Gov. Jared Polis signed three bills into law on Wednesday, including one that advocates claimed could stop shootings before they happen.
Guns and merchant codes
Senate Bill 066 mandates payment networks, such as credit card companies, to provide processors with a newly developed merchant category code, or MCC, that will specifically be assigned to firearms and ammunition.
Its sponsors — Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Thornton, and Reps. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, and Javier Mabrey, D-Denver — argued that requiring a code for firearms would align the industry with every other industry in the country and enable law enforcement to track suspicious activity that could lead to crime.
Republicans asserted that requiring MCCs for firearms and ammunition constituted government overbearance, particularly given the constitutional protections of gun ownership. They also expressed doubts that the bill would do anything to stop shootings.
While the bill through both the Senate and House Judiciary committees along partisan lines, several House Democrats — including Reps. Shannon Bird of Westminster, Majority Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge, Matthew Martinez of Monte Vista, and Barbara McLachlan of Durango — joined their Republican counterparts in voting against the legislation on the floor.
Sen. Dylan Roberts of Frisco was the sole Democrat to oppose the bill on the Senate floor.
Read more about SB 066 here .
Uncertified potatoes
Senate Bill 137 mandates individuals planting "uncertified" potatoes to have their seed stock tested and approved by the state's certifying authority.
Additionally, it requires that those potatoes cannot be more than one generation removed from certified or qualified "parent potatoes."
The legislation was brought forth by sponsors Sens. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, as well as Reps. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, and Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, in an effort to stop diseases from spreading through potato crops.
It passed unanimously in its assigned House and Senate committees, as well as on the Senate floor. Rep. Stephanie Luck, R-Penrose, was the sole opposition in the House.
“Potato growers are a big part of the agricultural landscape in House District 63,” Holtorf said in a news release following the passage of the bill. “This is a grassroots bill borne by potato growers to maintain a healthy and marketable product world wide. I am proud to be on this bill supporting agriculture."
Lease-purchase agreements for university projects
House Bill 1231 authorizes the treasurer to enter a lease-purchase agreement to help fund the University of Northern Colorado's new Osteopathic Medical College, Metropolitan State's Health Institute Tower, Colorado State's Veterinary Health Education Campus, and the expansion and renovation of the main building at Trinidad State College's Valley Campus.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. Mary Young, D-Greeley and Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, and Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Kyle Mullica, D-Northglenn.
The bill advanced through the House Health & Human Services Committee on a vote of 12-1, with Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, dissenting. It cleared the House floor on a vote of 52-7, with Republican Reps. Brandi Bradley of Littleton, Scott Bottoms of Colorado Springs, Ken DeGraaf of Colorado Springs, Lisa Frizell of Castle Rock, Don Wilson of Monument and Weinberg voting in opposition.
In the Senate Finance Committee, HB 1231 received a 6-1 vote, with Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch, in oppositino. Van Winkle also cast the sole opposing vote on the Senate floor.
“I’m so excited that Colorado will now have a new medical school in Greeley," Polis said. "With this investment, Colorado will train more world-class doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and other health professionals to provide Coloradans with the care they need. These new opportunities will attract students from Colorado and across the country to our communities, strengthening our healthcare workforce and supporting our economy."
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