Senator Steve Fenberg | Things Just Got Real

05 Feb Things Just Got Real

Posted at 23:23h in Newsletters by admin

Last week was when the 2020 legislative session started to feel real. Several very important bills have made it through committee and are now at various stages of being voted on by the full Senate. Whether it’s protecting air quality, reforming how corporate interest groups rig the justice system, or making big historic changes like repealing the death penalty, it sure feels like the session is well underway.

Mandating biodiesel at gas stations

Senate Bill 38 will require that all diesel sold in the state of Colorado will include at least 10% biodiesel. Biodiesel can reduce emissions by 70% and particulates by 50% compared to diesel, which has a big impact on ozone levels and general air quality. Given that Colorado has among the top 10 worst air quality in the country, this is the least we can do. A lot more action on addressing air quality to come in a few weeks.

Read the Bill

Reforming Forced Arbitration

I’ve introduced a bill to make big changes to how corporations rig the court and judicial systems against consumers and employees. Just about every single day, each of us sign a contract or click “accept” on a user agreement that locks us into unfair, forced terms that essentially waive our legal rights. Senate Bill 93 aims to provide basic fairness and transparency in the use of forced arbitration by ensuring that arbitrators (i.e. private judges) don’t have conflicts of interest over the cases they’re deciding. Without these protections, corporations and employers often hire the arbitrator that they know will always rule in their favor. This bill has made it through committee and will be debated on the Senate floor this week.

Read the Bill

Repealing the Death Penalty

Colorado just got closer than ever to repealing the death penalty. After a long, difficult, but important debate, Senate Bill 100 has passed the Senate and is now onto the House. The death penalty disproportionately affects people of color, and is far more expensive than the alternative sentence such as life without parole. But, most importantly, I believe the state should not be in the business of executing people.

Read the Bill

As always, please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions or ideas you may have. You can always call me at 303-866-4872 or email at steve@stevefenberg.org.

Onward,