Senate lays over Read to Your Child resolution; introduces bills on transit, dealers, safety and fire mitigation

The Colorado Senate on Monday laid over Senate Joint Resolution 007, which would proclaim Feb. 14 as Colorado Read to Your Child Day, and heard the formal introduction of several bills on transportation, motor-vehicle dealer franchises, railroad safety, battery disposal stewardship, vegetative fuel mitigation and civil-evidence rules for victims.

Senate reading clerk Schauffler read SJR007’s title before Sen. Julie Rodriguez moved to lay the resolution over. "Thank you, mister president. I move to layover senate joint resolution 0 0 7, double o 7. Valentine's Day 20 20 5. The motion is to layover James Bond, s j r 0 0 7, to Friday, 02/14/2025," Rodriguez said. The presiding officer announced that the ayes had it and that SJR007 would be laid over until Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. The clerk noted the outcome, adding that the motion’s maker voted no.

Clerk-read introductions that followed listed sponsors and brief subject descriptions as required under Senate rules. The items introduced included:

- Senate Bill 160, sponsored by Sens. Snyder and Judah and Reps. Hamrick and Morrow, described as concerning requirements for certain motor vehicle manufacturers with affiliates to sell through franchise motor vehicle dealers; referred to the Business, Labor and Technology committee (the clerk said his paper listed “SVMA,” but the referral was recorded as Business, Labor and Technology). Details of specific requirements, enforcement mechanisms and fiscal impacts were not specified in the reading.

- Senate Bill 161, sponsored by Sens. Winter and Judah and Reps. Linstead and Furlick, concerning transit reform. The clerk’s synopsis said the bill would create study, planning and reporting requirements, increase coordination among transit agencies and planning organizations, authorize the Regional Transportation District to enter service partnership agreements, create an RTD accountability committee, add nonvoting members to the RTD board of directors and require emphasis on ridership growth, worker retention, safety and statewide climate goals; referred to Transportation and Energy. No fiscal notes or effective dates were provided in the introduction.

- Senate Bill 162, sponsored by Sens. Cutter and Snyder and Reps. Mabry and Velasco, concerning measures to increase railroad safety; referred to Transportation and Energy. The introductory reading did not specify the particular safety measures.

- Senate Bill 163, sponsored by Sen. Cutter and Reps. Brown and Stewart, concerning establishment of battery stewardship programs for disposal of certain batteries; referred to Health and Human Services. The reading did not list program details or funding sources.

- House Bill 1009, sponsored by Reps. Morrow and Joseph and Sen. Cutter, concerning a vegetative fuel mitigation program for a district providing fire-protection services; referred to Agriculture and Natural Resources. Specific program parameters and funding were not specified in the clerk’s reading.

- House Bill 1138, sponsored by Reps. Lukens and Pugliese and Sens. Kirkmeyer and Doherty, described as concerning evidentiary requirements to protect victims of sexual-misconduct allegations in civil suits; referred to Judiciary. The introductory title contained a redaction in the clerk’s reading; detailed provisions and statutory references were not read into the record.

There was no substantive debate on the introduced bills during the recorded minutes; the clerk provided sponsor names, short titles and committee referrals as is standard at bill introduction. No committee hearings, fiscal notes or sponsor explanatory statements were included in the transcript excerpt.

After the introductions and the SJR007 layover vote, the Senate voted to adjourn until 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.