Senator Hisey Newsletter
| Several bills of note made their way through the Senate this past week. The most debated bill in Colorado’s history, HB22-1279, the “Abortion Bill” passed the Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill passed both chambers without a single Republican vote. With the Governor’s signature, Colorado will have the most permissive abortion law in the country allowing abortions right up to the moment of delivery. It was reported in the Colorado Springs Gazette that abortion clinics are gearing up for increased traffic as Colorado becomes a destination state for abortions as other states enact more restrictive abortion laws. Colorado voters have through the past decade and a half rejected strict anti-abortion laws. However, they have never been asked to vote on late-term abortions. Senate bill SB22-153, “Internal Election Security Measures” was also on the calendar. Confidence that your vote will be counted and recorded is fundamental to the Democratic Republic such as the one we live in. However, this bill seemed to have some constitutional issues as well as structural problems that could not be overlooked. I believe the most obvious provisions of the bill where it bumped up against the U.S. Constitution were amended out. |
| My continued opposition to the bill revolves largely around the removal of the County Clerks as the responsible party for conducting elections. Colorado elections have always been conducted and paid for at the county or local level. Giving the Secretary of State’s Office, regardless of who sits in that seat, czar-like powers over other elected officials seems to violate the Colorado Constitution. County Clerks were elected by and work for the people that elected them in their respective counties, not the Secretary of State. Election procedures are highly regulated and monitored. I understand there is a high-profile county election official under indictment in Colorado. Just more proof that our current system has checks and balances that allow the courts to be the arbiter if there is suspicion of wrongdoing. Mixed in amongst the bills that receive all the attention are bills like SB22-110 to “Equip Wind Turbines with Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems”. What that means is new wind farms would be outfitted with radar that would detect an airplane when it gets within a predetermined distance and only then would the airplane warning lights begin to flash. Not having the ever-present flashing red lights would be a welcome change for people within sight of a wind farm. By the way, this bill was sponsored by two senators who are private pilots. |