Ritter and His Veto Pen

Fortunately, a little time has elapsed since I first heard the news yesterday (grrr...) . Now, I can type in sentences that contain actual words and the smoke is no longer rising from the keyboard. For those who supported and helped us through this session..thank you..thank you...thank you. We will go after it again and hopefully this time we will be successful.

Gov. Bill Ritter on Friday vetoed five bills, including one critics said would have made it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain a Colorado driver's license.

He signed 48 other bills. One bans smoking in casinos, and five others crack down on fraud in mortgage lending.

House Bill 1313 would have relaxed tough identification rules for getting a driver's license. Last year, the DMV adopted such stringent rules that legitimate Coloradans were unable to get driver's licenses or photo ID cards.

In vetoing HB 1313, Ritter said the rules had already been eased and that it was the state's job - not lawmakers' - to fix any issues at the Division of Motor Vehicles.

"My decision to veto this bill is based on the fact that, though its goals were laudable, House Bill 1313 would have supplanted the Department of Revenue's rule-making authority," Ritter wrote to lawmakers Friday.

Ritter said the state on Thursday formally adopted new rules that expand the types of documents the state will accept for issuing driver's licenses but that don't compromise security.

But the new rules disallow some documents that would have been accepted under HB 1313, said Evan Dreyer, a Ritter spokesman.

For instance, under HB 1313, a person seeking a driver's license could have presented insurance and tax documents, city-issued birth certificates and prisoner IDs from any state to help prove lawful presence and identity.

Those documents aren't allowed under the new rules, Dreyer said.

Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, sponsor of HB 1313, was disheartened by the veto.

"The anti-immigration zealots managed to get their voices heard over the citizens of Colorado," she said.

The governor also nixed a bill sealing certain criminal convictions, and a bill requiring anyone using the designation "registered interior decorator" to first register with the state.

Ritter, who took office in January, has vetoed seven bills from this session.

In recent weeks, Republicans have ripped Ritter for not vetoing more bills.

However, GOP Gov. Bill Owens vetoed only five bills in his first year in office - 1999. All were sponsored by his own party, which controlled the legislature at the time.

Monday is the deadline for Ritter to act on measures passed by the legislature.

Among the four dozen bills he signed into law Friday was a health insurance bill that had divided the business community and a measure allowing voters to make a one-time request for mail ballots instead of having to request them annually.

He also signed a measure requiring casino owners to enforce the statewide smoking ban in their establishments by Jan. 1, 2008.

House Bill 1313 would have made it it easier to get a Colorado driver's license.

Supporters said the bill was necessary because the DMV has made it difficult for lawful citizens - especially the homeless, senior citizens and children of immigrants born in the United States - to obtain a license or photo ID.

But critics, including Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman and former Democratic Gov. Dick Lamm, urged Ritter to veto the measure.

They said it undercut efforts to curb illegal immigration, ID theft and terrorist threats.

"I think the governor absolutely made the right move in vetoing it," Coffman said.

Ritter said he understood why legislators pushed for HB 1313. And he blamed his own administration for not "clearly and consistently articulating my strongly held belief that a legislative fix is not the proper remedy to this problem."

Other Ritter vetoes:

• Senate Bill 84: Would have required a state board to maintain a database of all persons registering as interior designers, allowing only those in the database to use the term "registered interior designer."

• House Bill 1107: Would have expanded the ability to petition courts to seal criminal convictions and arrests.

• House Bill 1216: Would have changed rules for Medicaid reimbursement to hospitals.

• House Bill 1356: Would have changed ethics laws to conform with rules approved by voters last fall. Ritter said he vetoed the measure because a judge on Thursday issued an order barring enforcement of some of those rules.