Legislative roundup: Ballot selfie, PTSD bills move forward

DENVER ? Four bills were slated for a third and final reading before being sent from the Colorado Senate to the House of Representatives on Monday, and 27 bills were slated for second readings before the two chambers.

House Bill 1038, which would prohibit the use of corporal punishment by employees and volunteers at state funded child care facilities and schools, drew a debate before being passed for its second reading.Concerns included that it could lead to a slippery slope toward government stepping into homes and dictating how parents discipline children. Others said it would duplicate efforts in place by most school districts.

"We don't need a law to validate what they have already been doing," said Rep. James Wilson, R-Salida.

Rep. Susan Lontine, D-Denver, said there needed to be a statewide mandate.

"It is apparent that this is happening even on a limited basis and any time this happens to a child is one to many," Lontine said.

H.B. 1014, also known as the "ballot selfie" bill passed second reading in the House.If passed the bill would remove restrictions on individuals who want to post a picture of themselves with their completed ballot on social media to display how they voted.

Senate Bill 5 was scheduled for a second reading, but was laid over to a later date by Majority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Parker.Holbert said the bill, which would address the amount of training required of school district employees who wish to carry firearms on campus, is being deferred while he speaks with school districts and sheriffs to gauge their interest in establishing statewide minimums instead of allowing each district to decide for itself, which is what the bill calls for.

"I at least want to explore that," Holbert said.

S.B. 1, which would reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses, was adopted by the Senate, but drew debate over the the number of employees allowed under the definition of a small business, which is 500."It seems to me the number of 500 employees is pretty huge," said Senate Minority Leader Lucía Guzmán, D-Denver.

An amendment was proposed by Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, to lower the threshold for the relief provided to businesses with 50 or fewer employees, but it was withdrawn.

In addition to the bills that had a second reading, nine bills went before committee including SB 17, which would allow for medical marijuana to be prescribed for treatment of stress disorders including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.After nearly two hours of testimony, the bill was passed unanimously by the Senate State, Veteran and Military Affairs committee, and heads to the full Senate.

H.B. 1022 was presented to the House Education Committee by Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thorton. It would increase the frequency with which school districts would meet to evaluate the adequacy of their curriculum in relaying the "contributions and influences of American Indians, Hispanic Americans, African Americans and Asian Americans," to the history and culture of the United States. Districts are mandated to meet once every 10 years, and H.B. 1022 would require them to meet every 2 years

Debate centered around the cost of the meetings, which was placed at roughly $2,400, versus the benefit to the curriculum over the current standards.

"Twenty four hundred dollars times number of meetings would just about fund a classroom aide for my student, it would also help those students learn reading, writing and arithmetic," said Rep. James Wilson, R-Salida.

Salazar said the question that needed to be asked is "what is the benefit of having our students get to know one another and each of these histories in a culturally competent way, and is $2,400 really an outrageous cost to do that?"

H.B. 1022 passed on a 7-6 vote and was moved to the House Appropriation Committee, where it will be evaluated for its financial viability.