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Q&A with Heather Graham | Pueblo’s new mayor aims to set narrative for Colorado city
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Q&A with Heather Graham | Pueblo’s new mayor aims to set narrative for Colorado city

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Heather Graham was sworn in as only the second mayor of Pueblo in more than a century on Feb. 1, following the first-term, at-large city council member's nearly 25-point win in a runoff against the incumbent mayor, Nick Gradisar. A Pueblo native and registered Republican, Graham traces her political awakening to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when she organized protests over city policies that restricted operations at her three restaurants — Ruby's Wine Bar and two Graham's Grills. Known for its namesake Pueblo chile and as the Home of Heroes — it's the hometown of four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients — Pueblo is Colorado's ninth-largest city, with a current estimated population of just over 110,000 putting it behind Westminster an...
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Colorado lawmakers decide to hold proposal exempting legislature from open meetings law’s provisions
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Colorado lawmakers decide to hold proposal exempting legislature from open meetings law’s provisions

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A panel of lawmakers decided to hold a proposal that seeks to carve out the General Assembly from some of the provisions of the state's open meetings law after the sponsor indicated it may not be ready for prime time. Senate Bill 157 attempts to deal with one of the stickiest unanswered questions around the state's open meetings law — what exactly is an open meeting? The law, as it applies to the General Assembly, says that occurs whenever two or more lawmakers are together discussing public business. But over the law's 50-plus year history, lawmakers have held daily conversations on legislation on the floor of the House or Senate or in offices at the Capitol — all outside the public view. It's a conflict between what the ...
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Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders
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Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Colorado office tasked with taking care of some of the state's most vulnerable citizens is once more facing questions about its management, notably after resignations have left it with just a few staffers to care for more than 80 clients. The Office of Public Guardianship is down to two remote guardians, who may live four to six hours away from their wards and who aren't tasked with in-person visits, and it has no in-person guardian for its Denver-based district, Colorado Politics has learned. The remote guardians are responsible for the office's 82 clients, who are primarily based in mental health facilities in Denver and Pueblo. "We can no longer sit back and watch this office be set up to fail," seven former guardians who have ...
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First Amendment expert: Proposal from Democratic leaders ‘completely’ exempts lawmakers from open meeting laws
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First Amendment expert: Proposal from Democratic leaders ‘completely’ exempts lawmakers from open meeting laws

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics Leaders of the Colorado General Assembly, along with several Democratic members, are seeking sweeping exemptions for lawmakers from the state's open meetings law, which contains guarantees of transparency when officials craft policies. The exemptions only apply to the legislature, not to other policymaking bodies such as a city council or county commission.   It's not immediately clear if the proposal is a direct response to a lawsuit filed in July against leaders of both House caucuses. That lawsuit from two Democratic legislators claimed the Democratic and GOP caucuses each held mandatory secret meetings at least weekly during the 2023 legislative session, directing legislative aides to omit or disguise the meetings on legislators' calenda...
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State legislature is closed for President’s Day, will resume business Tuesday
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State legislature is closed for President’s Day, will resume business Tuesday

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Here are legislative committee hearings and other events of note for the week ahead for the Colorado General Assembly. Committee schedules are subject to change. Schedules for both the House and Senate can change at any time. This website is the best resource for keeping up with daily activities.  Options for public testimony during committee hearings can be found here.  Regulations for remote testimony by the public can be found here. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado lawmakers scramble to find funds for schools, communities grappling with immigration crisis
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Colorado lawmakers scramble to find funds for schools, communities grappling with immigration crisis

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado's policymakers are looking for ways to help communities grappling with the costs of accommodating roughly 40,000 immigrants who arrived in Colorado in the past year. The Department of Public Safety is requesting nearly $10 million in supplemental funding for organizations that offer services and assistance to immigrant families.  More specifically, the money will go toward housing and legal aid for the immigrants who came to Colorado after illegally crossing America's southern border.  "Colorado is committed to providing the resources we can for the communities and organizations working on the frontlines to support new arrivals during this crisis, and we are grateful for their work," a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis...
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Colorado county clerks are divided over bill to require voting service centers in jails
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Colorado county clerks are divided over bill to require voting service centers in jails

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The state Senate Judiciary Committee is expected in the coming weeks to take its first look at a bill that has divided the usually united county clerks in Colorado over allowing people in jail to vote on election day. This could cost the state between $200,000 and $1 million. If passed, Senate Bill 72 would require county clerks to set up voting service centers in jails and detention facilities to allow eligible prisoners to vote. Clerks in the state's smaller counties are calling it an unfunded mandate, while sheriffs are taking issues with the bill's language regarding possible penalties for jail facilities not in compliance. The bill's fiscal note shows a state cost of $200,000, but opponents claim the real cost could be clo...
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Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes
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Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Democratic-controlled House committee killed legislation that supporters said would put more teeth into Colorado law following hours of testimony, in which victims who were bought and sold as children for purposes of sexual exploitation sought to persuade lawmakers to advance the measure.   House Bill 1092 would have mandated minimum sentences for those who buy children for sexual exploitation. The bill was heard in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which is also known as the "kill committee." On Thursday, the panel lived up to its nickname, killing the bill on an 8-3 party-line vote. Advocates said they aren't giving up and promised to be back next year. More than 50 witnesses packed ...
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Colorado lawmakers give green light to bill prohibiting adult use of cellphones while driving
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Colorado lawmakers give green light to bill prohibiting adult use of cellphones while driving

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Senate committee Monday gave approval to a measure that will require adults to use hands-free cellphone devices or face harsher penalties for talking on a cellphone while driving. Senate Bill 65 is the latest incarnation of efforts by lawmakers who have been trying for at least 15 years to require adult drivers to keep their eyes on the road, instead of on their cellphones.  Current state law already imposes restrictions around cellphones on drivers under 18. But it's been a much bigger hurdle to impose those same restrictions on adult drivers. The laws affecting adults permit regular cell phone use for voice calls, although they are prohibited from sending text messages or browsing the internet while behind the wheel. ...
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Colorado Senate considers bill to track ‘suspicious’ gun and ammo purchases
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Colorado Senate considers bill to track ‘suspicious’ gun and ammo purchases

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A bill being proposed in the state Senate would allow credit card companies to assign codes to the purchase of firearms and ammunition. Sponsors of the bill say such tracking would allow law enforcement to track "suspicious activity" that could lead to crime.  Senate Bill 066 was discussed last week by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee. If it passes, the bill would require payment networks, such as credit card companies, to provide processors with a newly developed merchant category code, or MCC, that will specifically be assigned to firearms and ammunition. This code, which was established by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, in 2022, must be assigned by processors to each firearms merchan...
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