Civil unions bill: Pat Steadman calls measure's killing a disgusting spectacle
In speaking to supporters, One Colorado's Woodrum maintained that the way the civil unions bill was taken down would become this legislative session's defining event, and Steadman agrees.
"I can't think of any other epitaph," he says. "To kill this one bill, they sacrificed so much else. There was a lot of collateral damage last night, and some very important bills got cut in the morass and aren't able to pass this year, at least during this regular session."
A prime example for Steadman: Senate Bill 165, which would have "created millions of dollars worth of water projects," he notes. "That's an awful lot of money that would have put an awful lot of people to work in various parts of the state where water projects take place. There would have been one at Chatfield, but there were others in western Colorado and a lot of other places -- and I would have to think those communities will be pretty sore about that bill and others that were sacrificed on this altar."
Photo by Ladd Bosworth Steadman speaks at yesterday's rally.
Since this is the last day of the session, Steadman has a busy stretch ahead of him -- so busy that he won't be able to map out the next step in the campaign for a while. But he's already capable of putting the bill's demise in perspective.
"The State Capitol is expert at handing out disappointment," he concedes. "Every once in a great while, it does something truly remarkable, and apparently this wasn't the session for the remarkable. But I've been fighting these battles for a long time, and even though setbacks are unpleasant, they're not the final chapter in the story.
"The fight goes on. It's been going on for a long time, and every day we are closer to our goal."
Look below to see SB 1265, the water projects bill Steadman mentioned. The summary at the outset details many of the projects that are now in limbo.
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More from our Follow That Story archive: "Video: Civil unions bill dies, proponent 'angry and pissed off and frustrated.'"
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