{"id":33972,"date":"2023-05-17T00:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T06:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-governor-vetoes-three-bills-including-one-that-may-have-delayed-wolf-reintroduction\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:15:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:15:27","slug":"colorado-governor-vetoes-three-bills-including-one-that-may-have-delayed-wolf-reintroduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-governor-vetoes-three-bills-including-one-that-may-have-delayed-wolf-reintroduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado governor vetoes three bills, including one that may have delayed wolf reintroduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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A gray wolf. (Associated Press file)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Wolf reintroduction in Colorado is set to continue as planned after Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that could have delayed the process in an effort to ensure ranchers will be allowed to kill the animals if they attack their livestock.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 256 would have prevented the wolves\u2019 reintroduction on the Western Slope until the federal government designated gray wolves as a \u201cnonessential experimental population.\u201d The designation would give ranchers more flexibility to lethally manage wolves, as opposed to only when they are threatening to human life.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service must complete what\u2019s known as a 10(j) analysis to determine whether to give the wolves the designation. The state expects the designation to be granted before wolves are supposed to be introduced in December.<\/p>\n

In a letter explaining the veto, Polis wrote that the bill was \u201cunnecessary and undermines the voters\u2019 intent\u201d and said it could actually interfere with wolves being named as an experimental population.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf signed into law, this bill impedes the coordination that has been underway for over two years by the US. Fish and Wildlife Service, (Colorado) Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife that includes a $1 million commitment from the state of Colorado to complete the 10(j) draft rule and draft environmental impacts statement,\u201d the letter said. \u201cThe management of the reintroduction of gray wolves into Colorado is best left to the Parks and Wildlife Commission, as the voters explicitly mandated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Proposition 114, which required the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan to reintroduce gray wolves in the state, was narrowly approved by voters in 2020.<\/p>\n

The governor last week hinted to reporters that he was going to veto the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to honor the will of voters, avoid delays to the 10(j) process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, one of the prime sponsors of the bill, said Tuesday that Polis\u2019 argument that the bill could have delayed the 10(j) assessment was \u201cfundamentally wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSenate Bill 256 is the insurance policy,\u201d he said. \u201cYou prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I may hope I can drive down the road and never get in an accident, but that doesn\u2019t mean I drop my auto insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soper added that wolf reintroduction is a top issue on the Western Slope and he hopes the governor will consider signing an executive order with a similar requirement.<\/p>\n

Another lead sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Dylan Roberts of Avon, said in a statement Tuesday that he was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d in the decision to veto the bipartisan effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I sincerely hope that the 10(j) rule is issued to Colorado before wolves are reintroduced, I fear for the consequences my community may face if this does not happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The other lead sponsors of the measure were Sen. Perry Will, R-New Castle and Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs.<\/p>\n

Polis vetoes two other measures<\/div>\n

Polis vetoed two other measures on Tuesday: House Bill 1147, which offered a cost reduction for low-income Coloradans pursuing driver\u2019s education, and House Bill 1214, which would have changed the clemency application process.<\/p>\n

House Bill 1214 would have required the governor\u2019s office to appoint an \u201cexecutive clemency representative\u201d to notify applicants that their clemency request has been received and if it\u2019s missing any information. It would also have required the governor to consider an applicant\u2019s good character before their conviction, good conduct during incarceration, and statements and supporting materials from the prosecuting district attorney.<\/p>\n

Finally, the bill would have mandated that the governor\u2019s office each year report data on commutations of sentences on its website.<\/p>\n

In a veto letter, Polis said House Bill 1214 \u201cunconstitutionally infringed on the governor\u2019s exclusive authority to grant clemency.\u201d He said his office made that clear to the measure\u2019s sponsors \u2013 Rep. Elisabeth Epps and Sens. James Coleman and Julie Gonzales, all Denver Democrats \u2013 through the lawmaking process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Colorado Supreme Court has repeatedly held that granting clemency is an exclusive power of the governor and has held that intrusions into this power are unconstitutional violations of the doctrine of separation of powers,\u201d Polis wrote. \u201cThe Colorado Constitution clearly sets out that the legislature may not prescribe the manner of applying for commutations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epps tweeted that 1214 was \u201ccrafted by directly impacted folks, well stakeholded, solid, sound and necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Polis said he was vetoing House Bill 1147 because it would impose new fees \u2013 which the governor estimated to be $10 and the sponsors tried to limit to $2 \u2013 on driver\u2019s licenses to pay for vouchers discounting driver\u2019s education courses for Coloradans whose income is less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I commend the goal of the sponsors and stakeholders, I am deeply concerned about the increase in cost for driver\u2019s licenses that the creation of a new enterprise and subsequent fee would impose,\u201d he wrote in a veto letter. \u201cThe establishment of a new enterprise that adds to the cost of a driver\u2019s license is not something to be taken lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Bill 1147 was sponsored by Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, and Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to work toward a solution that both makes our roads affordable and is equitable and doesn\u2019t hinder people from getting their licenses. I look forward to working on it,\u201d Winter said.<\/p>\n

The next legislative session begins in January 2024.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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