IN THE STATEHOUSE—During the most recent legislative session, CoPIRG supported bills to increase energy efficiency, make prescription drugs more affordable, and ensure ethics enforcement.

CoPIRG Releases Annual Legislative Scorecard

CoPIRG’s annual legislative scorecard shows how our leaders voted on key public interest issues in the Statehouse. Each of these bills was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ritter.

Affordable Health Care
Senate Bill 001—The purpose of this bill is to provide uninsured, underinsured and older Coloradans with lower cost generic and non-patented prescription drugs. The bill will help many Coloradans who could not otherwise afford necessary medications.

Fair Utility Rates
Senate Bill 022—Colorado is one of the few states that does not consider the circumstances of low-income seniors, families and disabled persons in rate decisions. This bill would allow the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consider the needs of low income households when setting utility rates for energy bills. It also allows Colorado to develop energy efficiency programs for low-income housing.

Voting and Democracy
Senate Bill 083—This bill will provide better governance and oversight for Colorado’s elections, and will improve Coloradans’ access to polling places. Among its provisions are allowing students to use their student IDs as proof of identification at the polls.

Money And Politics
Senate Bill 210—This bill establishes an independent ethics commission to deal with ethics violations in the Statehouse. This bill will help ensure enforcement of the CoPIRG-backed Amendment 41, which strengthened ethics oversight and banned lobbyist giving to our leaders in Denver.

Energy Efficiency
House Bill 1037—This bill promotes energy efficiency in natural gas and electricity. It allows the state to give consumers rebates on new energy-efficient products. It will save Coloradans $1.2 billion by 2030 and eliminate the need for several polluting power plants.

Smoke-Free Colorado
House Bill 1269—Initially, casinos were exempted from the CoPIRG-backed “Colorado Clean Indoor Act,” which protects Coloradans from secondhand smoke in restaurants, bars and other businesses. This bill repeals the exemption.

Homeowners’ Rights
Senate Bill 216—This bill creates new rules to govern nontraditional mortgages (sub-prime loans). It adds consumer protections for mortgage loans, such as a provision to ensure that buyers can afford the loan throughout its entire term, and not just through its initial rate.

House Bill 1322—The purpose of the bill is to prevent mortgage fraud, such as deceptive rate advertising and “bait and switch” tactics. The bill also extends the prohibition against mortgage fraud to include mortgage lenders, loan applicants, real estate brokers, agents, appraisers and closing agents.

House Bill 1338—This bill enacts the “Homeowner Protection Act of 2007,” which will help Colorado homeowners win compensation for construction defects in their homes. It will protect the rights of homeowners to take civil action or initiate arbitration proceedings against builders.

See how your Senator scored below: