Ritter signs bills on driver texting, worker leave for school events, Pinnacol - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Another measure signed by the governo r creates a special committee to study the operations ofPinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s largest worker’s-compensation insurer. . • House Bill 1057, sponsores by Rep. Andy Kerr, requires employers to give workers up to 18 hourds of parental leave per year toattenrd parent-teacher conferences and other school-related events. Underr the bill, parents must notify employersx about academic activities at least one week in Seasonal employees and companies with fewer than 50 workeres are excluded fromthe bill’s requirements. Employerd can also deny leave for workers whose absencew would cripple operations if the leavewere granted.
Events coveredx by the bill include parent-teacher conferences; special-educationj services; dropout prevention; and attendance, truancy and disciplinary Some business groups and Republicanes opposedthe legislation, saying it imposees more regulations on businesses in a time when they couldn’ afford it. • Housw Bill 1094, sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, bans cell-phone use by motoristz under 18 and prohibits any drivers from sendinvgtext messages. The bill originally barredd adult drivers from using handheld cell phonesx whilein transit, but the legislatio n was weakened by a Senate conference committee in earlt May amid growing opposition.
Ritter was slated to sign the bill into law Mondayh night inFort Collins. Senate Bill 281, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, formsa a special committee to study the state’s largest worker’s-compensation insurer. The measured once was part of a plan to raidnearly $500 millionh in reserves from Pinnacol to cover shortfalls in the state’s budgetr and avoid cuts in higher education. But lawmakersa decided not to siphon the reserves aftee Pinnacol executives threatened to sue and afte Ritter indicated he would not supportthe action.
Supporters of the legislatioh maintained that even though the plan fell it would still be a good idea to look intowhetheer Pinnacol’s quasi-governmental structure is working for the state. Business including the Colorado Association of Commerce and opposedthe legislation, saying that Pinnacol isn’t broken and doesn’t need to be fixed. House Bill 1035 expands sales-tax refundz for bioscience and clean-tech companies that purchase equipmenr used in the research and development of new technologie sand products.
Supporters say the legislation will help ensurr continued investmentsin “clean-tech” research and developmen t and the continued growth of startup and spinoffr companies that create high-payingh jobs. • House Bill 1242 provides tax credits to philanthropistds who donate to Coloradoresearch institutions. Supportersa said the legislation would help researcy initiatives that could ultimately benefitthe state’z economy. • HB 1363 designates Colorado’s unemploymentg insurance division asan “enterprise” under the Taxpayer’as Bill of Rights (or TABOR).
Supporters say the measures letsthe state’s unemployment insurance fund to function betterf for businesses and workers and puts the state budgegt process on more stable ground for futurr planning. • HB 1338 prohibitds insurance companies from using genetic testingy for setting premiums or blocking individuals fromobtainint insurance. .