Polis vetoes pair of bills, one ending private investigator licensing
Colorado Governor Jared Polis makes a point during a news conference on the state’s efforts to curb the spread of the new coronavirus Wednesday, June 24, 2020, in Denver.
(The Center Square) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a pair of vetoes over the weekend, marking the third piece of legislation he’s vetoed since the General Assembly concluded last month.
The governor vetoed House Bill 20-1207, which would have extended licensing regulations for private investigators for a five-year period.
The legislation passed in June with bipartisan support, but in his veto letter Polis cited an October 2019 sunset review of the law by the Colorado Office of Policy, Research & Regulatory Reform (COPRRR), which is part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), that said the occupation’s current regulation should cease.
The bill “would have continued licensing that rarely serves to protect the public from harm, and instead usually served incumbent license-holders as a barrier to entry for new competition including many retired officers of the piece,” the governor’s letter read.
Polis also vetoed Senate Bill 20-051, bipartisan legislation that would have required vehicles to obtain a new license plate when transferred to a new owner.
The governor said that while his office has “no particular issue with the policy goals” of the legislation, he vetoed it because a “last minute change removed” an appropriations clause.
“In essence, this removal requires the [Department of Revenue] to issue and collect fees for these additional license plates, but prohibits them from using the revenue to manufacture the needed additional plates,” the veto letter explained.
Polis added that lawmakers should reintroduce the bill with proper appropriations next session.
Polis also vetoed a bill earlier this month that sought to decrease opioid addiction, saying it would “add between $22M to $38M to the cost of premiums.”
