Republican Terri Carver for Senate District 9
OVERVIEW OF LEGISLATIVE RECORD (2015-2022)
Public Safety
These are three examples of bills Terri introduced that were signed into law.
Strengthen Sexual Assault Laws - this bill adds certain conduct to the definition of illegal sexual contact in response to a 2018 court acquittal in a sexual assault case. This bill was signed into law. We must ensure that sexual assault crimes are fully prosecuted.
Rights of Crime Victims - Terri worked closely with crime victims’ groups on her bill to ensure crime victims had the right to be heard at every stage of the criminal justice process—from the initial bond hearing, through the trial and sentencing, and applications for early parole.
Fencing Stolen Goods Online - the business community came to Terri and asked for a bill to address the huge surge in theft from retail stores. This bill requires online sale platforms to verify ownership of goods being offered for sale and have other documentation (similar to pawn shops).
The Fight Against Human Sex Trafficking
These are two examples of bills Terri introduced and were signed into law.
Mandatory Jail for Human Sex Trafficking of Minors - Terri was shocked to learn from our local District Attorney’s office that Colorado did not mandate jail time for the crime of human sex trafficking of minors; this bill requires mandatory jail time.
Tighten Massage Therapy Licensing Requirements to Deter Sex Crimes (including sex trafficking) - this bill revised massage therapy licensing to increase criminal background checks and to deter sex trafficking and other sexual crimes.
Oppose Sanctuary State Laws
As a State Representative, Terri opposed the Democrat Party’s sanctuary state bills to protect and support illegal immigrants, including bills that:
prohibited state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal ICE to pick up illegal immigrants who had committed crimes and were in police custody. Instead, they are released into the community.
authorized in-state tuition
authorized drivers’ licenses
authorized taxpayer funded benefits
Reduce Government Regulations
Regulatory Reform - Terri ran several bills for comprehensive regulatory reform to reduce government regulations, especially on businesses which are being driven out of Colorado by excessive regulations. Killed in committee.
Lemonade Stand Bill - Terri sponsored a bill to stop local jurisdictions from shutting down minors who were operating businesses (lawn care, shoveling snow, the classic lemonade stand, etc.). This bill was in response to an actual case in Denver where police shut down a kids’ lemonade stand because they did not have a permit. Signed into law.
Opposed "Climate Change" Bills - Terri consistently voted against "climate change” bills that increased our utility rates, working closely with Colorado Springs Utilities.
Defending our Constitutional Rights
Terri has been an aggressive defender of our constitutional rights, especially the 1st and 2nd Amendments. She's co-sponsored the following bills:
Can Carry a Concealed Handgun Without a Permit
Free Exercise of Religion Act - specifies that no state action may burden a person's exercise of religion (2016 and 2017)
“Red Flag” Laws - Terri voted NO and fought on the House floor against the 2019 “Red Flag” bill (seizing guns from individuals reported to be a “danger” before a court hearing). She also voted to repeal the Red Flag law in 2020.
Pro-Life
The most fundamental right of all is the right to life. Terri has been Pro-Life her entire adult life and criticized the 1973 Roe decision as a usurpation of power by the US Supreme Court. She was very pleased with the Dobbs decision. Although, we have a terrible uphill battle in Colorado.
Opposed Legalized Abortion up to the Time of Birth - in 2021, Terri fought on the House Floor for over 24 hours against the horrific and obscene HB21-1279, to legalize abortion up to the time of birth.
Terri cosponsored the following Pro-Life bills:
Ban sex selection abortions (2015)
Protect children born alive during an attempted abortion (2015 and 2016)
Authority for the state to stop the illegal transfer of fetal tissue (2016)
Restore Education and Parental Rights
Cosponsored Parents Bill of Rights - establishes a liberty interest and fundamental right for parents in the care, custody, and control of a parent's child
Opposition to teaching “woke” propaganda - Terri voted NO on HB18-1276, rejecting the creation of a (woke) state advisory commission designed to push "identity politics" academic standards for social studies and civics. Terri believes civics should be based on our historical documents created by the Founding Fathers, not “woke” social studies revisionism propaganda.
Supporting Veterans and Military Families
These are two examples of bills Terri introduced and were signed into law.
Credit Military Training Towards State Licensure - requires state occupational licensing agencies to give credit for military training towards licensing. This helps veterans move quickly into civilian jobs and also expands the skilled labor pool.
Correcting an Injustice to our 100% Disabled Veterans - The Colorado Constitution includes a property tax exemption for 100% Disabled Veterans. Unfortunately, Colorado passed a badly worded law in 2007 that conflicted with this constitutional provision, creating a bureaucratic nightmare. Terri's bill ensured that all 100% service-disabled veteran receive the property tax exemption they were entitled to under Colorado Constitution.
Supporting Our Military Installations
2017 Community-Military Partnerships – Protecting Our Bases from Closure - Terri worked closely with the Military Affairs Committee of the Colorado Springs Chamber to draft legislation to encourage partnerships between local governments and military installations for cost-effective, shared government services. This is a win-win for taxpayers! In addition, these community partnerships are a key factor when the Dept. of Defense determines base realignments or closures. Terri's bill, which was signed into law, helps protect our military bases--a huge economic driver in El Paso County.
Data Privacy
Data Privacy Bill - after a two-year effort, I succeeded in passing the strongest consumer data privacy bill (SB21-190) in the country. This bill gives you the right to prohibit businesses from selling your personal data, tracking your internet activity, and selling your “profile,” for targeted advertising. The bill also gives you the right to
(1) find out what data a business has on you and to get a copy,
(2) correct the data, and, most importantly,
(3) delete the data.
These provisions were phased in, to give businesses time to make the necessary changes to their website software and business practices. Signed into law.
Support for Domestic Violence Victims
These are two examples of bills Terri introduced and which were signed into law.
Address Confidentiality for Victims of Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Sexual Assault - then County Treasurer Mark Lowderman and County Assessor Steve Schleiker told Terri that domestic violence victims were fearful to buy a home because they were afraid their abuser would find them by searching the internet real estate records. They asked Terri to run a bill that would allow them to block this information on their public records internet portal. The bill expanded the protections to include victims of stalking and sexual assault.
Assisting Domestic Violence Strangulation Victims - many domestic violence victims of strangulation would not get a forensic strangulation exam when they go into the Emergency Room because of the exam cost. This exam is critical for preserving evidence and prosecuting the crime of strangulation, as the outer bruising may not show the severity of the injury. Under Terri's bill, strangulation forensic exams are eligible for payment from existing victims’ compensation funding. Many thanks to the local TESSA staff who assisted in drafting this bill and testifying in support during the committee hearing!
Wildfire Mitigation and Prevention
Some of Terri's wildfire bills (all signed into law) - many of these changes came from discussions with El Paso and Teller County officials on efficient methods to reduce forest fuels:
Authorize the state to work with regional and local fire-fighters to plan and coordinate quick-response regional fire-fighting to put out fires quickly.
Budget amendment to allocate additional funding to wildfire mitigation for partnerships with cities, counties, and neighborhoods on mitigation projects to remove dead trees and other forest fuels. NOTE: For every $1 we spend on mitigation, we save $20+ on fire-fighting and fire recovery. A fiscal no-brainer.
Increase penalties for unattended campfires. Many wildfires are started by campfires that irresponsible people left unattended, putting communities in danger and costing millions of dollars. Several counties sought this change in the law.
Terri cosponsored the following wildfire bills (all signed into law):
Increase tax deductions/credits to help homeowners defray wildfire mitigation costs
Funding for volunteer fire-fighting groups (to help with fire-fighting equipment)
Authorize fire suppression ponds (especially important where water scarce for firefighters).
Transportation
As a State Representative, Terri had the following goals:
Allocate more Transportation Funding to Roads and Bridges, versus public transit and “multimodal”
Build the I-25 Gap (additional lanes for between Monument and Castle Rock) without a toll road.
Terri bills and budget amendments reflected these priorities; unfortunately, the Democrats in the Legislature had the exact opposite goals.
Terri was able to pass a bill to increase the official role of local transportation officials in the State Transportation Advisory Committee regarding input on Transportation Commission funding decisions. Signed into law.