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Tag: 2026 legislative session

  • Certain Colorado inmates could ask a court to reconsider their sentence under bill that narrowly moved forward

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    DENVER — With a 4-3 vote, a bill that would allow certain offenders in Colorado to petition a court to reconsider their sentence advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday afternoon, following passionate testimony from former inmates and fierce opposition from those who believe victims would be put on the back burner as a result.

    Senate Bill 26-115 would only apply to inmates who committed a crime when they were younger than 21, or those who are 60 or older. In both instances, the offenders must serve at least 20 years of their sentence before they can seek such a hearing.

    Certain crimes would not be eligible for the second look hearing. Those include crimes that resulted in life without the possibility of parole sentences, inmates convicted of sex offenses, and crimes against children or first responders.

    State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D — District 34, is the prime sponsor of the legislation. She told the Senate Judiciary Committee it would allow a judge to consider who a person is currently, while giving offenders the hope needed to encourage personal growth while incarcerated.

    Gonzales is running the bill alongside State Sen. Mike Weissman, D — District 28, who said that sentencing is passing judgment on a person in the moment, but argued that decades later the emphasis should be on who the person has become.

    A number of former inmates testified in support of the bill, sharing their own personal stories and explaining how they have changed over the years.

    One of those people was Patrick Sanchez, who said he was 17 years old when he shot another person in the leg, and was convicted of attempted murder. Sanchez said he was sentenced to more than 100 years in prison, but was released early last January.

    While incarcerated, Sanchez experienced the loss of a child, and said it completely changed his perspective.

    “I like to say that I, with my actions and my choices, I behaved my way into prison. And when I thought nobody was looking, and making that conscious decision to do better and be better, I feel like I behaved my way out of prison,” Sanchez said.

    Denver’s Micah Smith explored the intricacies of restorative justice during an episode of”Real Talk,” where two of the people who testified in support of SB26-115 shared their story:

    Real Talk with Micah Smith, Episode 105: Restorative justice

    Sanchez supports SB26-115, believing it will provide a light at the end of the tunnel for people staring down sentences that last decades.

    “We can’t take it back, but what we can do is be the best person that we can. You know, moving forward, we can honor and pay homage to our victims by doing the right thing,” said Sanchez. “There’s so many men and women in there that are beyond deserving, far more than I am. But I’m here, so that’s why I’m here. I’m here to be the voice for them, for those that can’t be here.”

    Meanwhile, representatives from the 23rd Judicial District spoke out against the bill, calling it a “massive step in the wrong direction” and a “betrayal of victims.”

    District Attorney George Brauchler said the purpose of sentencing is punishment, not rehabilitation.

    Senior Deputy District Attorney Nate Marsh said he tells victims at the start of any case that he will not be able to achieve justice for them because of Colorado laws. Marsh said this law would only make his job more difficult, and urged lawmakers to vote ‘no’ because the bill will strip the finality of a resolution from victims.

    During Wednesday’s hearing, the sponsors told the committee the bill would prevent individuals from filing repetitive litigation, and reiterated that a judge would never be required to release an offender applying under the second look.

    According to the fiscal note on the legislation, which compiled data from the Colorado Department of Corrections to determine how many inmates this would impact, there are approximately 98 offenders younger than the age of 21 when they committed their offense who have served over 20 years of their sentence. 203 offenders are 60 or older and have spent more than 20 years behind bars. Out of those two groups, 164 received murder convictions without the possibility of parole, meaning they would not be eligible for the sentence reconsideration.

    That leaves 137 individuals who would be eligible to petition the court under the conditions of SB26-115.

    The two Republicans on the committee, State Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson and State Sen. John Carson, voted against moving the legislation forward, along with Democratic State Sen. Dylan Roberts.

    SB26-115 heads to the Appropriations Committee for consideration next.

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  • Magnus’ Law: Bill would change how Colorado law enforcement responds to serious crashes

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    DENVER — A bill that is expected to be introduced in the Colorado State Capitol within the next week would change how law enforcement responds to crashes where someone is seriously injured or killed.

    The legislation, which will be called Magnus’ Law, was shaped by what happened on a devastating day in the summer of 2023 when Magnus White, a 17-year-old decorated cyclist, was killed while on a training ride in Boulder County.

    ▶️ Watch the full report in the video player below.

    Magnus’ Law: Bill would change how Colorado law enforcement responds to serious crashes

    The driver, Yeva Smilianska, was convicted of vehicular homicide and sentenced to four years in prison in 2025 after admitting to passing out behind the wheel.

    “What people are just so blown away by, so upset about, is the only person ever tested that day was Magnus, the dead child. Not the person who killed him,” said Michael White, Magnus’ father, about Smilianska not receiving a sobriety test at the scene of the crash.

    During the trial, prosecutors pointed to video evidence that showed Smilianska drinking late into the night prior to the crash.

    “The individual blamed her car steering,” Michael White said about Smilianska’s original explanation that an issue with her car caused the crash. “So, for 20 months, that was a story until trial. That a car malfunctions, crashes into the back of our son, no drugs or alcohol suspected.”

    The Whites believe if Smilianska would have been administered a breathalyzer at the scene of the crash, it would have changed their son’s case.

    Submitted to Denver7

    “We would have gotten to the truth faster. We wouldn’t have been waiting,” said Jill White, Magnus’ mother.

    According to a report from The White Line, the nonprofit founded by the Whites in the wake of Magnus’ death, more than 80% of Coloradans are in favor of mandatory drug and alcohol testing after a serious crash.

    Magnus’ Law would require law enforcement to offer drivers a breathalyzer test when responding to scenes where someone has been seriously injured or killed. The driver would have the ability to refuse that test.

    “This is for every family after us that’s going to go through this, because this isn’t going to stop. It’s going to continue,” said Michael. “We hope to cut down the numbers with this, with this law, but also providing, you know, victims and their families a sense of justice and accountability.”

    Magnus White

    Denver7

    State Sen. Dylan Roberts, D — District 8, is one of the legislators who will be sponsoring Magnus’ Law. Roberts said the bill has bipartisan support in the Senate.

    “What we’re hoping with this bill is to ensure that every time there is a serious injury or a death as the result of a car crash that an officer needs to offer the driver of that crash a portable breath test or some sort of preliminary screening to see if there is potentially alcohol or other intoxicants involved,” said Roberts. “Let’s try to figure out the full picture of what’s going on here. Maybe it was truly an accident, but if there was foul play, if there was intoxication, we need to have that investigation, and that’s what the victims deserve.”

    The bill would require every Colorado law enforcement officer to take that step at such crash scenes. When asked about what opposition lawmakers have heard so far related to the bill, Roberts said it is centered upon ensuring the new mandate would not infringe upon Constitutional rights.

    Still, Roberts said pushback has been minimal so far.

    “This is an idea that was included in a larger bill last year that didn’t move forward, but we heard a lot of really good feedback, and so we’ve been using that to craft this language,” said Roberts. “The groundwork that’s been laid for this bill has been very extensive, and I think it’s going to lead to very broad support here.”

    Boulder

    Parents of Magnus White say son feels ‘further away’ after driver’s conviction

    Roberts does not expect there to be a cost associated with the bill, which is notable in a year where lawmakers are staring down a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.

    “We’re hoping to just get this in the minds of officers, like we wished could have happened in Magnus’ case, of what’s going on here? Let me look at the evidence. Let me try to figure out what we could do to support justice in this case,” Roberts said.

    For Magnus’ parents, this bill passing through the Colorado State Capitol would become part of their son’s legacy — a legacy they believe will save lives in the future.

    “That’s the key difference. Is when somebody is impaired, that’s a crime. When there’s a crash, somebody’s at fault, but when there’s impairment, that’s a crime. And so that’s what we want to root out or detect at the very beginning,” Michael said.

    Denver7 will update this article once the bill is introduced.

    We are committed to shining a light on the dangers vulnerable road users face in Colorado.

    In a special Denver7 report below, the White’s shared more about their foundation, The White Line, and how they are working to create a safe space for other impacted families to tell their stories.

    Also in ‘On Two Wheels presents: Love, Loss and the Safer Road Ahead’, they are joined by Josh Stewart, the father of a Littleton 7th grader killed while riding his bike to school.

    Two Families. Two Cyclists. A Movement for Safer Streets

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    Denver7’s Colette Bordelon covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on crime, justice and politics. If you’d like to get in touch with Colette, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • Colorado Democrats announce legislation they claim will hold federal immigration agents accountable

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    DENVER — On the heels of protests that erupted across the nation related to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, Colorado Democrats announced legislation they contend will protect civil rights.

    On Monday, Democratic lawmakers from both the State Senate and House of Representatives rallied alongside community members and stakeholders to unveil a new package of bills that are intertwined with immigration in America.

    The new bills have not been introduced yet, but legislators said they will increase “accountability” and “transparency” through the enforcement of violations when personal information is unlawfully shared, require reporting on the demographics of immigration detention centers, and enact protections from deportation when an individual is traveling to or from places like a school or courthouse.

    “We are addressing gaps and loopholes that have been existing, that are harming our communities. Like when people’s information is being requested with subpoenas and they don’t even know that this is happening. We want transparency. We want to make sure that people know that there’s a request for their information,” said State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-District 57. “We also want to hold detention centers accountable when our community members don’t have access to water, food, or even comfortable temperatures — when it’s too hot or too cold. We’re also hearing of abuses of children, of women, of people in detention centers, and it is not allowed.”

    Southwestern Colorado

    Family detained by ICE in Durango endured ’36 hours in a dungeon’: Nonprofit

    State Rep.e Yara Zokaie, D-District 52, explained an upcoming bill centered upon law enforcement and how “they can be our partners in holding bad actors accountable.”

    “This bill will focus on law enforcement clearly identifying themselves, and yes, that means not wearing masks and concealing their face,” Zokaie told the crowd. “It will also state that law enforcement are to detain anyone who breaks the law, including federal officials, until an investigation can take place, and that is current law… Finally, this bill states that former ICE officials are disqualified from being POST-certified and from holding certain positions within the state, and that includes employment in law enforcement.”

    One of the speakers at the press conference was Ousman Ba, who immigrated to America when he was six years old from Senegal in West Africa.

    “For all of us that think about this American Dream — that we come here for a better life, better opportunities — and now we are fearful just stepping out of our doors, even being in our own homes because we don’t know who is going to be knocking at that door,” Ba told Denver7. “There’s so many immigrants like myself whose stories need to be heard, and right now their voices are threatened, and they might not be able to be here.”

    Colorado Democrats announce legislation they claim will hold federal immigration agents accountable

    Another bill discussed at the news conference that has been introduced is Senate Bill 26-005, which advocates said would essentially give an individual injured during civil immigration enforcement a path for legal recourse.

    “It basically says, where you have rights, you have to have a remedy if the rights are violated,” said one of the Prime Sponsors of SB26-005, State Sen. Mike Weissman, D-District 28. “People may not believe it, but right now, if a federal officer, say, violates improper search and seizure or excessively uses force, or violates your due process rights under the Fifth Amendment, you don’t have a clear cut remedy to go to court and be compensated for harms that you have suffered in our country… The government makes the laws. That’s what we do in buildings like this, but the government and its agents have to follow the law, too. That’s what Senate Bill 5 is about.”

    Weissman explained that if SB26-005 became law, an individual hurt during immigration enforcement actions could retain a lawyer and file a case in Colorado court.

    According to Weissman, SB26-005 was being put together late last year, before the national spotlight was thrust onto Minnesota.

    “We had seen enough going on in Colorado and in our country to know that that was important. Then the tragedies, the killings by government officials of innocent people in Minnesota only underscored the need for government officials to be held accountable if they violate people’s rights, up to and including wrongful death,” Weissman said.

    During the 2025 legislative session, Weissman alongside fellow SB26-005 Prime Sponsor State Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-District 34, worked to pass legislation that aimed to prevent the violation of civil rights based on immigration status.

    Politics

    Colorado attorney general launches new tool to report federal agent misconduct

    SB26-005 advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday afternoon, after a 5-2 vote along party lines. Approximately 60 people signed up to testify during the hearing, which lasted more than three hours.

    Opponents spoke to lawmakers during the hearing, with one person calling the bill “confusing” and going on to say that this is not safeguarding the immigrant community but discouraging law enforcement from doing their job.

    Legislators were accused of political grandstanding by those opposed to the bill, who called it a way to “score points” against the federal government.

    State Senator John Carson, R-District 30, explained his ‘no’ vote to the committee and his constituents. Carson said he does not doubt the bill is “well-intentioned,” but said the federal immigration officers are simply enforcing the law.

    Carson’s colleague on the committee, State Sen. Lynda Zamora Wilson, R-District 9, also voted against advancing the bill. She told the crowd she feared it would cause a “chilling effect” in both state and federal law enforcement agents.

    Meanwhile, State Senator Nick Hinrichsen, D-District 3, said this was the “easiest ‘yes’ vote I’ve ever taken.”

    SB26-005 heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee next.

    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Colette Bordelon

    Denver7’s Colette Bordelon covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on crime, justice and politics. If you’d like to get in touch with Colette, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • ‘De-mask ICE’: MLK Day Marade in Denver dominated by discussions about federal immigration enforcement

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    DENVER — A throng of people — estimated at more than one thousand strong — marched through downtown Denver on Monday to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    The 40th annual Marade, a blending of a parade and a march, took on a different tone this year amid the tense political climate in the country.

    The Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day tradition in Denver began at City Park, in the shadow of the monument dedicated to the prominent civil rights leader.

    “Dr. King was envisioning a world that was nonexistent at the time. We are reaping a harvest because of the sacrifices made by those who came before us, paving the way for all leaders to serve and make a difference,” said Colorado’s State Senate President James Coleman, D-District 33. “It was a dream of Representative Wilma Webb to make Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday here in Colorado, one of the first in the country to recognize it.”

    Cesar Sabogal

    A sign at the Marade in Denver.

    Former Colorado State Rep. Wilma Webb spearheaded the push for MLK Day in Colorado, which was adopted in 1984. She, alongside her husband and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, addressed the crowd on Monday.

    “Whatever is going on in this country, we can solve it the same way that we’ve solved other things without violence. We can do it,” Wilma said. “We have to do the same things that Dr. King lived, worked, and died for.”

    The Webbs said this year might be their last time participating as leaders of the Marade.

    “It’s time for others to take up the charge,” Wellington said. “We’ll be here when you need us, but we’re not going to be here every year.”

    As part of his speech, Wellington acknowledged Renee Nicole Good, who was born in Colorado Springs and killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.

    “You have to march to where the people make the decisions. And the decisions, in this case, are at the State Capitol,” Wellington said. “We need to de-mask ICE. And the only way to de-mask ICE is to do it at the legislature.”

    Discussions around federal immigration enforcement dominate MLK Day Marade in Denver

    Cesar Sabogal

    Denver7’s Colette Bordelon speaks with Cameron Tolbert during the Marade.

    The federal immigration crackdown was one reason 25-year-old Cameron Tolbert spent his holiday at the Marade.

    “I feel like a lot of people just take a day like this and say, ‘Oh, it’s just another day off work,’” Tolbert said. “Considering the current state of our nation right now, I just feel like it’s now more important than ever to be a part of things like this.”

    Tolbert said there are moments where he is discouraged by the direction of the country, but on Monday he felt unified with the community.

    “To see this many people come out from all different races, backgrounds, kids, older people, everybody… It makes me have hope for a better day in the future,” Tolbert said. “We’re not going to sit here and just let these types of things continue to go on.”

    Discussions around federal immigration enforcement dominate MLK Day Marade in Denver

    Cesar Sabogal

    The Marade concluded at the Colorado State Capitol.

    The crowd ended their march on the front steps of the Colorado State Capitol. Denver7 asked Coleman if there is a possibility for the state legislature to “de-mask” federal agents during the 2026 session.

    “I think that can happen in our state legislature. I’m proud of the work that was done in our last legislative session to work on immigration policy and civil rights,” Coleman said. “I know there’s policy this year that’s coming to address more immigration challenges, and that is a part of the conversation — not allowing law enforcement in the State of Colorado to wear masks.”

    Meanwhile, the Webbs left the crowd with a sentiment rooted in King’s ideology.

    “We have to treat each and every one of us with love. That is a power,” Wilma said. “Love is a power, and it always conquers hate.”

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  • Colorado bill would require law enforcement obtain a warrant to search Flock database in some investigations

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    DENVER — Law enforcement may one day need to obtain a warrant in order to search the data collected from license plate readers in Colorado during certain investigations, if a piece of legislation currently being drafted becomes law.

    That’s the goal behind a new bill being introduced this year by State Sen. Judy Amabile, D-District 18.

    “These are automated license plate readers, and they have very quickly become ubiquitous. They’re all over the place,” she said. “They’re being used in ways that are extremely helpful for law enforcement and that are going to benefit our communities in terms of community safety. But they are also being misused, and also they’re being used in a way that’s a little bit sloppy by some departments. And we want to be careful that we don’t inadvertently step on people’s privacy rights.”

    The controversial cameras — made by Flock Group, Inc. — have contracts with nearly 100 law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado that use the safety technology.

    Denver7 has covered the debate surrounding the cameras extensively, with proponents saying they are a critical tool in catching criminals, and opponents claiming there are privacy issues with the technology as well as concerns about the data being given to the federal government.

    In Denver, the data cannot be shared with the federal government, according to a new five-month extension of the city’s contract with camera maker Flock Group, Inc. announced in October.

    Denver

    Denver bans sharing of Flock camera data with the federal government

    “I’m definitely not anti-Flock cameras or anti-license plate reader technology,” Amabile said. “I’m interested in making sure that we’re doing it the right way.”

    According to Amabile, the bill would require law enforcement agencies to identify certain members who are allowed to search such databases.

    “It will ask that a person in a law enforcement agency be tasked with — or maybe multiple people — be tasked with doing the searches, so that not every single employee will have access to this database. But you’ll have to have somebody who has been trained, who understands what the rules are, and who that person will be tasked with accessing the data and searching the data,” said Amabile.

    In addition, the legislation would require law enforcement to detail a reason for searching the database along with identifying information about the case in question. If an investigation is extended past 24 hours, Amabile said law enforcement would have to obtain a warrant to search the Flock camera databases in most situations.

    “We have, you know, exigent circumstances that are excluded from that need for a warrant. Like, somebody calls up and says, ‘My car just got stolen. Here’s the license plate number.’ Then law enforcement would be able to search the database right away for that,” Amabile explained. “So, if you give permission, if there is an emergency happening, then this designated person can search the database and begin the investigation to stop the crime.”

    Politics

    Denver mayor’s Flock contract sparks council backlash over transparency

    Amabile said the warrant portion of the bill, which is still being drafted, has received the most pushback from stakeholders so far. Still, she expects to garner bipartisan support on the measure as it moves through the Colorado State Capitol.

    “They talk about the horseshoe, where the right meets the left. I do have colleagues from the Republican side who absolutely do not want government to invade their privacy, and so we will be talking to both sides of the aisle on this bill, and I think we have a very good chance of having it have bipartisan support,” said Amabile.

    The state senator believes the bill is a common-sense approach that will help ensure the public understands how the Flock cameras are being used in their community.

    “It is not a ban on using these cameras. What it is is guardrails around the use of the cameras and also around the use of the data that they generate,” Amabile said. “I hope it gives people comfort that these cameras are being used for legitimate law enforcement purposes.”

    Denver7 reached out to Flock Safety about the new Colorado bill, and received the following statement:

    Flock Safety supports legislation that creates guardrails for how license plate recognition data is used and shared, while preserving the effectiveness of this important public safety tool. Flock is strongly in favor of common-sense regulation that preserves the ability of law enforcement to use these highly effective technologies, while requiring the sorts of safeguards and accountability mechanisms communities expect. We stand ready to be a resource to the legislature as they consider these important issues.

    The 2026 Colorado legislative session begins on Jan. 14.

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  • Orlando Dem Carlos Guillermo Smith revives push to rein in public money given to Big Tourism

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    State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, has revived a hearty push to allow for more flexible use of the revenue that local governments collect through the tourist development tax, a 6 percent tax levied on stays in hotels and short-term rentals.

    Florida law currently restricts how much of that tax money can be used to address some of Orlando’s most pressing issues, such as homelessness and transportation, instead requiring most of it to be spent to boost the region’s world-renowned tourist attractions, convention centers, and tourism promotion agencies.

    Orange County, for example, collected nearly $360 million in hotel tax revenue during the 2024 fiscal year, the largest pull of any other county in Florida. Nearly one-third of that ($105 million) was distributed to Visit Orlando, a private, nonprofit marketing agency that pays a dozen of its executives six-figure salaries on a budget that is mostly comprised of public money.

    It was also recently dinged by the County Comptroller’s office for misclassifying $3.5 million in public money as private, and called out for spending public money on garish outlays like a $12,000 car allowance for its CEO and a lavish $75,000 dinner party promoting local tourism up in New York.

    “During a time where more than 62 percent of families here in Orange County are cost-burdened — particularly on things like housing affordability — to me, it’s unconscionable that we spend $105 million a year, not on community needs to support the homeless, for transit, but $105 million a year on corporate advertising at Visit Orlando with public monies,” Sen. Smith argued, speaking on a panel organized by the Orange County chapter of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters early Wednesday afternoon.

    Smith, a progressive who formerly served in the Florida House, has introduced a slate of bills for consideration by Florida legislators next year that would reform state law on the tourist development tax, plus require a dollar-to-dollar match on private to public money given to tourism agencies like Visit Orlando. 

    “I think the industry needs to have skin in the game for their tourism advertising budget,” Smith argued. Roughly 92 percent of Visit Orlando’s budget, for instance, is made up of public TDT revenue. “Why is it that the tourism industry won’t invest in these dollars themselves? Because they want us to pay for it!” 

    Credit: Orange County Comptroller’s Office

    Proposed reforms to the hotel tax, such as allowing that revenue stream to help pay for housing that’s affordable for tourism workers, road improvements and public transportation, have faced strong pushback from the tourism industry, which would — to no one’s surprise — like to hold onto its public money. 

    Rosen Hotels CEO Frank Santos, for instance, sparred with Smith over the issue Wednesday, telling the League of Women Voters audience that he’d prefer to retain the current restrictions on hotel tax revenue, and create a separate tax or surcharge on tourists to fund transportation needs.

    Santos described his pitch as a “tourist transportation tax,” or TTT, that he said would be levied exclusively on tourists, not Florida residents. “I believe that there’s more and more support for a separate tax funding,” he said, referring to unnamed elected officials he’s spoken to and others in the hospitality industry. “I think as long as we stay away from that six sacred cents,” he added, referring to the hotel tax collection, “I think we have a lot of opportunity.” 

    Smith, to the amusement of his audience, rose to the challenge of meeting Santos’ congenial proposal with his own. While expressing support for “dedicated source of funding for transportation,” Smith described himself as a “yes, and” proponent, questioning the tourism industry’s unwillingness to fund their own marketing themselves.

    “Why is it that the tourism industry won’t invest in these dollars themselves? Because they want us to pay for it!” 

    “If $105 million a year as the budget for Visit Orlando really is the right amount, we need tourism to invest in some of those dollars themselves,” Smith argued.

    “The senator,” Santos responded, “doesn’t really understand the cost of doing business as a hotelier and a hospitality company.”

    Costs for marketing, Santos explained, are up 20 to 40 percent for Rosen Hotels since the COVID-19 pandemic. “That’s just a part of doing business.”

    The revival of a yearslong fight

    This isn’t the first time elected officials and tourism industry hawks have fought over what to do with the generous pot of money that the hotel tax brings in.

    In addition to supporting the relaxation of Florida’s child labor laws, slashing the minimum wages for servers specifically, and affiliating with a parent organization that has lobbied to weaken food safety regulation, the state’s hospitality industry — via the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association — has also lobbied to keep TDT revenue earmarked for tourism. 

    Each year, as local electeds divvy up the revenue between Visit Orlando, the Pentagon-sized Orange County Convention Center and the sports stadiums (and yes, a portion also goes to smaller arts venues and organizations), venue owners simultaneously plead poverty while claiming they offer their hourly workers good wages and benefits, in a bid to get hold of more public money.

    “Promoters need to decide to use this facility, either here or they go to Tampa or Jacksonville, or Vegas or Nashville and Atlanta, and we want them to choose Orlando more often than not,” Steve Hogan, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, told county commissioners in his pitch for improvements to the city-operated Camping World Stadium in 2023. “That’s what brings the visitors, that’s what brings the impact.”

    Current law already allows some of the hotel tax revenue to be spent on “public facilities,” including transportation, if at least 40 percent of the revenue is dedicated to tourism promotion, specifically, and an “independent analysis” is conducted to demonstrate “the positive impact of the infrastructure project on tourist-related businesses.”

    If that 40 percent isn’t forked over, officials are left with more limited options.

    There’s certainly imagination for more. Some local elected officials, for instance, have pitched using a portion of TDT revenue to fund an expansion of Sunrail. Expanding the local rail system’s hours later in the evening and on weekends would cost an estimated $26 million per year — still just a fraction of the revenue that Orange County pulls in through the hotel tax. And that’s assuming other neighboring municipalities don’t pitch in, too.

    A proposal from Smith that nearly made it into a bipartisan state budget package earlier this year (before being removed at the last minute) would have made it easier for local governments to spend TDT revenue on public transportation and infrastructure. Smith plans to push for this again in 2026.

    Santos, who rose to the position of CEO of Rosen Hotels shortly after the death of hotelier Harris Rosen last December, said he similarly supports expanding Sunrail. He just wants to see that expansion done through something like his proposal — without touching TDT revenue.

    Smith is planning to move forward with his reform proposals regardless. The senator told Orlando Weekly after the panel Wednesday that he believes Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani (also a Democrat from Orlando) is prepared to sponsor a couple of his TDT reform bills in the Florida House, and is still working on finding a House sponsor for a couple of others (since House members have limitations on how many bills they can sponsor).

    Smith’s proposals include:

    • SB 446: Would require a “one-to-one match” of private to public contributions to fund “large-scale county destination marketing organizations” like Visit Orlando
    • SB 454: Would delete the part of Florida statutes that requires a certain percentage of TDT revenue to be spent on promoting tourism
    • SB 458: Would otherwise revise the percentage to require just 20 percent (instead of 40 percent) of TDT revenue be used for promoting tourism
    • SB 456: Would allow for revenue from TDT to be used to help fund the development of workforce housing, public safety improvements (because theme park-goers want to feel safe, too) and other affordable housing developments

    Legislation filed by state lawmakers must be approved by majorities in both the Florida House and Senate, and then receive final approval from the governor to become law. Florida’s 2026 legislative session is scheduled to begin Jan. 13, 2026, and end March 13, 2026.

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    ‘We just want to get some of that money back so that our communities can benefit from it.’

    The local group calling for ‘No Pulse Museum’ seems to have achieved its goal.

    Of nearly $800 million in TDT funds, the bulk is earmarked for an Orange County Convention Center expansion.



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    McKenna Schueler
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  • Wrongful deaths for fetuses, pregnancy crisis center bills filed for 2026

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    Credit: via Erin Grall for Florida/Facebook

    A pair of reproductive-related bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature in advance of the 2026 legislative session that starts Jan. 13.

    One proposal, filed by Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall, would let parents file wrongful-death lawsuits for the death of a fetus at any stage of development.

    As of this publication, Grall’s bill, SB 164 lacked a House companion.

    SB 164 would not allow civil suits to be brought against medical personnel providing assistive reproductive technology, or procedures that involve the handling of human eggs, sperm, and embryos to help achieve pregnancy.

    Neither could lawsuits be filed against a patient seeking reproductive assistance.

    Grall filed similar legislation last year but that bill faced opposition from powerful Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, the former Senate president and chair of the Rules Committee. Passidomo took issue with the bill’s definition of “unborn child” as a “member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.”

    The 2026 version of the bill uses the same definition of unborn child.

    The second proposal, HB 6001, was filed by Boca Raton House Democrat Kelly Skidmore. That bill would eliminate from statute the “Florida Pregnancy Support Services Program,” established in 2005 as an initiative of then-Gov. Jeb Bush with the Legislature agreeing to appropriate $2 million for its operations.

    In 2018, the Legislature codified the program into statute passing HB 41.

    Now the program is housed in the Department of Health and legislators have agreed in the current year state budget to allocate $29.5 million to help it operate.

    Skidmore argues that the program is no longer needed because of the state’s six-week abortion ban which, for the most part, bans terminations before many patients know they are pregnant.

    “When we live in a state that has a six-week ban, how many crisis pregnancies do you think there are that we still need to fund $29.5 million for these centers?” Skidmore asked. “What crisis pregnancies are they helping with? There aren’t any, because there are no options for pregnant women. So, this is just false. All of it is false and a misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

    HB 6001 doesn’t have a Senate companion because it is a “repealer bill.” Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez implemented a rule allowing representatives to file one repealer bill per session that does not count toward their seven-bill limit.

    Skidmore said she took advantage of the opportunity.

    “And what surprises me is that the emphasis on the new DOGE office has not raised this as a red flag of inappropriate spending of taxpayer dollars, particularly since there was a recent news story that the lawyer that represents many of these networks gave advice to not provide ultrasounds to pregnant women suspected of having an ectopic pregnancy because it was a high risk of being sued,” Skidmore said, referencing a Massachusetts lawsuit.

    Meanwhile, the most recent available data show that during state fiscal year 2022-23, 21,372 women were provided 132,395 counseling services and 18,238 pregnancy tests were provided by the centers.

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    The language is similar to oaths taken by lawyers, doctors, and public officials

    The legislation would reduce the minimum to buy a firearm in the state from 21 to 18 years of age



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    Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
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