate Third Reading Passed with Amendments 02/24/2014:58 PM 04:10 Signed by the President of the Senate 02/25/2014:21 AM 04:20 Signed by the Speaker of the House FINAL ACTION: ADOPTED CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESOLUTION