The observance of the holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. made for a shorter week for the legislature. Even though we had one less work day, there was plenty of action at the Statehouse.
House Bill 1051, which allows the sale of alcohol on Sunday’s between the hours of noon and 8 p.m., has passed the House and will move on to the Senate. I am also very happy to announce that HB 1214 passed out of the House Committee on Court and Criminal Code on Wednesday. This bill will allow for the sale and use of CBD oil under certain conditions, to help alleviate symptoms from several medical conditions.
The House passed HB 1001 to address improved funding for all public schools. During the budget process of 2017, the number of students in public schools was under estimated by about 6,000 pupils. By passing HB 1001, $25M this year and up to $50M next year would be transferred from the tuition reserve fund to provide all the necessary resources for the public schools. This can be accomplished without opening the budget during the short session. I'm glad the school funding issue has been resolved.
Last Saturday morning, the Fulton County Chamber sponsored a Third House meeting at the new Community Building. We had a great turn out with about 50 to 60 people in attendance. Fulton County has always had record participation at the Third House meetings, complete with great questions and conversations. We had discussions with the audience about education funding, the opioid epidemic, township consolidation and other issues. I always enjoy the Fulton County get-togethers because the atmosphere is very relaxed and pleasant.
Last week, I explained three of the bills I filed this session and promised to describe the final bill I filed. House Bill 1159 deals with earthen dam regulations and, if passed, would change how the Department of Natural Resources inspects and regulates dams. There are currently several examples of disagreements between property owners and the DNR concerning the status of long-existing dams.
The community recently lost a longtime and well-respected member with the death of Lyman “Beezer” McGuire of Denver. He was a retired railroader, constant supporter of local veterans, and active in the Memorial Day observance in Denver. My condolences to the McGuire family.
That’s all for now. It's your state government, participate in it.
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State Rep. Bill Friend (R-Macy) represents House District 23,
which includes portions of Cass, Fulton and Miami counties.
A high-resolution photo of Friend can be downloaded by clicking here.
