Latest news with #MegFroelich
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado governor vetoes popular ridesharing regulation bill
Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bevy of bills, including a school funding bill and a post-secondary and workforce program bill. But he also vetoed a couple of bills, including one to add regulations to the so-called transportation network companies including rideshare companies (House Bill 25-1291). CBS "This legislation goes beyond a narrowly tailored public safety focus and includes a number of concerning provisions," said Polis in a letter about the veto from his office. Polis listed troubles with what he views as unclear language in regulations, calling for audio/video recording options, a prohibition on arbitration and claims that the bill would mean reductions and higher prices that would create economic hardship on riders and potentially add more drunk drivers to the roads. Work on the bill involved negotiations with the ridesharing companies. But Uber warned it could mean it would have to leave the state. "And at the end of the day, the threat to leave the state was more important than what we feel is safety," said state Congresswoman Meg Froelich (D-Englewood) who was a bill sponsor. Froelich pointed to the strong bipartisan vote for the bill in the House, where HB 25-1291 received a vote of 59-6. She accused Polis of handing the veto pen to tech companies. "Survivors came out in force," Froelich said. "And drivers came out to say they didn't feel safe, and big tech came out with money and lobbyists, and it's discouraging that they won the day." Among the bill's advocates was Erika Rinnert. She was kidnapped by rideshare driver John Pastor Mendoza, who was sentenced to 290 years in prison in March for sexual assaults and kidnappings involving a dozen victims. Rinnert, who was picked up in downtown Denver, said she was drugged, then had to fight her way free from Pastor Mendoza, escaping a home in Aurora where she was brought. Rinnert was staggered by the veto of the bill. Rinnert said she and some bill sponsors were already talking about changes to help the bill pass when they hope to bring it back next legislative session. "Disappointment doesn't totally cover it," Rinnert said. "I feel like I've been re-victimized in a lot of ways." As to Polis' objections to the bill, she said, "None of these regulations would stop Uber or Lyft from operating," Rinnert said, believing that, if there is a chance to stop bad actors, it should be acted upon. "If you can stop a few of them why should you not?" she said.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado House passes bill regulating semiautomatic firearms, banning ‘bump stocks'
DENVER (KDVR) — In a vote of 68-30, the Colorado House approved a bill that House Democrats say would fully implement and enforce the state's existing high-capacity magazine ban. The bill would require anyone in Colorado after Aug. 1, 2026, to have a permit and complete firearm safety training to purchase high-powered firearms with detachable magazines. The bill would also prohibit anyone from selling or buying aftermarket accessories for semiautomatic guns, like binary triggers and bump stocks. 2 lost teenagers rescued with drone aid at Roxborough State Park 'This gun violence prevention legislation answers the call to action from our neighbors and will save lives,' said Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat representing Englewood, in a release. 'We know that semi-automatic weapons become especially deadly when they are paired with high-capacity magazines, which is why Colorado Democrats passed a 2013 law to prohibit these high-capacity magazines. We've raised a generation on lock down drills and 1 in 15 people have experienced a mass shooting. We're passing this bill today so we can save lives and prevent more Coloradans from having to go through the pain of losing a loved one to senseless gun violence.' Opponents of the bill said that the measure would cost millions of dollars for local sheriff's offices and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to administer the new requirements. Those requirements are one of the following: Complete a hunter education course certified by CPW and within five years of making the purchase, complete a basic firearms safety course Within five years before making the purchase, complete an extended firearms safety course, or Complete an extended firearms safety course more than five years before making the purchase and complete a basic firearms safety course within five years before making the purchase To make that happen, sheriff's offices would be required to issue firearms safety course eligibility cards, with requirements for that card including completion of a fingerprint-based criminal history record check. RTD sees 52% drop in security calls after safety upgrades Among those opposing the bill was the Teller County Sheriff's Office. On March 17, Sheriff Jason Mikesell called the bill a 'train wreck' and 'an issue for all Colorado citizens across the board, not just gun owners.' He said that the financial impact on CPW will be serious. 'It's really going to just create what we originally believed was a registry, it's going to prohibityour ability to go get the standard weapons that you've been able to get without having to, what they like to call 'pathway to purchase' which in other words is just you buying your rightsback from the state,' said Teller County Sheriff's Office Commander Sven Bonnelycke in a YouTube post. 'It's going to be a bad thing for us.' Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly also appeared before legislators to testify against the bill. 'This Bill is a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights,' he said on a sheriff's campaign Facebook page. CPW would be required to develop and maintain a firearms training and safety course record system that includes records of those holding a valid firearms course card and those who have completed a hunter education course, a basic firearms safety course, or an extended firearms safety course. 'As gun violence continues to devastate communities across Colorado, Colorado Democrats are again taking action to prevent future tragedies,' said Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker, a Democrat representing Fort Collins. 'When semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines get into the wrong hands, it presents a major threat to the health and safety of our communities. With this legislation passing today, we're taking another step to prevent senseless violence in our communities and save countless lives.' Colorado House Democrats said that the bill 'would not impact the sale of shotguns, commonly used hunting rifles, semiautomatic firearms that have fixed magazines and almost all handguns.' The bill would prevent sales of gas-operated semiautomatic handguns, but recoil-operated handguns 'which make up over 90 percent of the pistol market,' according to House Democrats, would not be impacted. The bill would not impact currently-owned firearms. It now returns to the Colorado Senate where legislators will vote on amendments made in the House. If approved, without amendments, the bill would head to the governor's desk for a signature or veto. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committee amends, then passes bill to limit semiautomatic weapon sales
Democratic Reps. Andrew Boesenecker and Meg Froelich testify on Senate Bill 25-003 during its House committee hearing on March 11, 2025. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) A Colorado bill to limit the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines passed its first House committee late Tuesday night, after being amended to clarify how county sheriffs and Colorado Parks and Wildlife would work together on a process for people to buy otherwise restricted guns. Senate Bill 25-3 passed on a 7-4 vote through the House Judiciary Committee after about 12 hours of witness testimony, most of which was from people opposed to the bill who showed up to rally outside the Capitol in the morning. The committee's four Republicans voted against it. The bill, originally a broad ban on the sale of semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines, was amended heavily in the Senate to allow people to buy those types of guns if they complete a safety course, a compromise workshopped with Gov. Jared Polis' office to earn his support. The Senate passed it in February on a 19-15 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'A permit-to-purchase program for these firearms recognizes both their unique lethality and also a pathway to ownership, which is accompanied by reasonable safety training to be able to understand the gravity of the moment when you put one of these firearms in your hands,' said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat sponsoring the bill. It is also sponsored by Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat. It was sponsored by Democratic Sens. Tom Sullivan of Centennial and Julie Gonzales of Denver in the Senate. Sponsors and supporters frame the bill as a way to enforce the state's high-capacity magazine ban from 2013. A person who wants to purchase semiautomatic rifles, shotguns and pistols that can accept detachable ammunition magazines would need to be vetted by their county sheriff, undergo either four or 12 hours of training — depending on whether they have a hunter safety certification already — and pass a test. That would enable them to buy an otherwise-banned firearm for five years. It would not limit possession of the targeted firearms. It would take effect in September of this year. CPW would be in charge of creating the application, determining the safety course requirements and setting the fees for that course. One amendment on Tuesday took out a fingerprinting requirement for a background check. An applicant would need to fill out the CPW form and submit to their sheriff a photo ID and the results of a name-based background check that looks at Colorado criminal history and judicial databases. Sheriffs would be able to set fees to cover the cost of vetting applicants. Another amendment would allow sheriffs to deny someone an eligibility card to undergo safety training if they have a 'reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely that the applicant will present a danger to themself or others' if they access these types of firearms. 'Our sheriffs might have been out on a call to a property three or four times that week already, and (they) see that application come through, and it might give (them) pause about whether that individual has some other extenuating circumstances that might factor into consideration about whether to pause the (application) process for that individual,' Boesenecker said. Some members on the committee raised due process concerns about giving that additional layer of discretion to sheriffs, and the bill sponsors said they intend to address that issue in an amendment on the House floor. Another amendment addresses the cost of starting the permitting program before it would be able to fund itself. CPW would be allowed to transfer money from two cash funds — the Outdoor Recreation Cash Fund and the Wildlife Cash Fund — to cover startup costs. That would essentially be a loan that CPW would need to pay back into those cash funds by 2030. Republicans questioned the legal justification for the amendment. Cash funds are created for specific programs and purposes and are funded through fees, gifts and donations. The two cash funds contemplated in the amendment, for example, take money from hunting licenses, park passes and state lottery money. 'We set these cash funds up for a specific reason,' Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican, said. 'When we do create these funds, they're not just to be moved around for different programs. Otherwise we'd be doing that for all of our bills, especially in a tight fiscal year.' Froelich responded that the safety course created in the bill would be part of CPW's general operations, so it makes sense to use cash funds within CPW. The department also already runs the hunting licensure course that would affect the length of an additional required safety course. Republicans on the committee opposed the bill on broad Second Amendment grounds and argued that requiring a safety course is a barrier to someone exercising their right to own a gun. 'If you want to get this done, not only do you have to pay for the training, now you have to pay for the sheriff,' Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, a Trinidad Republican, said. 'Can CPW do the job in a timely fashion? Will it create backlogs? Will it divert funds from the original mission of CPW? Many who testified have figured out that gun laws in Colorado are meant to be death by a thousand cuts, making it harder and harder.' The bill now heads to the House Finance Committee. If it makes it to the House floor, it will almost certainly pass with the chamber's 43-22 Democratic majority. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opposition delays committee vote for Colorado IVF protection bill
A doctor analyzes cell samples in a clinical fertility laboratory. (Getty Images) A bill in Colorado that would remove some administrative requirements for fertility clinics that help with in vitro fertilization faced pushback on Tuesday from people who were conceived through assisted reproduction. They claimed that the bill would roll back protections Colorado lawmakers passed in 2022. The House Health and Human Services Committee heard witness testimony on House Bill 25-1259 but, at the sponsors' request, did not take a vote on it. The bill would put protections for IVF into statute, one year after the Alabama Supreme Court decision that briefly halted IVF services in that state. 'When the Alabama Supreme Court came down with its decision, I reached out to some of the same people that I've done previous work with to talk about if we needed to do anything in Colorado to protect assisted reproduction and IVF,' bill sponsor Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, said. 'I was hearing consistently that there were implementation problems with an earlier Senate bill on gamete and donor regulations.' Froelich is running the bill with Rep. Kyle Brown, a Louisville Democrat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX She characterized HB-1259 as a 'slight course correction' on the bipartisan 2022 bill by removing some of the enacted requirements that people in the industry say could have a dampening effect on donor participation, and ultimately the success of IVF, in Colorado. That bill went into effect this year. The goal is to balance donor privacy with the interest of parents and children involved with assisted reproduction to know about genetic and medical history. Betsy Cairo, the founder of CryoGam Colorado, said donor applications numbered about half what they did last year. The new bill would eliminate the requirement that fertility clinics and donor banks request updated contact information and medical history from donors every three years. They would only need to get that information at the time of donation. The bill would also eliminate requirements about record retention and live birth reporting from gamete recipients, allow donor banks to create educational materials for donors instead of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and change a licensure requirement to every five years instead of annually. The 2022 bill ensured that Coloradans conceived through egg or sperm donation would be able to learn the identity of that donor when they turned 18 and specifically allows the person to talk about the donor's identity with family, friends and third parties. This year's bill would remove that guarantee for family and friend communication and allow clinics to prohibit it. 'We can honor donors' desire for privacy, while also compelling information to be shared,' Froelich said. 'We're not going back to anonymous donations. We're not going back to a place where we don't share critical medical information.' She said it's an effort to curb harassment or doxxing — sharing someone's private information online — of donors, especially with the rise of genetic testing services and ubiquity of social media. 'There are instances of Facebook posts saying 'This guy is my dad. He's a dirtbag because he won't have a relationship with me,'' Froelich said. 'We're trying to swing the pendulum back a little bit to honor some donor privacy.' But opponents see that provision as a pathway for clinics to require non-disclosure agreements or other communication barriers before telling a person the identity of their biological parent. 'One day after my children turn 18, if they would like to obtain the identity of the donor that I chose, the sperm bank will make them sign a non-disclosure agreement. Essentially, the bank is saying 'We'll give you this information about where half your DNA comes from, but you can't talk about it,'' said Laura Runnels, who has two children conceived through IVF. Required education materials are supposed to inform donors of the risk, and increasing likelihood, of people conceived through their gamete contacting them when they turn 18. Former state Sen. Steve Fenberg, who sponsored the 2022 bill, characterized the legislation as a 'hot mess' to lawmakers in committee. He said there has not been enough time to know if his bill actually reduced donor participation or clinic operation in the state because it has been in effect for two months and the licensure requirement does not kick in until July. He also argued that IVF is already protected in Colorado's Reproductive Health Equity Act. 'I believe (IVF protection) is put into this bill, as some of the witnesses have said, because no Democrat in America today would vote against a bill that is pro IVF. That is political suicide,' he said. 'The only parts of this bill that actually have an impact policy-wise are the rollbacks of the Donor Conceived Protection Act that was put into law in 2022.' He said that a 'reasonable relaxation' of regulations should include input from people conceived through IVF. Froelich told Colorado Newsline that she and Brown plan to offer some amendments, which could include a softening of the third-party communication piece and guidance for donors to report to banks significant medical issues that could be genetic. 'Since we have rolled this bill out, I have had hours of conversations with folks who are donor-conceived, and I have really appreciated their feedback,' Brown said in committee. 'We have been working diligently on ways that we can improve this bill to strike the right balance.' The committee will consider amendments and vote on the bill at a later meeting. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
