Nebraska Consumer Protection News

Attorney General Salazar Announces Legislative Agenda

Attorney General Ken Salazar today released his list of legislative items he hopes the General Assembly will consider and enact into law. The legislative agenda was developed in anticipation of the 2000 legislative session and is intended to address three priority areas of concerns identified by Salazar: Consumer protection, law enforcement, and the environment. The consumer protection proposals are intended to implement measures recommended in the attorney general's action plan to protect senior citizens announced in November. The proposals will create additional tools for Colorado's law enforcement to counter the growing problem of scams aimed at senior citizens. The proposals include enhanced penalties against those who commit senior fraud, regulation of sweepstakes promotions, and a telemarketing no-call list.

In addition, Salazar seeks to streamline and revise consumer credit code provisions to enhance protective measures and procedures based upon last year's review and recommendations of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code Commission which Salazar chairs. Salazar's law enforcement agenda is based in large part upon the Youth Violence Summit and Report Salazar sponsored along with Governor Owens. Chief among these recommendations are five firearm measures and a proposal to enhance information sharing between law enforcement and education officials. Other law enforcement proposals are intended to provide more efficient and effective administration of the certification of Colorado's more than 11,000 peace officers. In addition, Salazar is supporting efforts to enhance victim restitution laws based upon the work of a legislative committee investigating this issue, in which the attorney general's office actively participated. The Attorney General is also supporting efforts to strengthen identity theft laws and to stem the explosion of criminal cases in the Colorado Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

In the environment area, Salazar is proposing the creation of hazardous waste easements to allow institutional controls to help address the long-term stewardship of places like Rocky Flats. This tool will help Colorado and local communities develop land use plans for those places that have extensive hazardous waste issues. "My legislative agenda does not preclude support or interest in other legislative measures", Salazar emphasized. "The list merely reflects those items which fall under the particular purview of the attorney general's office or which I have made a part of my four-year strategic plan." Salazar believes virtually all of the legislative items have sponsors as stand-alone bills or as portions of more extensive legislation.

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