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Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees
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Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees

By Ed Sealover | Colorado Politics While state broadband officials ready their action plan to expand fiber to 99% of Colorado, a dispute over the amount of fees that telecommunications companies must pay to install lines along public rights of way has stalled dueling legislative efforts to define those fees. A bipartisan quartet of legislators introduced Senate Bill 91 just two weeks into the 2024 session on Jan. 24 at the behest of Colorado Counties Inc. and rural telecom companies. The bill lets the Colorado Department of Transportation impose a one-time permitting fee to lay broadband fiber along rights of way but prohibits it from charging annual fees — reversing a policy enacted in December by the Colorado Transportation Commission. Meanwhile, the Joint Technology Committee c...
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Vision Collision: Cherry Creek ponders over super-sized project
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Vision Collision: Cherry Creek ponders over super-sized project

By Mark Samuelson | Colorado Politics Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, with a shopping district that was once known for its quirky charms, has gone through a remarkable run of commercial and residential building projects over the past two decades, with more to come. And that has residents worried. A few decades ago, the small area’s boutiques, bistros and galleries were wrapped by shaded neighborhoods, where people could find everything from custom homes to small bungalows that a schoolteacher or gardener might afford. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado programs for older residents face major funding shortfalls
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Colorado programs for older residents face major funding shortfalls

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Funding for community-based programs to help Colorado’s older residents receive daily necessities, such as meals and transportation services, is dwindling, and the future looks bleak, advocates said.   The Colorado Association of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provides services to more than 56,000 seniors over 60 annually. The federal Older Americans Act and the Colorado Department of Human Services State Unit on Aging support the program. Statewide, there is a growing waiting list of older residents in need of services with AAA, which estimated it needs an annual budget of about $29.5 million just to maintain current levels. The state’s AAA program operated using a $15 million homestead grant between 2019 and 202...
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Saying no to veto, Gov. Jared Polis signs bill exempting lawmakers from open meetings law
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Saying no to veto, Gov. Jared Polis signs bill exempting lawmakers from open meetings law

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Just hours after the bill reached his desk, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a measure that would exempt lawmakers from the state's open meetings law, ultimately saying the matter deals with separations of powers between his office and the Colorado General Assembly.    The law is effective immediately.  In a signing statement, the governor said he accepted Senate Bill 24-157 to "provide clarity to the Legislature as it seeks to resolve ambiguities around their own conduct under the Colorado Open Meetings Law." Polis noted the bill applies only to the legislature, not the executive or judicial branches. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Bill to legally allow Colorado lawmakers to violate parts of open meeting laws, in place since 1972, heads to governor
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Bill to legally allow Colorado lawmakers to violate parts of open meeting laws, in place since 1972, heads to governor

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Despite a last-ditch effort by some House lawmakers on Monday, a bill that will exempt the Colorado General Assembly from following parts of the open meetings law established in 1972 is now in the hands of Gov. Jared Polis. What Polis thinks of the measure, which the House passed on a 39-22 vote, remains unknown. The state's 1972 Sunshine Law declares that it is a "matter of statewide concern and the policy of this state that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret.” But lawmakers at the state Capitol, who complain the law hinders their ability to have private conversations about public policy and bills, including through text or email with their colleagues, seek to rewrite the law. READ TH...
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Colorado lawmakers eye regulation of dating apps to prevent assault, rape
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Colorado lawmakers eye regulation of dating apps to prevent assault, rape

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The number of couples who have met on a dating app or website has skyrocketed since online dating services first debuted over two decades ago. While many find happy and healthy relationships through the online services, others looking for love have not been so lucky. Currently, Colorado is ranked as the fifth-most dangerous state for online dating, pushing legislators to propose a comprehensive bill that will provide its citizens some peace of mind. The ranking took into account data, including cybercrime stats, rates of romantic fraud, and violent crime stemming from online interactions. Wading into issue, Senate Bill 011 requires online dating services to create and publish safety policies, including information on whether ...
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Colorado House Democrats push concealed weapons training bill forward
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Colorado House Democrats push concealed weapons training bill forward

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics With Democrats calling it common sense legislation to get gun owners better educated, Republicans argued last week that the proposed changes to Colorado's concealed carry permitting process infringes on Second Amendment rights. In its second reading on the House floor on March 8, House Bill 1174 mandates that all concealed carry permit training classes must be conducted in person with a curriculum to cover firearm safety, storage, state and federal gun laws, and self-defense and de-escalation tactics. Applicants must pass a written exam and live-fire exercise; renewals require a refresher course. In a vote along party lines, the bill passed through the Committee of the Whole and will proceed to its third reading before making its...
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Payback? Democrats gut, then reject party mate’s proposal on county commissioners
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Payback? Democrats gut, then reject party mate’s proposal on county commissioners

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Democrat on Friday saw his proposal dealing with the number of county commissioners first effectively gutted by an amendment and then killed by his party mates, a rare sight that might have its genesis in the legislator's lawsuit over the caucuses' practice of meeting away from the public view. That lawsuit outlined a secretive process by which Republicans and Democrats met to discuss legislation or discussed policies via messaging apps effectively outside of the purview of the state's Open Meetings Law. The lawsuit ultimately led to a settlement.    READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado lawmakers battle over legalization of supervised drug injection sites
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Colorado lawmakers battle over legalization of supervised drug injection sites

BY Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADO POLITICS The Colorado legislature is diving anew into the debate over "safe injection sites" — places where a person can consume illicit drugs under the supervision of medical personnel— with opponents saying it encourages illegal drug use, while supporters arguing it will yield positive results in the ongoing public health crisis. Drug overdoses have killed thousands of Colorado residents in the last few years. Last year, 522 people died from drug overdoses in Denver alone, the most since tracking began in 1923, according to city records. And though final numbers for overdose deaths statewide won't be available until this summer, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment recorded 1,454 total drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents from 2...
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Colorado House Democrats kill proposal pushing for tougher approach to fentanyl crisis
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Colorado House Democrats kill proposal pushing for tougher approach to fentanyl crisis

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Michael Fiore, the outreach coordinator for Voices for Awareness and Project Facing Fentanyl, remembered selling drugs to support his addiction and skating through the system before getting clean — after serving a prison term in New York. Fiori said when people figure out they only need to carry less than 4 grams and all they will face, if caught, is a simple misdemeanor, they will do that. Addicts, he said, do not learn until they are held accountable. “Sympathy causes a disconnect in recovery,” the once 20-year addict told members of the House Judiciary Committee during a late-night hearing on Wednesday. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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