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

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Another measure signed by the governor creates a special committee to study the operations ofPinnacoo Assurance, Colorado’s largest worker’s-compensation insurer. . House Bill 1057, sponsored by Rep. Andy Kerr, requires employers to give workers up to 18 hours of parenta leave per year toattend parent-teacher conferences and otheer school-related events. Under the bill, parentsz must notify employers about academic activities at leasgt one weekin advance. Seasonak employees and companies with fewer than 50 workers are excluded fromthe bill’as requirements.
Employers can also deny leave for workers whose absence would cripple operations if the leave were Events covered by the billinclude parent-teacher conferences; special-educatioh services; dropout prevention; and attendance, truancy and disciplinary Some business groups and Republicans opposed the legislation, sayinbg it imposes more regulations on businesses in a time when they couldn’tg afford it. • House Bill sponsored by Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, bans cell-phone use by motoriste under 18 and prohibits any drivers from sendingtext messages.
The bill originall y barred adult drivers from using handheld cell phones whilwin transit, but the legislation was weakened by a Senat e conference committee in early May amid growing Ritter was slated to sign the bill into law Monday night in Fort Collins. • Senate Bill 281, sponsored by Sen. Brandom Shaffer, D-Longmont, forms a special committee to studh Pinnacol, the state’s largest worker’s-compensation The measure once was part of a plan to raidnearlty $500 million in reserves from Pinnacol to coverr shortfalls in the state’sa budget and avoid cuts in higher But lawmakers decided not to siphom the reserves after Pinnacol executives threatened to sue and after Rittee indicated he would not support the Supporters of the legislation maintained that even though the plan fell it would still be a good idea to look into whether Pinnacol’s quasi-governmental structure is working for the state.
Businesse groups, 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-tas refunds for bioscience and clean-tecj companies that purchase equipment used in the research and developmen of new technologiesand products. Supportersz say the legislation will help ensure continuee investmentsin “clean-tech” researcn and development and the continued growtj of startup and spinoff companies that create high-payinfg jobs.
• House Bill 1242 provides tax credit to philanthropists who donate to Colorado research Supporters said the legislation wouldd help research initiatives that could ultimately benefitthe state’se economy. • HB 1363 designates Colorado’zs unemployment insurance division asan “enterprise” under the Taxpayer’ s Bill of Rights (or TABOR). Supporters say the measure letsthe state’s unemployment insurance fund to function betteer for businesses and workers and puts the statwe budget process on more stable ground for futurde planning.
• HB 1338 prohibits insurance companies from using genetif testing for setting premiums or blocking individualsa fromobtaining insurance. .