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City lobbyist briefs Pueblo council on state bills affecting municipal courts and budget cuts
Summary
City lobbyist Gil Romero updated council on several state bills — including measures on municipal court procedures and childcare fees — and warned of proposed state budget cuts that could shift costs to municipalities for indigent defense in municipal court.
City lobbyist Gil Romero gave council a legislative update on March 17 covering bills the council had asked the lobbying team to track and potential state budget impacts on municipal operations.
Romero highlighted Senate Bill 62 (failure to appear in municipal court), House Bill 1147 (fairness and transparency in municipal courts) and other measures under consideration. He said House Bill 1147 had strong opposition and he expected it to be "in trouble;" he said the city attorney and other local officials had testified for and against various provisions. Romero also noted an "extreme indifference" offenses bill scheduled for committee and said Senate Bill 4 (regulating child care center fees) was heading to the governor for signature.
Budget cuts and indigent defense
Romero warned that a state budget cut under consideration would remove funding for alternate defense counsel (a line item that supports appointment of counsel), which could shift responsibility for indigent defendants in municipal court to cities. "One of the the cuts that they're making is to take away all of the legal counsel the alternate defense counsel budget. So then that would fall upon the cities to appoint public defenders for indigent defendants in municipal court and we're obviously fighting that particular cut," Romero said.
Romero said the lobbying team would provide a fuller report on the state revenue forecast and where the legislature stood on the budget in the coming days and that city representatives had met with bill sponsors and members of the joint budget committee to press local concerns.
Ending
Romero said he would circulate a fuller written report to council on the bills and the March revenue forecast; councilors asked for continuing updates, especially on bills that could change municipal costs or sentencing and arrest categories that affect local enforcement.
