Peter Marcus

A measure that would require a court hearing before prosecuting youth defendants as adults inspired emotional debate on the Senate floor Wednesday, drawing a clear line between lawmakers who have placed their faith in the honorable discretion of district attorneys, and those who believe safeguards need to be in place to avoid the potential for abuse.

Members of Colorado’s congressional delegation from both sides of the aisle and Republican Attorney General John Suthers scored sought-after seats this week at the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic hearings on President Barack Obama’s federal health care law, listening in as the high court weighed questions that could lead to overturning the controversial reforms.

The issues being debated by the court highlight the larger, highly politicized concerns surrounding the most sweeping and dramatic health care policy overhaul the nation has seen in four decades.

The most anticipated partisan fight of the legislative session — over reinstating a property tax break for senior homeowners — seemingly came to an end Monday before it ever truly began.

During a presentation to the powerful Joint Budget Committee, staff director John Ziegler informed committee members that even after paying for the $98.5 million annual Senior Homestead Exemption, there will likely be $199.8 million left over in the 2012-13 fiscal year budget to avoid planned cuts, including to areas like education.

The Legislative Audit Committee on Tuesday unanimously backed a request to begin the preliminary stages of an audit of the Regional Transportation District’s FasTracks expansion project in preparation for a likely ballot question asking metro-area voters to approve a sales tax increase to bail the project out of a more than $2 billion budget shortfall.

Rep. Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial, requested the audit, concerned that RTD’s own estimates, claims and assumptions might be “vulnerable to yielding false or inaccurate results.”

Current and former state lawmakers took to the microphone in the House chambers on Wednesday to celebrate the life of the “legislator’s legislator.”

Former Rep. Jerry Kopel, a Democrat from Denver who served a remarkable 22 years in the Legislature, passed away at age 83 on Jan. 21. He was remembered Wednesday for not only his service as a state representative, but also for his service after he retired in 1992, volunteering more than 15 years of legislative insight, including meticulously reading through every word of every bill that made its way through the halls of the Gold Dome.

Republicans on Monday said they remain set on fully restoring a property tax break for seniors related to the 2012-13 fiscal year budget, even in the face of Democrats saying they are open to restoring as much of the Senior Homestead Exemption as possible.

Lawmakers on Tuesday killed legislation that would have made deceptive voting practices in Colorado punishable by a prison sentence, though many of the legislators on the House committee still acknowledged the unsavory practice and called for increased oversight that could lead to prosecutions under existing law.

Telecommunications providers in Colorado are at odds over whether lawmakers should disconnect a piece of legislation that would bring the most significant pricing and regulatory updates to the industry in over two decades.

The polarizing and explosive national debate over contraceptive health care has erupted in Colorado with controversial rallies, legislation and ballot proposals that seemingly draw a clear line in the sand between government and religious liberties.

Gov. John Hickenlooper testified on Monday in favor of bipartisan House Bill 1238 which would improve literacy in early elementary school grades, drawing upon his own troubled experiences as a dyslexic student who was forced to repeat the seventh grade. The legislation is sponsored by Reps. Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and Millie Hamner, D-Dillon.