Peter Marcus

Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, had hoped that his beer bill this year would ferment into a balanced approach to allow full-strength craft beer in supermarkets and convenience stores, while expanding the number of liquor licenses allowed. But when it became apparent that his measure had gone flat, he simply decided to kill it.

Priola on Tuesday acknowledged that he did not have the support of the 11 members who sit on the House Business, Labor, Economic and Workforce Development Committee. Rather than waste the committee’s time on House Bill 1178, he asked to spike it.

State Democrats this week unveiled their proposals for gun control just two days before National Rifle Association President David Keene made the rounds at the Capitol, expressing his organization’s concerns to legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper. Even before the proposals were released, Democrats and Republicans were immersed in a skirmish over the issue.

Democrats unveiled their proposals on Tuesday, and a handful of the measures were introduced later in the week. The agenda includes:

After a 20-month process to reform the state’s telecommunications laws resulted in the dramatic death of a 71-page comprehensive legislative package last year, lawmakers and the industry are bracing for yet another fight at the Capitol.

The question is whether legislators will introduce piecemeal portions of the legislation from last year that aimed to modernize the state’s telecom laws, or once again go for a larger package. That issue could be left in the hands of newly elected Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs.

The debate over sustaining the state’s Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) system has surfaced again at the legislature, with proposals aimed at addressing an estimated $23 billion in unfunded liabilities.

Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton has proposed a different approach, encouraging Sen. Michael Johnston, D-Denver, to include PERA reform in any legislation that seeks to raise additional dollars for education. Stapleton wants to ensure that funds are directed into the classroom and not used to backfill unfunded liabilities.

The debate over gun control took center stage at the state legislature this week with controversial bills presented by Republicans seeking to curb efforts by Democrats to limit firearm possession.

The debate follows the July Aurora movie theater shooting, which claimed the lives of 12 and injured 58 others, and it has spilled into the national conversation, gaining momentum after the December Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left 20 children and six staff members dead in Newtown, Conn. On Wednesday, the issue gained more traction after Phoenix police said three people were injured in a morning shooting at an office building there.

Attorneys for Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to limit a probe by the Independent Ethics Commission into whether he misspent public dollars. Just one day earlier, the secretary narrowly escaped an audit of his office’s use of discretionary funds after the Legislative Audit Committee tied on a vote to authorize the investigation.

Lawmakers on Monday heard from child welfare, law enforcement and health care experts on how drugs are endangering Colorado’s children in light of the recent passage of Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana in the state.

The first presentation this year to the Colorado Children’s Caucus — a bipartisan gathering of lawmakers concerned with issues facing Colorado youth — turned into less of a discussion on marijuana, and more about the child welfare system.

The Democratic-controlled legislature on Wednesday began debate on a labor union bill that would ensure collective bargaining rights for Colorado firefighters, pushing the measure through the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on a party-line vote of 3-2.

State lawmakers agree that a simple Band-Aid fix is not enough to address health care reform. But how to go about expanding Medicaid and mental health services, launching a health benefits exchange and discussing women’s health care rights is proving to be a difficult and divisive task.

There is consensus that the state needs to make advancements in mental health, but advocates are fearful that connecting the conversation to recent incidents of gun violence will only add to negative stigmas.

Lawmakers are proposing:

Denver District Court Judge Edward D. Bronfin on Monday struck a blow to Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler by ruling against the secretary and in favor of county clerks who want to mail ballots to so-called “inactive” voters.

Gessler’s office in 2011 filed a lawsuit against Denver Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson for mailing ballots to inactive-failed to vote (IFTV) voters. Shortly after, Pueblo Clerk and Recorder Gilbert “Bo” Ortiz joined the lawsuit in support of Johnson.