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Colorado Board Rejects Broad Right To Know Ballot Proposal Over Scope Concerns
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Colorado Freedom of Information, Approved, State

Colorado Board Rejects Broad Right To Know Ballot Proposal Over Scope Concerns

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A state board on Wednesday declined to set the title for a proposed fall ballot initiative that would enshrine in the Colorado Constitution “a fundamental right to know the affairs of all levels of state and local government.” Title Board Chair Theresa Conley said Initiative #286, proposed by Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute and Beth Hendrix of the League of Women Voters of Colorado, is too broad and therefore doesn’t meet the statutory and constitutional requirement that initiative titles concern a single subject. Signature gathering for a ballot petition cannot begin unless a ballot title and a petition form are approved. “Voters don’t know what they’re voting yes or no on,” Conley...
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Push to Enshrine the Public’s Right to Know in Colorado Constitution Gains Steam
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State, Approved, Colorado Freedom of Information

Push to Enshrine the Public’s Right to Know in Colorado Constitution Gains Steam

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.” Should it also guarantee freedom of information? An ad hoc group that includes the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is exploring that idea this summer for a possible ballot initiative in 2026. The impetus is what seems to be a backsliding in the General Assembly on government transparency matters: The legislature exempted itself from major portions of the Colorado Open Meetings Law in 2024 and lawmakers next year will likely try for a third straight session to weaken the Colorado Open Records Act. Also involved in the ...
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Coloradans have standing to sue over open meetings violations — no matter where they live, court finds
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Approved, Colorado Freedom of Information, State

Coloradans have standing to sue over open meetings violations — no matter where they live, court finds

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition A Pagosa Springs attorney who has filed nearly 100 open-government lawsuits in the past several years has standing to sue the Elizabeth school board for alleged open meetings law violations even though he lives 300 miles away, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. Shutting down arguments made by the school district, the Colorado Association of School Boards and the Colorado Rural Schools Alliance, the state’s second-highest court concluded that the Colorado Open Meetings Law “creates a legally protected interest in favor of at least every natural person in Colorado — including the plaintiff here — in having public bodies conduct public business in compliance with the OML.” The school district had accused Mat...
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Lawmakers advance bill to livestream, allow remote comment to state and local boards
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Approved, Colorado Freedom of Information, State

Lawmakers advance bill to livestream, allow remote comment to state and local boards

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information State and local boards, councils and commissions would be required to livestream many of their public meetings and offer remote public testimony under a bill, endorsed Wednesday by a Colorado legislative committee, that is designed to improve access to government for people with disabilities. “This bill affirms the right to participate in our democracy,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, a Greenwood Village Democrat who is sponsoring House Bill 24-1168 with Rep. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City. “And by allowing remote public testimony, this legislation breaks down barriers that have historically silenced voices dues to geographical or physical limitations,” Rutinel added. “It ensures that every citizen has an equal opportunity...
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