Tag: disclosure laws

Focus on the Family news outlet CitizenLink on Monday posted a dire summary of a recent court ruling that rejected an attempt to protect the identities of donors to the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 campaign. The CitizenLink story echoes the fears of intimidation and harassment from "gay activists" and "the homosexual lobby" that drove the major organizational financial backers of the campaign to file the suit in 2008.

State Sen. Gail Schwartz and a campaign watchdog group are weighing a formal complaint against a 527 political group linked to Secretary of State-elect Scott Gessler, alleging the group failed to properly disclose a mailer deemed the “most tasteless” of this month’s election. Schwartz, a Democrat, said late last week she still hasn’t determined whether to file a formal complaint with current Secretary of State Bernie Buescher’s office regarding the mailers sent out by Western Tradition Partnership (WTP) depicting her as Donald Trump. But she said she will pursue tougher disclosure laws in the next legislative session.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration detailed a plan asking states to phase out laws that make HIV transmission a crime. In Colorado, the move would affect at least three laws related to sex crimes and prostitution. Attorney General John Suthers, however, disagreed with the White House plan, saying that even though prosecuting attorneys may rarely use the laws to level criminal charges, the laws may well have a deterrent effect and should not be stricken from the books.

DENVER-- Colorado court authorities are presently investigating whether the HIV positive status of Denver resident William O'Kelly was improperly revealed. O'Kelly was charged with attempted second degree assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly spitting on Jason Arb in an argument. O'Kelly's probation officer reportedly told Arb after the fact that O'Kelly was HIV positive, a likely legal violation of privacy. The second degree assault with a deadly weapon charge was subsequently dropped but O'Kelly was held in jail on a $250,000 bond for roughly a week. He remains charged with harassment.