With topics ranging from the death penalty to the use of cell phones while driving, Colorado lawmakers covered some ground this past session.
State Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, spoke of the importance of all issues voted on during the spring session, while driving and talking on a hands-free cellular device.
“I look around right now as I drive, and everyone is on a cell phone. We need two hands on the wheel,” Kerr said.
Along with the phone matter, Kerr said he voted in favor of eliminating the death penalty in Colorado because studies have shown it not to be a deterrent to crime.
“We voted to cut billions out of the budget over the past four months, and this would have been something that would have been a big part of that,” Kerr said. “It doesn’t make fiscal sense to have it on the books.”
Kerr was elected to a second term in November 2008, defeating Republican challenger Ray Warren.
A bill Kerr was pleased with was the agreement between the Denver Public Schools and Public Employee Retirement Association, which Kerr said neither can back out of due to a bill he carried.
“Denver is one of the districts that was not under PERA, which made it difficult for employees of DPS to go to other districts or others to come to Denver,” Kerr said.
Without this bill, teachers would have to stop current benefit accrual under DPS employment and begin to build a new accrual under a PERA-covered employer, Kerr said.
DPS will not be in the same category as Jeffco schools in PERA pensions, but Denver will have its own division.
“It means all teachers can move and work anywhere in Colorado,” Kerr said. “Teachers and schools will now be able to find the best fit possible.”
Kerr said he hopes the presidency bill will be looked at again, as it made it through the House, but not the Senate.
“Basically the bill says whoever gets the most votes for president, wins. It doesn’t remove the Electoral College, but it means that every single vote counts equally,” Kerr said.
Along with hopes such knowledge would inspire more to vote, Kerr said it would make candidates campaign around the country, as opposed to solely concentrating on swing states.