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Federal Court Hits Colorado With $5.4 Million Bill Over Pro Life Clinic Ban
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Life News, Approved, State

Federal Court Hits Colorado With $5.4 Million Bill Over Pro Life Clinic Ban

By Ryan Colby | Life News The State of Colorado must pay $5.4 million in attorneys’ fees to Becket following the state’s unconstitutional effort to outlaw abortion pill reversal. Becket represented Bella Health and Wellness, a Denver-area Catholic pro-life healthcare clinic, defending them against Colorado’s attempt to make it illegal for doctors and nurses to help women who take the first abortion pill but then decide to continue their pregnancies. A federal court found that Colorado’s attempt to ban abortion pill reversal violated the First Amendment. A federal law now requires the state to pay attorneys’ fees and court costs. “At least 18 moms who received abortion pill reversal care at Bella just celebrate...
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If regulators make the rules, what is Congress doing?
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

If regulators make the rules, what is Congress doing?

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com An interesting case in Tennessee focuses on Congress delegating its legislative power to others – for decades. Not just to executive branch agencies, but in some situations to anyone at all. In Tennessee Riverkeeper v. City of Luttrell, an environmental group from another state (Alabama) sued the tiny town of Lutrell, population 1,000, over its wastewater treatment facility. Neither the federal EPA nor state environmental regulators had any problem with Lutrell. But in the Clean Water Act of 1972, Congress explicitly authorized “citizen suits,” whereby anyone can file suit to enforce the law. Like legalized vigilantes. Lutrell, the boyhood home of Chet Atkins, fought back, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Congress h...
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Unelected Colorado board tightens landfill methane rules statewide
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Unelected Colorado board tightens landfill methane rules statewide

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The Air Quality Control Council (AQCC) passes strict new regulations on landfill methane emissions. I wanted to update an earlier story about the unelected AQCC mulling rules about methane emissions for landfills. Per the Sun article linked at bottom, last month the 9 member board (with only 6 of them voting) finalized rules for landfills around the entire state.You read that right. 6 people on a Zoom meeting made decisions for you. 6 people who you cannot vote out.Since it’s a Sun article by advocate Michael Booth, there is ample space given to environmentalists with a couple words from those that disagreed tossed in, all of which I’ll leave for you to read over, but there are a couple details noteworthy en...
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Federal freeze targets childcare money in Colorado and four other states
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Axios, Approved, National

Federal freeze targets childcare money in Colorado and four other states

By Emily Peck | Axios The Trump administration says it is freezing $10 billion in funds for child care and poor families in five blue states, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed to Axios Monday. Why it matters: The White House is pointing to reports of social services fraud in Minnesota to threaten funding for child care around the country. Child care providers are bracing for a slowdown in funds and the possibility of cuts that threaten their ability to operate. That could create wider issues, as millions of parents rely on child care to get to their jobs. Where it stands: Funds are being suspended for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, according to the New York Post, which earlier reported the news. The h...
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Colorado Lawmakers Warn School Meal Taxes Could Return to Ballot Yet Again
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Warn School Meal Taxes Could Return to Ballot Yet Again

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun The $95 million a year voters approved when they passed Proposition MM in November is expected to generate enough to fund the Health School Meals for All program. But it might still go back to the ballot. Just two months after Colorado voted — for the second and third times — to raise taxes for a school meals program, legislative analysts are warning state lawmakers they might have to go back to the ballot for round four. The news reduced Joint Budget Committee Chair Emily Sirota to a three-letter response during a December meeting: “O … M … G …” This time around, the stakes aren’t quite as high. The $95 million a year voters approved when they passed Proposition MM in November is expected to generate enough to pay f...
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America’s 250th Anniversary and World Cup Set to Showcase American Pride to the World in 2026
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Just The News, Approved, National

America’s 250th Anniversary and World Cup Set to Showcase American Pride to the World in 2026

By Amanda Head | Just the News Following extensive efforts during President Trump‘s first term to bring global sporting events to US soil, America’s 250th year will bring together FIFA fanatics along with a vast schedule of patriotic events in an show of patriotism. The stars have aligned for America's 250th birthday to coincide with one of the world's largest, most highly-attended sporting events. That alignment was highly influenced by the efforts of President Donald Trump during his first term in his efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States.  As America prepares for events commemorating 250 years since the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence, cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta will serve as ho...
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Bipartisan Colorado Bill Targets Tougher Prison Time for Child Trafficking Predators
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Bipartisan Colorado Bill Targets Tougher Prison Time for Child Trafficking Predators

By: Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators on Monday announced a proposal to ramp up the penalties for human trafficking of children. The proposal, which received the backing of Democratic and Republican leaders in the House, will address one of the many problems when dealing with individuals who buy children for sexual exploitation — penalties so low that most offenders get probation, not real prison or jail time, according to the bill’s backers. At a news conference attended by dozens of law enforcement officials, district attorneys and victim advocates, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason pointed out that Colorado is in the top 10 states for human trafficking. The measure goes after people who pay for kids for sexual gratification...
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Denver Mayor’s Sanctuary City Legal Costs Reach Full $2 Million Limit
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Mayor’s Sanctuary City Legal Costs Reach Full $2 Million Limit

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The bill for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s legal defense for that March 5 hearing before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on “sanctuary” cities has reached its $2 million contractual limit. Just as the year closed out on Dec. 30, a fifth payment, in the amount of $950,000 — almost half of the value of the entire contract — was made from the city’s general fund to Covington & Burling LLC, the D.C.-based law firm that represented Johnston and the city during the highly publicized congressional hearing. The payment now brings the total for Johnston’s defense to $2 million, the exact payment cap set forth by the contract city officials entered into shortly before the hearing in Washington, D.C.  ...
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HHS Overhauls Vaccine Recommendations While CDC COVID Messaging Remains
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Just The News, Approved, National

HHS Overhauls Vaccine Recommendations While CDC COVID Messaging Remains

By Greg Piper | Just the News Scientific assessment for reducing recommended vaccine doses by two-thirds blasted "false CDC claims that vaccine-acquired immunity was superior to infection-acquired immunity," but CDC is still discouraging natural immunity. Seven weeks before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of vaccines recommended for all children to 11 from 17, citing a new scientific assessment of immunization practices in "peer, developed countries" commissioned by President Trump, the agency updated its page on "Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines." The Trump administration did not remove or revise its predecessor's stunningly broad claim: "Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliabl...
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Colorado Taxpayers Miss Out on TABOR Refunds Under Polis Budget Plan
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Taxpayers Miss Out on TABOR Refunds Under Polis Budget Plan

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday submitted revised budget requests for the next two fiscal years, calling for new public safety spending, changes to Medicaid growth, and renewed efforts to privatize Pinnacol Assurance. Notably, the governor said Colorado residents won’t get refunds from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). “We are focused on protecting the issues that Coloradans care most about – education, access to health care and safety — while delivering a balanced budget for Colorado,” he said. “In this difficult budget environment, we are doing everything we can to deliver the best possible results for Colorado and know that the Joint Budget Committee will have challenging decisions to make in the months ahead. We look forwar...
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