COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

​“The suspense is terrible. I hope it’ll last.”
-Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
 
Time flies when you’re having fun, which explains why today marks Day 17 of the legislative session. Usually, a few hundred bills have been introduced at this point in the session. But as of this afternoon, the total number of bills introduced between the House and Senate stands at 162. 
 
But before we get into that, a little about our quote of the week. Willy Wonka, a classic children’s novel has been adapted to film three separate times, with the original movie making its debut in 1971, starring Gene Wilder. It’s also been adapted as a musical with runs on Broadway and West End. 
 
The second film adaptation made its debut in 2005, starring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton. Interestingly, Wilder was very vocal in his dislike for the remake when it came out. He criticized the decision to remake such a classic film, even calling it “an insult”. Although he acknowledged respect for Depp’s and Burton’s talent, Wilder was very unhappy with how his original character was interpreted, over 30 years after the initial film.
 
Regardless of which Willy Wonka was better, his quote couldn’t be more fitting for this week – there are many anticipated (and probably some unanticipated) bills that have yet to be introduced, leaving us all in suspense. Unfortunately, this suspense is unlikely to last another 103 days, and there’ll be lots of introduced bills for us to read soon. 
 
Jaquez Lewis Convicted on Four Felony Counts After Doubling Down on Her Innocence
 
On Wednesday, a Denver jury found former state Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis guilty of four felony charges including forgery and attempting to influence a public servant. As a reminder, last year several former aides and staffers of Jaquez Lewis came forward with accusations of mistreatment by the former senator – such as withholding pay, and asking her staff to do house work for her. 
 
These allegations were then taken to the Senate Ethics Committee for further review and evaluation of potential disciplinary measures. Hours before one of the final Ethics Committee meetings, Jaquez Lewis resigned her seat. In the meeting, it was shared that Jaquez Lewis had submitted several letters of support from “former staffers”... except Jaquez Lewis wrote them herself. 
 
These letters of support got the Denver District Attorney’s Office involved, as staffers whose names were used came forward, clarifying these were forged letters. In Jaquez Lewis’ testimony on Wednesday, she said she thought she was representing the thoughts of her former staff by writing these letters herself, without the permission of these former staff members.
 
Jaquez Lewis was charged with three counts of forgery, which carries the potential of one to three years in prison, and one count of attempting to influence a public servant, which carries the possibility of two to six years in prison. However, the prosecuting attorney has indicated the state would seek probation. Jaquez Lewis’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 27.
 
Read more – Jury finds former Colorado senator guilty of four felonies for faked letters of support in probe
 
Rep. Weinberg Drops Defamation Lawsuit
 
Representative Ron Weinberg dropped a defamation lawsuit that was filed last year against two women who accused him of sexual harassment before his time in office. Earlier this week, Weinberg shared with the Denver Post that he made the decision to drop the case because it was unclear whether he’d have a chance to prove himself innocent and have his day in court.
 
Read more – Colorado lawmaker drops defamation lawsuit against women who accused him of sexual harassment
 
Pricing Bills to Watch
 
Although bill introductions have been unusually slow so far, there have been two pricing bills in particular that have garnered quite a bit of attention from stakeholders and the broader business community. 
 
Among the bills introduced so far is House Bill 1012, which aims to set more regulations for third-party delivery apps, and restricts vendors from increasing prices at places that serve a “captive audience”. In other words, the bill restricts places such as hospitals, event venues, and airports – where options are limited – from selling a good that does not exceed the average price for a similar product in that county. The sponsors’ reasoning for this is because consumers at these places are considered “captive,” meaning they aren’t able to shop around for comparable products at a lower price.
 
Another bill we expect to see, but has yet to be introduced, deals with surveillance pricing, which is a repeat of a bill from last year. Surveillance pricing is when a company uses a consumer’s online activity to determine how much to charge them for a product. It’s also expected this bill will include a private right of action, meaning a consumer has the right to sue a company that they suspect is in violation of the proposal, if passed.
 
Read more – Surveillance, captive audience and wholesale pricing are in Colorado Democrats’ cost-of-living crosshairs
 
Kidfluencer Bill Passes First Committee 
 
Also on Wednesday, House Bill 1058, the “kidfluencer” bill, unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee. Like the rest of us, this might be your first time hearing the word “kidfluencer”. A kidfluencer is the same thing as an influencer – someone who makes money from their online presence or is featured promoting products, brands, etc. – but they’re under the age of 18. 
 
This bipartisan bill establishes a framework to protect the financial interests of these minors by requiring parents to establish a trust for their child, if that child is making a minimum of $15,000 per year from their content. The bill also provides the right for online content to be removed once a child becomes an adult. Similar laws have passed in states such as California and Utah. 
 
Read more – Lukens’ Bipartisan Bill to Protect the Financial security of ‘Kidfluencers’ Passess Committee 
 
What’s Next
 
Committees will kick into high gear next week as SMART Act hearings wrap up. After that, we’ll start to see more floor votes and debates as bills make their way out of committees of reference. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) will start to consider figure setting recommendations from various departments.