Colorado Lawmakers Drop Plans For Permanent Fence Around Capitol

DENVER (CBS4/AP) -- The Colorado Legislature has halted plans to build permanent fencing around most of the state Capitol following criticism from residents.

CBS4's Andrea Flores first reported about the potential of a permanent fence in January. Lawmakers had considered allocating over $1 million to erect a wrought-iron fence around the building as part of an $8 million budget plan for security upgrades.

The proposal gained some momentum following a summer of protests.

Democratic House Speaker Alec Garnett says the Legislature will now embark on what he called a public process about the topic. He stopped short of committing that the fence plan is scrapped, but did say it is stopped for now.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)