DENVER • In Manitou Springs last month, 22-year old Kelly Murphy, a wife and mother, lost her life to carbon monoxide poisoning. In November, the odorless gas claimed the lives of the four members of the Lofgren family, who were vacationing in Aspen. Last week, a Greeley ice arena was emptied and 14 people hospitalized after a carbon monoxide leak was detected.

Statehouse Democrats have had enough. On Monday, Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, said he’ll be pushing House Bill 1091, which would require carbon monoxide detectors in newly constructed homes, houses up for sale, and newly-leased apartments.

Calling carbon monoxide an “invisible killer,” Soper pointed out the cost to home builders, homeowners and landlords will be minimal – an estimated $15 to $50 per device.

“The reason for this bill is not to pick on one industry over another industry. This bill is to save lives,” Soper said.

A similar measure died in the 2008 legislative session, but this year’s bill is a bare-bones mandate, Soper said.

For example, the bill won’t require homeowners to install detectors unless they are selling. It also doesn’t cover long-standing apartment leases or commercial buildings.

Enforcement is also left up to municipalities, not the state, and as long as the devices are correctly installed, then home builders, owners and landlords can’t be held liable for any injury or accident.

Manitou Springs City Councilwoman Aimee Cox vowed after Murphy’s death to push for a city ordinance requiring detectors. She said even if HB 1091 becomes law, she may pursue additional mandates.

“We have to be able to protect the lives of those who come to make a life here,” Cox said.

Manitou Springs’ state House representative, Democrat Michael Merrifield, is co-sponsoring Soper’s bill, and said he’d been asked by several constituents to carry the measure himself. Though Merrifield has already filled his five-bill quota, he gladly signed on in support, saying it was “tragic” that it took several deaths to bring the issue to the forefront.

Though the bill has been titled the “Lofgren Family Safety Act,” Soper conceded that even if it had been law last year, it may not have saved the Lofgrens because it does not apply to short-term rentals, like many of the vacation condos at ski resorts. The Lofgrens won a weekend stay in an Aspen home.

Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs, said he plans to vote against the measure because it adds to the burden of home builders and owners hoping to sell.

“For government to mandate this when businesses are already struggling, it doesn’t seem the appropriate time,” King said.

A spokeswoman for the Colorado Association of Home Builders said the group has not yet taken an official position on the bill, which was introduced Monday.

According to fire department officials backing Soper’s bill, Colorado ranks 13th in the nation for rates of carbon monoxide poisoning. Ideally, said officials, each home should have one carbon monoxide detector, which are sold at most hardware stores, per floor and one per bedroom.

Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter, said in an e-mail that Ritter supports the measure and “looks forward” to signing it.

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