Colorado Democrats gut Uber and transgender bills ahead of adjournment
Colorado lawmakers blared " Final Countdown" from the state Senate's speakers and rushed three dozen bills to the finish line Wednesday before adjourning at 7:22pm.
Why it matters: The last day of the legislative session is the most important — the make-or-break moment for hundreds of proposed new laws.
State of play: The rush rescued legislation for K-12 school funding and free school meals, but required Democrats to make compromises on other flagship legislation.
Case in point: The sponsors of a measure to address safety concerns on ride-sharing platforms, like Uber and Lyft, gutted their own legislation at the behest of the companies that called the new rules unworkable.
The version approved along party lines in the final hours no longer requires in-ride audio and video recordings and removes most of the provisions holding the companies legally liable for bad actors.
Bill sponsor Sen. Jessie Danielson (D-Wheat Ridge) acknowledged the "drastic changes and compromises" but asked her colleagues "to stand with the survivors … to help regulate these companies in the name of safety, real safety."
The bill still would require ride-share companies to prohibit drivers from sharing food or drinks with passengers and force companies to conduct driver background checks every six months.
The companies and Gov. Jared Polis are still expressing concerns about the language, making its future uncertain.
Friction point: Two bills approved to protect transgender individuals also came down to the wire and survived hours of opposing debate from Republicans.
A weakened House Bill 1312 would add gender identity to the current anti-discrimination law and prohibits deadnaming.
Other provisions require schools with policies on names to consider transgender students and allow students to choose either option available in a school dress code.
The second bill would put a current rule that insurance companies cover gender-affirming care into state law. The move is designed to protect against adverse federal action on the topic.
The other side: Republicans argued the transgender bills involve "experimental medicine" and infringe on the role of parents.
"We should be uniting families, not driving wedges between them," Sen. Scott Bright (R-Platteville) said during the debate.
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