If you are a resident of the state of Colorado, you might have heard about some of the new laws that will come into effect this year. You can always fall back upon a criminal defense attorney Denver for the latest updates, but it is a much better idea to pick up the knowledge yourself. Let us take a quick look at some of the new laws that might affect your life as a citizen of the state of Colorado:
Till last year, if you were an illegal immigrant, it was impossible for you to get a drivers’ license. In case you do not have the required documents to establish yourself as a citizen of the country, the new law makes it possible for you to still get a driving license using an alternate document. For that you need to take the help of your Social Security number to be able to apply. Earlier the ITIN number was to be used for the application. This had led to a large number of applications because obtaining an ITIN was relatively easier and this led to a huge backlog of applications.
Another important amendment is to something that has nothing to do with criminal law or the best criminal defense attorney in Denver. It is a labor law that has been modified with effect from 1st of January, 2019. The minimum wages in the state of Colorado have now been increased by $0.90 per hour. The earlier minimum was $10.20, and it is now $11.10 per hour. This is the result of an earlier amendment approved by voters of the state in 2016. In that Amendment 70, voters had determined that the minimum hourly wages would be raised in stages from $8.31 in 2016 to $12 in 2020. With this amendment in 2019, the state is just a step away from the committed $12 an hour it needs to reach by 2020.
An increase in Park fees has also been envisaged from 2019 onwards. From this year, the daily passes for several categories of visitors is being increased. Some of these categories are individual visitors, private vehicles, dogs without leashes etc. All of these entities would now need to pay Park fees higher by $1 compared to 2018 fees. Along with these Daily Pass rates, the Annual Pass has also become $10 higher from 2019 onwards. If you are looking for a fishing license in the state of Colorado, you will now need to fork out $33, in place of $25 earlier. An Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) stamp will now have a $25 fee. Game licenses have also been made costlier, and you will now pay $300 instead of $250. Bad news all round, but at least it will help the authorities with more funds to take care of the Parks better.
Some more price increases are expected in Colorado in the form of marijuana retail prices. The Revenue Department releases an Average Market Rate (AMR) for marijuana which provides a benchmark for cultivators regarding the tax they need to pay. The AMR also gives an idea about the movement of retail prices, although the effect might be seen only after a few months. As per the latest AMRs released for marijuana, the bud rate, trim rate, wet whole plant rate, and seed rate all have been increased.
After the price increases of marijuana and Parks, there was some good news in store for beer lovers. Earlier, there was a cap on the strength of the beer that could be stocked and sold in grocery stores in the state. This was referred to as the 3.2 rule, because the beer that was sold could not be more than 3.2% alcohol by volume. But as per the new law, full strength beer can now be sold, which has cheered up beer drinkers across the state. The law still requires buyers to visit the store to buy, and also places minimum age limits for buyers.
