February 06, 2015 11:49 AM UTC

Get More Smarter (Friday, Feb. 6)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Open up your brain. It's time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below.

TODAY IS THE DAY…

► A State House committee will consider the so-called "Death with Dignity" act today (HB15-1135). The legislation would allow terminally-ill Coloradans to seek a "life-ending prescription" from a doctor. Some conservatives and other right-wing groups are opposed to the bill and have taken to calling this "Self-Murder," which makes about as much sense as Republicans using the term "Gun Control."

► Republicans have to figure out what to do with the so-called "Parent's Bill of Rights," which narrowly passed out of committee yesterday as the debate descended into anti-vaccination madness.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► On a party-line vote, Republicans in the Senate Education Committee voted to move ahead with Sen. Tim Neville's ridiculous "Parent's Bill of Rights" legislation. Predictably, many GOP committee members took the opportunity during the hearing to make complete fools of themselves; as FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports, "Sen. Vickie Marble, R-Fort Collins, dismissed those who testified in opposition to the bill as government employees or those representing special interests or having some allegiance to a group dependent on government."

► Legislation in the Republican Senate to roll back renewable energy standards passed on a straight party-line vote on Thursday; the bill now moves to the House, where it will almost certainly be killed. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ray Scott (R-Grand Junction), is already taking a beating in the local press for voting against a "Rural Economic Emergency Assistance Grant Program" that everybody in his district seemed to support. So, Ray Scott is having a good week.

► Senator Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud), the assistant majority leader, says that he will offer amendments in an attempt to save his asinine bill to de-regulate child care providers (SB15-070). After several hours of testimony in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee yesterday, Lundberg seemed to acknowledge a lack of support for abolishing state oversight of small child care facilities (Colorado already has one of the lowest inspection rates in the country for child care facilities; the Denver Post reported that at least 24 children have died in child care since 2006). Despite mounting opposition, Sen. Lundberg appears intent on tilting toward this particular windmill; at one point during yesterday's testimony Lundberg argued that Colorado's licensing rules are creating a "black market" for child care homes, whatever that means.

► When it rains, it's Lundberg. The Senate Education Committee approved Sen. Lundberg's latest attempt to implement a school voucher program (SB15-045) on a straight party-line vote yesterday. Like most of Lundberg's legislation, this bill is headed for the trash can regardless of what happens next in the Senate Finance Committee. Perhaps Lundberg should have combined some of his "ideas" and proposed a tax credit for child care instead?

► The House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to advance a bill to make repeat DUI offenders face a felony crime. Colorado is one of only five states where repeat DUI offenders deal only with misdemeanor charges. 

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Nick Riccardi of the Associated Press dissects the debate over vaccination requirements in state legislatures across the country. Riccardi finds that it is largely Republican legislators who are resisting efforts to strengthen vaccination requirements for children. 

► Surprise, surprise. The lead plaintiff on the Supreme Court case challenging aspects of the Affordable Care Act thinks President Obama is an "idiot" and cleverly refers to Democrats as "Democraps." David M. King should be fun to watch when the case kicks off on March 4.

► Good news for "NBC Nightly News" host Brian Williams…sort of? Apparently 2 percent of Americans confuse Williams with Vice President Joe Biden, while 3 percent are pretty sure he's Tom Brokaw. The three men do have something in common: None of them have been shot down in a helicopter over Iraq.

► Proponents of building a NASCAR-suitable racetrack in Aurora have reason to be optimistic today. Aurora City Council Member Sally Mounier wants to scrap a rule that prohibits the city from offering financial incentives to a prospective racetrack developer. Woo-hoo! Give 'em hell, Dale Sally!

ICYMI

► You think you had a long day on Thursday? El Paso County Commissioners unanimously approved a new wind farm project after 15 hours of discussion and testimony.

► Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner introduced The Water and Agriculture Tax Reform Act on Thursday after nobody could think up a more interesting name for the legislation. As the Durango Herald reports, the bill "would reform tax provisions that hinder investment in water infrastructure improvements." We're not even going to try to summarize this on our own.

► Jon Murray of the Denver Post takes a look at the top fundraisers thus far in advance of Denver's May municipal election. Fun note: Only two city council candidates have raised more money than Roger Sherman, who dropped out of the race for District 10 back in December. Check out Denver Pols for our rundown of what should be a very crowded city ballot.