The session is winding down quickly. We are being rushed by close to 100 bills that have been stacked up in the Senate. They are coming to the House in droves and are being hurried through committee hearings. I have not studied these bills as much as I did bills earlier in the session because there is simply not enough time. If I am not comfortable with a bill I vote no.
Sen. Ellen Roberts and my House bill 1276, the bill that would require the courts to keep the Western Slope and the Eastern Plains whole regarding congressional redistricting, was passed out of the House State and Military Affairs Committee last week and is on the calendar for second readings. We had not had a committee hearing earlier in hopes that the bipartisan redistricting committee would come up with a map that we could all accept, but it appears that may not happen. Nevertheless, the courts need to be directed to keep these communities of interest intact. The bill has little chance of surviving in the Senate, but it makes a statement and it will be interesting to see how the Western Slope Democrats vote on the bill.
House Bill 1294, the bill that would give the Colorado Division of Wildlife more flexibility to manage black bear, was passed on second readings in the House. Responding to testimony heard against a spring bear hunt in the Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee, I amended the bill to disallow the hunting of bear during March, April and May. After successful passage on second readings, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) put tremendous pressure on House members to oppose the bill. Many people dont know that the HSUS is an anti-meat animal rights group. Less than 1 percent of their $200 million annual budget goes to help dogs and cats. They are not affiliated with our local humane societies. There are many sincere members that support the group; however, I feel that they have been misled on this issue.
We are one vote shy of passing HB 1294 on third readings. I appreciate both Republican and Democratic legislators, the Colorado Sheriffs Association and the many other organizations that hung with me to try to do the right thing. Regrettably, it is only a matter of time until we have a human/bear tragedy. We need to be proactive and try to make changes that will lesson that inevitability. The CDOW are responsible for the management of all wildlife in Colorado. Black bears should not be an exception.
Our next step must be to educate the public on this issue. You would be amazed to know how many people think that bears only eat berries and roots. The media is doing a pretty good job by highlighting incidences where people have been hurt by bear and the CDOW is working on studies that will give us an accurate count on black bear. Eventually the CDOW will have the authority that they need to do their job.
J. Paul Brown represents House District 59 in Colorados General Assembly. The district encompasses San Juan, Archuleta and La Plata counties and parts of Montezuma County. Contact Rep. Brown at (303) 866-2914 or by e-mail at jpaul.brown.house@state.co.us.
