From The Associated Press: A proposal to set a blood-content threshold for what’s too high to drive got its first approval from Colorado lawmakers Thursday, making the state venture into an area few others have tested in the age of booming medical marijuana use.

Toke of the Town: A bill cracking down on driving while high on marijuana cleared its first hurdle at the Colorado state Capitol on Thursday. House Bill 1261 would set a limit of five nanograms per milliliter of blood, above which a person would be considered too stoned to legally drive, reports John Ingold at The Denver Post. Bill supporters tried to equate the five-nanogram THC limit to the 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level that determines driving when drunk.

The American Independent: Medical Marijuana patients and recreational users of the drug filled the Old Supreme Court chambers of the Capitol Thursday as they emotionally testified against a bill to make driving while high a DUI per se. Targeting what they said were faulty or old studies, medical marijuana users failed to convince the House Judiciary Committee that marijuana did not pose a risk to themselves and others while they drove. The vote passed 6-3 with many members absent. As introduced, HB 1261 makes driving with a blood content of 5 nanograms of THC or more a misdemeanor and creates the presumption that the person is driving under the influence of drugs as a result. The offense would essentially be treated the same as a DUI for alcohol.

Westword: ​Yesterday, HB 1261, Representative Claire Levy’s bill to set THC driving limits, survived its first legislative test, passing out of committee by a 6-2 vote. But medical marijuana attorney Rob Corry continues to argue against the bill — see his letter to legislators below. In his view, the measure won’t make roads safer and could spur lawsuits.

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From The Denver Post: Elementary school students might soon find themselves working up a sweat, as the Senate on Friday gave initial approval to a bill that would require public elementary schools to give children more exercise time. House Bill 1069 requires each school board to adopt policies making more time for physical activity, citing a “growing trend of childhood obesity” and studies linking physical activity to improved performance in the classroom.

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From The Coloradoan: With greater efficiency in mind, state officials likely will evaluate the status of every state wildlife area and park as Colorado State Parks and the Colorado Division of Wildlife begin the nearly yearlong process of merging and cutting costs.

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From The Associated Press: Tax slackers, take heart. A plan to waive late fees and interest on overdue Colorado taxes has cleared its first hurdle and appears to have broad support in the Legislature. But Democrats pushing to tack on new reviews of who gets tax breaks face an uphill battle. The Democratic Senate Finance Committee approved the temporary tax amnesty Thursday.

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From Westword: In the dozen years since the Columbine shootings, school officials have become hypervigilant about potential troublemakers in their midst — so hyper, in fact, that state lawmakers are now seeking a formal review of school disciplinary procedures to determine if principals are too quick to involve police and the juvenile justice system in minor misconduct issues.

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From The Colorado Independent: After hours of emotional testimony at the capitol Wednesday, the Colorado House Education Committee Wednesday voted 9 to 4 in favor of school-bullying prevention House Bill 1254. The bill would revise anti-bullying guidelines and establish a board within the state Department of Education to revise rules of conduct and reporting and to raise money to pay for anti-bullying research and programs.

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From The Durango Herald: Four Corners Republicans inserted themselves into the heart of the debate about how to draw U.S. congressional districts Friday. Ignacio Rep. J. Paul Brown introduced Colorado House Bill 1276, which would restore a Republican bill passed after 2003’s “midnight gerrymandering.”

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From The Associated Press: The Colorado Senate has approved a campaign finance bill introduced in response to the actions of anti-tax advocate Douglas Bruce. The Senate gave its final approval to the bill Tuesday. It would allow district judges to issue arrest warrants and impose fines on people who fail to show up on subpoenas for campaign finance violation complaints.

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From The Denver Post: Actors, captains of industry, an Ivy League astrologer, sports figures, politicians, energy giants, schoolteachers from Pasadena, Calif. All these are also considered farmers or ranchers for tax purposes in Colorado. They have secured low property taxes through agricultural designations on land they own even though they personally have little or nothing to do with producing food — the reason state legislators originally created a low property-tax rate for the agriculture sector.

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From KJCT News8: A bill that aims to close a loophole is upsetting some local farmers. They say, while it may solve one problem, there could be many more issues on the horizon should this bill become law.
Right now, you can qualify for a lower agriculture property tax rate by simply cutting hay on your land. The law also covers people like Tom Cruise. For big tax breaks, Cruise allows livestock to graze on his property in Telluride.

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