Latest news with #MattSoper
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Jared Polis signs new bills on the Western Slope
GRAND VALLEY, Colo. (KREX) – Governor Jared Polis made an appearance here on the Western Slope, signing nine bills, four of which were signed here in the Grand Valley. Polis explains, 'We think about the quality of that experience, the importance to our economy of the work they do, the sales in our stores. But also a big reason people live in Western Colorado because of the access to the outdoors.' Brian Isakson, a salesperson with Over the Edge Sports Fruita Ltd., states, 'We support the outdoors as well and we're happy to have the new bill.' Starting in Fruita, Polis signed SB25-174, which would support the outdoor recreation economy with Representative Matt Soper in attendance. Rep. Matt Soper from House District 54 states, 'We want to make sure that they come back or if they're Coloradans engaging in these activities as well, that they also have a safe and wonderful time as well.' The governor made his way through Grand Junction and stopped at Bonsai to sign HB25-1215, which is the redistribution of lottery funds to. Adrian Varney, the proceeds manager for the Colorado lottery, states, 'What's exciting about this bill is the reallocation of some funding the outdoor equity grant program, which up to this point in time, has been 100% funded, with lottery funding is increasing their allocation. And HB25-1021, which is for tax incentives for employee-owned businesses, both bills were sponsored by Rick Taggart. Representative Rick Taggart of House District 55 states, 'This bill is intended to help that transition on both sides of the transaction, both for the seller, the entrepreneur as well as the employees.' And the last stop in the Grand Valley was at Community Hospital with the signing of SB25-071, which will prohibit restrictions on 340B drugs. 'Expanding the prescription drug savings is huge and that work continues, saving money on health care,' Polis explains. Chris Thomas, president and CEO of Community Hospital, states, 'This bill is going to save us approximately two and a half to $3 million a year and so with those dollars. We'll continue to do endocrinology, we'll continue to be able to do rheumatology, and all the great things we're trying to do for the community.' Polis tells WesternSlopeNow there's a new bill in the works aiming to reduce payroll tax, allowing everyone to keep a small bit of their paycheck each month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers act on artificial intelligence bills as Colorado session ends
DENVER (KDVR) — Lawmakers are set to wrap up their work at the state capitol for this year on Wednesday, but before that happens, they are working on measures related to artificial intelligence. One bill is close to passing the finish line and another bill is dying as things settle down. State leaders say artificial intelligence is advancing faster than they can regulate it. One bill looking to do that will head to the governor, but it's not the one he was pushing for. 'When an intimate image is posted online in which part of it has been tweaked and through AI or other digital means, the law is silent. So in order to be able to prosecute these individuals, we need to bring forward Senate Bill 288 to update the law,' said State Representative Matt Soper. Immigration protections bill heads to Colorado governor's desk Senate Bill 288 is a step closer to the governor's desk after representatives passed the measure Tuesday afternoon. The measure looks to crack down on explicit deepfake images. Deepfakes are created by digitally altering people's faces and bodies to look like someone, often with malicious intent. The bill that just passed the House Wednesday would penalize the person who creates a graphic image like that of another person: introducing a misdemeanor for most cases or a class six felony for cases where the image was used to influence an election, a judicial or legislative proceeding or if it poses a serious threat to the person depicted. It also creates an avenue for the person whose image was used to sue for up to $150,000. Some lawmakers cried foul over the bill's fast movement during the final week of the session. 'It was kind of sheer muscle to really push it passed,' said Soper, a prime sponsor of the bill. 'A lot of the objections were 'it's too late in session.' Then the other objection came from an amendment that we added in House Judiciary, which gave protection from AI companies and other technology providers that they would not be liable civilly for the user's use of their software.' Supporters said Colorado needs to act on this now so the state isn't playing catch-up, with 37 other states already having a bill like this in effect. While this bill was able to pass, another bill looking to slow the implementation of the state's landmark AI law from last year was not able to pass despite the governor, Denver's mayor and several congressional members calling for it to do so. Trump rips 'radical left' Colorado attorney general over Peters prosecution Representative Brianna Titone sponsored that bill and the deepfake measure. The AI bill would have delayed implementation of the original bill until 2027, but the original implementation date of February 2026 will remain intact after stakeholders, lawmakers and technological companies could not come to an agreement. 'The tech industry was pushing for more watered-down regulations and more ways to get out of complying and the Senate sponsor could not find a resolution in the short amount of time that we are here and it's disappointing because we all really wanted to find a path forward,' Titone said. The deepfake measure is heading to the governor after senators agreed with House amendments to the measure. Titone said lawmakers will explore solutions for the other AI measure over the summer. Congress just passed a bill on the matter, it's awaiting the president's signature. Soper said the federal measure does have a pathway to liability for the software companies in some cases, while the legislation at the state level targets the user of the technology. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan Crime Lab Bill Passes Unanimously in House and Senate
DENVER, Colo. (KREX) – Yesterday, a bill targeting crime lab misconduct passed the House and senate with unanimous bipartisan support. Sponsors of HB25-1275 say the bill establishes procedures to prevent lab misconduct within the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado representative Matt Soper, a prime sponsor of the bill, tells us it all starts with transparency. 'If a state actor has had misconduct in the state lab,' says Soper, 'they must notify the prosecutor, defense attorneys in the case, and the victims, and the defendant in the case, so that all the parties know that their case was possibly implicated.' Rep. Soper told KREX the bill also includes a duty for the state lab to investigate reported misconduct and provides a pathway for individuals who are wrongly convicted to have their case reviewed by the state. The legislation came in response to the 102-count felony indictment of Yvonne 'Missy' Woods, a former forensic scientist at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation who is alleged to have manipulated data in over one thousand cases during her thirty-year career. Colorado Bureau of Investigation director Chris Schaefer released a statement on the bill: 'The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is committed to integrity and transparency and this bill supports those values. We believe this bill is a significant step forward in reinforcing public confidence in the work of our crime laboratories. The provisions for reporting, notification, and post-conviction relief are crucial for accountability and for upholding the rights of all individuals involved in the justice system.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado bill would create duty to report misconduct at state crime lab
Sen. Lisa Frizell (left), Rep. Matt Soper (middle) and Rep. Yara Zokaie (right) speak about a bill to establish a procedure for misconduct reporting at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 20, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Colorado lawmakers are running a bipartisan bill to set expectations for reporting misconduct in the state's crime laboratories, an effort that comes in the wake of revelations that a former forensic scientist allegedly mishandled thousands of DNA tests over her career. 'We are here because of due process and fairness — the idea that if a (Colorado Bureau of Investigations) employee sees data malfeasance going on, they have a duty to report and disclose, so that district attorneys can make a decision whether or not to act and whether it would impact their cases,' said Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican sponsoring the bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He is running the bill alongside Rep. Yara Zokaie, a Fort Collins Democrat, Sen. Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican and Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat. Former CBI scientist Yvonne 'Missy' Woods was charged with 102 felonies in January over allegations that she manipulated DNA test results during her career. Prosecutors worry that over 1,000 cases could have been affected by dubious evidence she processed. 'We never want to see something like this happen again,' Soper said. 'We want to address some of the issues that have occurred here so that we have integrity back in our state lab.' House Bill 25-1275 would require crime lab employees to report a wrongful action they witness to their supervisor within two weeks. That is defined in the bill as an act from an employee that is a 'gross deviation from the standard operation procedures.' The supervisor would then need to investigate the claim. The CBI director would need to tell district attorneys about the alleged wrong action in affected cases, and attorneys would need to notify defendants — and in some cases victims — if there was lab misconduct in their case. 'Right now, there are defendants serving time who have no idea that the evidence used to convict them was handled by a crime lab employee implicated in misconduct. There are victims who don't know that the forensic evidence in their case may have been compromised,' Zokaie said. The bill would also give defendants the ability to return to court if their conviction substantially relied on evidence subject to misconduct. The intent is that it would apply to cases affected by the Woods scandal. 'All Coloradans have an interest in determining whether Missy Woods' misconduct caused wrongful convictions,' said Jud Lohnes, a staff attorney with the Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School. 'The importance of forensic testing cannot be overstated. A single DNA result can affect an entire criminal case.' Sponsors hope to fast-track the bill. It was introduced Wednesday and assigned to the House Judiciary Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing date. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
