Thanks largely to last fall's passage of Referendum C, the 2006 legislative session was a relative relief. The budget ax remained safely sheathed, while state programs were able to let out the proverbial girdle they've been forced to endure over the past few years.

In addition to helping ease the state's funding problems, state lawmakers had a busy and productive spring, crafting laws that will change how Colorado treats smokers, illegal immigrants, identity thieves and, possibly, same-sex couples.

« Voters will decide on the Colorado Domestic Partnership Benefits and Responsibilities Act at the polls in November. House Bill 1344 asks voters whether same-sex couples could be allowed to register domestic partnerships, which would give them some of the same legal rights as married couples. Those rights include the ability to inherit property, make medical decisions for their partners and jointly adopt a child.

« Victims of sexual abuse, especially child victims, need all the help they can get to recover. The state needs a law that would extend or eliminate current statutes of limitation for claims against people who assault children, or against the institutions that harbor the criminals.

Two bills that failed this session would have allowed for prosecution of sex crimes against children without time limits. Another bill, which also failed, would have opened a two-year window for victims to file civil lawsuits against their attackers.

As the law stands now, a sexual assault victim has until the age of 28 to level criminal charges against a suspect. In civil cases, the victim has six years to file a lawsuit after his or her injury and the cause are legally determined.

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