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101 bills that passed and failed: A digest of what you missed in the 2018 Colorado legislative session, from taxes to crime to transportation

Colorado lawmakers introduced more than 700 bills in the 2018 legislative session covering a wide range of topics. If you’re wondering what you missed, one line about 101 bills that passed or failed in the 120-day term.

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Attempts to Stop Online Piracy could Lead to more being Stolen from the People

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For many of us, the internet is a tool we use daily and most of us may take it for granted.  Whether we are looking for deals on Craigslist or starting a Wikipedia search that may take us far down roads we never anticipated, the internet as currently constructed offers us so much.  Yesterday some users were shocked to be locked out of popular sites such as Reddit, Wordpress, Craigslist, and Wikipedia. While operational, even Google had noticeable changes to their homepage.  This was all in response to the potential Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

According to these sites, the blackout was a sample of the negative effects the far reaching SOPA legislation could have.  Many feel the internet would become much more restrictive and unable to operate in the way it does currently.  The Stop Online Piracy Act, House Bill 3261, was introduced by Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX).  If SOPA is approved it would grant the U.S. government the right to seek court orders against websites who are accused of facilitating copyright infringement.  Search engines and ISPs would be required to block access to such sites.  There are also many other restrictions that alter the current landscape of our leading source of information.  The main proponents of the bill feel that online piracy needs to be punished, however, major lobbyists from the music and movie industries have donated hundreds of thousands to Lamar Smith’s campaign which has angered many critics.

Those who sponsored the bill do not seem to grasp the far reaching implications this legislation could have.  In a recent article, writer Ben Sherman explains ironically that on Rep. Smith’s website, he used pictures that he never asked permission for.  This would be a violation under SOPA rules.  As is the case with medical marijuana, politicians are in the dark about issues regarding the intricacies of the emerging global economy .  The country needs jobs with web businesses and medical marijuana representing growing fields.  Instead of a common sense approach, politicians have tried to pounce on a bullet point, displaying a total lack of perspective.  Another parallel to marijuana has to do with censorship.  Unfortunately, advocates for marijuana reform have experienced the frustrating battle over censorship for decades.  This is why any legislation limiting information can be dangerous and should be a concern to everyone.

While SOPA may not restrict information quite as much as other countries, the comparisons would not be flattering for most Americans.  China is well known for strict monitoring on what its citizens can access.  Similar actions are seen in political revolts.  Libya caught the attention of the world when it basically shut off its internet and did not allow residents to communicate with the outside world.  Fortunately, the bill has been met with huge public opposition.  Several of the bills co-sponsors have abandoned the legislation and the White House has come out against the bill as currently constructed.  A new bill will likely be created but those in public office are surely to have taken note of the strong reaction by the American people.  One day without Craigslist and Wikipedia was an inconvenience, imagine all of our favorite sites down forever?

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