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Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in Brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. A bill set for its first hearing later this month would bar Colorado lawmakers from holding more than one elected office at a time, reviving a recurring debate over conflicts of interest at the Capitol. Senate Bill 59 aims to address an issue that has surfaced at least six times in the last few years: lawmakers holding more than one elected office at a time. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, and Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, is slated for a Feb. 24 hearing in the...
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Colorado Confirms 14th Wolf Death Since Voter Mandated Reintroduction
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Confirms 14th Wolf Death Since Voter Mandated Reintroduction

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The 14th wolf to die in Colorado since their reintroduction about two years ago took place during a “collaring” operation in the northwestern region of the state last week. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the wolf, identified as #2305 — meaning it was one of the original 10 animals that came from Oregon — died on Jan. 28 in Routt County. The wolf was the male of the breeding pair that produced the King Mountain pack last year. Of the original 10 wolves from Oregon, five have now died. Two yearlings from the Copper Creek pack, whose mating pair were from Oregon, also died. Another seven wolves from the original 15 of the British Columbia wolves have also died. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado House Immigration Resolution Reveals Tension Over Sanctuary Policies and Taxpayer Burdens
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado House Immigration Resolution Reveals Tension Over Sanctuary Policies and Taxpayer Burdens

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A joint resolution affirming lawmakers’ “commitment to Coloradans navigating the complex United States immigration system” sparked more than three hours of debate on the House Floor on Tuesday morning, reflecting the tension rising between Colorado and the Trump administration, which has traded barbs and lawsuits, underpinned by the former’s campaign to crackdown on illegal immigration and the latter’s “sanctuary” policies. At the outset, Colorado’s Democratic officials have signaled a confrontational stance vis-a-vis the Trump administration — the attorney general last month announced the launch of an online “tool” for Coloradans to report misconduct by federal agents, while the city of Denver is considering barring the wearing o...
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More People Are Leaving Colorado as High Costs and Regulations Take Toll
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More People Are Leaving Colorado as High Costs and Regulations Take Toll

By Vince Bzdek | Colorado Politics It’s finally happened. Buried in all the self-congratulatory reports about Colorado reaching the 6 million mark in population last year was news that should be keeping our political leaders up at night. For the first time in 20 years, more people left Colorado to go to other states than moved here from elsewhere in the country, 12,100 more. “More outs than ins,” the state demographer’s office said in a statement. I’ve been dreading this moment for years. Colorado’s total net migration – the number of people coming here versus the number of people leaving – has dropped by over 50% from 2015 to 2025. That means Colorado’s population growth has now slowed to its lowest level since 1989, according to the state demographer...
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Colorado Homeowners Face Property Tax Shock After Temporary Relief Expires
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Colorado Homeowners Face Property Tax Shock After Temporary Relief Expires

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Mike Fitz, 76, who lives in Centennial in a single-family home he has owned since 2001, paid $3,876.98 in property taxes to Arapahoe County two years ago. Fitz just learned after checking the website of the Arapahoe County Assessor’s Office that his 2026 tax bill has shot up to $5,435.47, and that already factors in a discount of $750 for the senior homestead exemption. That translates to an increase of nearly 30% or more than $1,500 over two years for the Colorado resident on a fixed income from a combination of Social Security payments and a pension from Gates Rubber. Indeed, the new year is bringing sticker shock to many Colorado homeowners like Fitz — property taxes are rising and some will see increases ranging from ...
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Colorado Lawmakers Lean on Fees to Sidestep TABOR Tax Limits
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Colorado Lawmakers Lean on Fees to Sidestep TABOR Tax Limits

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics More than 30 years after Colorado voters approved the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, a growing share of state spending now falls outside the voter-approved limits intended to restrain government growth. A new report shows that fee-funded “enterprises” — state-owned businesses exempt from TABOR’s revenue cap — have expanded dramatically, raising worries that lawmakers are increasingly relying on fees, rather than taxes, to fund government programs. At its core, TABOR limits the government’s ability to raise revenue. Political subdivisions must obtain voter approval for any tax increase, and it requires dollars above the TABOR limit to be refunded to residents. Numerous efforts have been made to repeal TABOR since its enactment. As r...
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Greenland Defense Ties Put Colorado at the Center of Arctic Security
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, Local

Greenland Defense Ties Put Colorado at the Center of Arctic Security

By Vince Bzdek | Commentary, Colorado Politics The conclusion to the dizzying odyssey over Greenland this week reminded me a little of the ending of the “Wizard of Oz.” If you recall, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man finish a great and frightful quest only to discover they already had what they sought on the quest all along: brains, courage, heart, and the means to get back to Kansas. Similarly, President Trump has concluded that he can get what he wants out of Greenland through the security arrangements that already exist rather than buying or taking over the country. That’s because the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark (which includes Greenland as an autonomous territory) already share joint responsibility for the defense of the area. Th...
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Democrats Revive Gender Identity Language in Colorado Child Custody Law
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Democrats Revive Gender Identity Language in Colorado Child Custody Law

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Democratic lawmakers eye reviving a provision related to gender identity in child custody cases that was stripped from a bill signed into law last year. Last session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1312, which dealt with legal protections for transgender individuals. The law included new provisions dealing with name changes on marriage certificates, sex designations on driver’s licenses, and school dress codes. Specifically, the bill requires county clerks and recorders to issue name changes on marriage certificates when requested but leave no indication or mark that the certificate has been modified. It allows an individual to change the sex designation on a driver’s license up to three times, instead of just once, before bei...
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Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses
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Colorado GOP Debates Strategy to Win Governor’s Seat After Two Decades of Losses

By: Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado has not elected a Republican governor since 2002. On Thursday night, four candidates offered competing visions for how the party can reverse its 20-plus years of failing to secure the seat. The discussion hosted by the Women of Weld County touched on electability, affordability, housing, and how a Republican governor would work with the Trump administration. While 20 candidates are vying to win their party’s primary contest, only four attended the debate: Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, Joshua Griffin, Joe Oltmann and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. Colorado’s last Republican governor was Bill Owens. The state is now considered by many to be solidly blue. Gov. Jared Polis, the current governor, won reelection i...
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Title Board Clears Path For Ballot Measures To End Colorado’s Flat Income Tax
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Title Board Clears Path For Ballot Measures To End Colorado’s Flat Income Tax

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Proponents hoping to change Colorado’s income tax structure from a flat rate to graduated tiers — thereby raising taxes for some brackets — walked away from a Wednesday meeting with eight ballot measures approved by the title board. The coalition backing the graduated income tax change now must pick which one to move onto the petition process. It’s a big change from the group’s last visit in October, when the three-member Initiative Title Setting Review Board rejected two proposed measures for violating a rule that ballot measures may only contain a single subject. In December, the title board turned down a third proposal for the same reason. The title board is made up of representatives from the Attorney Genera...
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