House gives initial OK for cheap gas, drugs
Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News
Saturday, February 24, 2007
A bipartisan bill to allow supermarkets and big-box stores to sell deeply discounted gas and prescription drugs won initial approval Friday in the state House.
"My bill helps consumers by allowing them to continue receiving perks for their loyalty to retailers. This will encourage competition," said Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, who co-sponsored House Bill 1208 with Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud.
The bill was introduced after small gas stations, citing a 70-year-old predatory pricing law, last year won a $1.4 million court judgment against King Soopers for giving gas discounts to customers who bought groceries.
Afterward, Safeway dropped similar gas deals, and Wal-Mart and Target scaled back their cheap generic drug plans in Colorado.
"We're making some changes . . . to create a better competitive environment and give the consumers, the people of Colorado, the best prices for the products that they purchase," said Lundberg.
The lawmaker took action after a constituent complained about being unable to buy $4 generic prescriptions popular in other states.
In other action, the House tentatively approved a bill allowing the state revenue agency director to temporarily expand the types of identification that citizens can use to receive public benefits.
The rules also would help legal residents who have been snarled in red-tape created by last summer's illegal immigration reform laws.
But Lundberg warned that House Bill 1314 "guts" specific identification requirements that stemmed from House Bill 1023, a law passed to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits.
But sponsor Rep. Mike Cerbo, D-Denver, said HB 1314 just allows state regulators to assist disabled and sickly citizens who've been wrongfully denied critical benefits because of "kinks" in the original legislation.
"He's worried about illegal immigrants," Cerbo said of Lundberg. "I'm worried about legal residents and getting them their benefits."
gathrighta@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5486
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