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Colorado legislation requires public schools to call students by ‘preferred name’
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Colorado legislation requires public schools to call students by ‘preferred name’

By Marissa Ventrelli, coloradopolitics.com Colorado public schools would be required to use a student's "preferred name" under a proposal that would also label the refusal to do so "discriminatory." The bill is among several measures that deal with identity and gender. Another bill aims to make it easier for individuals convicted of a felony to change their legal change to conform with their gender identity. Proponents argue that socially affirming transgender youth's identities increase their school performance, while critics said it's yet another attack on parents' rights. If passed, HB 24-1039 would require public and charter schools beginning in July next year to use a student's preferred name, regardless of whether it is their legal name, for school document...
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Colorado First Amendment attorney weighs in on the legalities of protest in government buildings
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Colorado First Amendment attorney weighs in on the legalities of protest in government buildings

By Marissa Ventrelli | SOURCE: Colorado Politics Political protests have happened in America since before it officially became a country. Many Americans point to the Constitution's First Amendment as a defining principle. The Founding Fathers specifically forbid Congress from "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." However, as with just about any rule, there are exceptions. In light of recent protests at the Capitol in Denver, Colorado Politics spoke with First Amendment attorney Mike Beylkin of Zansberg Law to find out what protections protestors have inside the building and the potential legal implications that could lead to being removed from the premises. W...
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Colorado lawmakers grill officials over wolf release communication failures
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Colorado lawmakers grill officials over wolf release communication failures

Ranchers' trust destroyed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife's wolf release By Marianne Goodland  | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Lawmakers grilled officials from the Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, who found themselves on the hot seat on Wednesday at the state Capitol, where policymakers described communication failures and problems tied to the release of wolves in Grand and Summit counties last month. The lawmakers said the state mishandled communications over the release and added that destroyed trust with ranchers and landowners. They added those ranchers and landers are now saying they will no longer work with the agency on conservation issues. Dan Gibbs, chief of the Department of Natural Resources, apologized for the communication failures. ...
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Republicans lament Gov. Jared Polis’ ‘blatant disregard for rural Colorado,’ while Democrats cheer focus on housing affordability
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Republicans lament Gov. Jared Polis’ ‘blatant disregard for rural Colorado,’ while Democrats cheer focus on housing affordability

By Marianne Goodland | SOURCE: Colorado Politics Lawmakers and other politicos who watched Thursday's State of the State address from Gov. Jared Polis mostly reacted along party lines to his policy prescriptions on housing, transportation, public safety, education and taxation.  But not always. Democrats, for example, lauded some of his strategies on housing — but not so much the governor's support for tax cuts. Republicans, meanwhile, liked what they heard on cutting taxes but were not thrilled with his other ideas.    Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a former state senator who attended the speech, his first since winning election last spring, he said he is "really excited about his focus on affordable housing statewide."  READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS...
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Democrat Adam Frisch tops $2.9 million for quarter in race for Lauren Boebert’s Colorado House seat
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Democrat Adam Frisch tops $2.9 million for quarter in race for Lauren Boebert’s Colorado House seat

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: Colorado Politics Democratic congressional candidate Adam Frisch raised more than $2.9 million in the fourth quarter for his bid to represent the Colorado seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, his campaign announced Thursday. The former Aspen City Council member was seeking a rematch against Boebert until she switched just before the end of the year to run in a less competitive district. He plans to report starting the 2024 election year with more than $5 million on hand. The Democrat's campaign said Frisch received an average donation of just over $27 from more than 106,400 individuals in the three-month period ending on Dec. 31. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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State Board of Ed member Stephen Varela, a former Democrat, joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 3rd CD
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State Board of Ed member Stephen Varela, a former Democrat, joins GOP primary in Colorado’s 3rd CD

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Colorado State Board of Education member Stephen Varela on Thursday announced that he's entering the Republican primary for the congressional seat represented by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who switched late last year to run in another district. An Army combat veteran and former Democrat from Pueblo, Varela said he believes voters in the 3rd Congressional District are "ready for fundamental change." “I believe we are on the verge of a conservative renaissance in America,” he said in a statement. “So many Americans look at the woke indoctrination in our schools, unimaginable debt and deficits, Biden’s overseas failures, and the complete chaos at our Southern border, and they’ve given up hope. But these failures put the spotlight on the con...
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Watch pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House proceedings, check out first bills of session, Jeff Crank jumps into 5th CD race | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Watch pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House proceedings, check out first bills of session, Jeff Crank jumps into 5th CD race | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Today is Jan. 11, 2024, and here's what you need to know: Colorado Politics reporters covered the opening ceremonies of the second regular session of the 74th General Assembly yesterday. Here's the recap. Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House on first day of session The Colorado General Assembly immediately got off to a troubled start on Wednesday, when multiple groups of pro-Palestinian protesters shouted from the House gallery, bringing the chamber's business to a brief halt. Similar protests took place in state legislatures in California and Arizona on their opening days earlier this week. READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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Colorado’s ‘construction defects’ law explained
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Colorado’s ‘construction defects’ law explained

By Marissa Ventrelli | SOURCE: Colorado Politics Ask just about any Colorado legislator, regardless of party, what they believe to be one of the biggest issues facing the state and there's a high likelihood they will say housing. More specifically, state lawmakers are grappling with the lack of affordable units for first-time homebuyers due in part to the Construction Defect Reform Act, which has left developers vulnerable to costly lawsuits and the state with fewer housing options.  While current members of the Colorado General Assembly work to find a solution, one thing is certain, for the last two decades, construction on housing, such as condominiums, prime real estate for first-time home buyers, has decreased significantly, adding to a growing problem of affordability and a...
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Republican Jeff Crank jumps in Colorado’s 5th CD primary to replace retiring US Rep. Doug Lamborn
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Republican Jeff Crank jumps in Colorado’s 5th CD primary to replace retiring US Rep. Doug Lamborn

By Ernest Luning | SOURCE: Colorado Politics The race to replace retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs is getting crowded. Conservative podcast host and political strategist Jeff Crank threw his hat in the GOP's 5th Congressional District primary on Wednesday, joining the state's Republican Party chairman and a long-serving state lawmaker, with more likely to emerge in coming weeks. The solidly Republican, El Paso County-based seat unexpectedly became open when Lamborn announced last week that he would not seek reelection to a 10th term this year. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House on first day of session
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Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House on first day of session

By Marianne Goodland | Source: Colorado Politics The Colorado General Assembly immediately got off to a troubled start on Wednesday, when multiple groups of pro-Palestinian protesters shouted from the House gallery, bringing the chamber's business to a brief halt. Similar protests took place in state legislatures in California and Arizona on their opening days earlier this week. The disruption prompted Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat who was part of a group of senators participating in a ministerial role in the House, to say lawmakers "don’t have the time to waste." READ FULL ARTICLE ON COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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