Sweeping police reform bill passes Colorado Senate 32-1

Colorado’s sweeping police accountability and reform bill passed the state Senate on Tuesday morning with just one Republican vote against it.

Senate Bill 217, sponsored by all of the state’s Democratic lawmakers, goes to the House next and is expected to head to the governor’s desk after the session concludes this week.

Sen. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat and prime sponsor, commended lawmakers for deciding “we have seen enough” and that “black lives do matter.” She noted that Tuesday was the day George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis, was being laid to rest.

“Engaging in race in policing is not an easy topic,” Fields said. “It’s an emotional topic for me. I’ve been black all my life, and I can tell you now, we have white people in our state and in the nation and globally saying, ‘black lives matter.’” (Read more)