Colorado bill limiting high stadium food prices dies in committee

A proposal that would have cracked down on expensive beer and hot dogs at sporting events and other places where consumers have limited options to shop around died Tuesday afternoon in a committee vote.

Three Democrats joined Republicans to shoot down House Bill 1012 in a 7-4 vote on the House Judiciary Committee. It was one of three bills unveiled by progressives at the start of the legislative session that sought to tamp down high prices.

Bill sponsors tried to limit the scope of the bill through amendments that carved out medical costs and county fairs, but its expansiveness ultimately doomed it.

In addition to targeting pricing in places with captive consumers — where there’s no or limited competition — the bill also would have required price transparency for delivery charges for things like food and groceries.

“I want to be excited about being able to take on what I think is an absolute robbing of Americans right now,” said Rep. Chad Clifford, a Centennial Democrat who voted against the bill. “… We have to figure out something. I wish, for me, I didn’t find so many booby traps every time I started to look at (the consequences) if we do this.”

Democratic Reps. Michael Carter and Cecelia Espenoza also voted against the measure. Republicans on the committee warned that the bill would upset the free market and ultimately result in communitywide harm to businesses, consumers and nonprofits.