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Senate Panel Blocks Bill Expanding Lawsuits Against Government Officials
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Senate Panel Blocks Bill Expanding Lawsuits Against Government Officials

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A panel of Colorado legislators on Tuesday rejected legislation that would have allowed residents to sue federal and local officials in state court for alleged constitutional violations. Senate Bill 176 would have allowed individuals who have been subjected to a “deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities” afforded in the U.S. Constitution to sue for civil damages within two years of the alleged violation. The bill — sponsored by Sens. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver — included exceptions for federal officials with absolute or qualified immunity. Both forms of immunity come with exceptions. The measure, dubbed the “No Kings Act” by supporters, piggybacked off another measure sponsored ...
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Polis Signs Sweeping Colorado Law Changes Affecting Farms Schools And Public Office
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis Signs Sweeping Colorado Law Changes Affecting Farms Schools And Public Office

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis signed 25 bills into law Monday, bringing changes that will affect workers, families, schools, and local governments across Colorado. The new laws deal with a range of issues – from overtime rules for farmworkers to limits on lawmakers holding multiple offices, along with school safety upgrades and new standards for dementia care facilities. These measures — some technical, others sweeping — reflect the wide array of issues lawmakers tackled during a session defined by tight budgets and competing priorities. No double-dipping As introduced, Senate Bill 59 would have prohibited state lawmakers — including newly elected members of the Colorado General Assembly — from holding a second elected office a...
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Colorado Medicaid Cuts Force Aurora Mental Health Provider To Lay Off Over 100 Workers
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Colorado Medicaid Cuts Force Aurora Mental Health Provider To Lay Off Over 100 Workers

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A nonprofit that provides services through 11 mental health centers in Aurora announced Thursday that it is eliminating 111 jobs effective June 30, the result of federal and state budget reductions. Aurora Mental Health & Recovery said the positions being eliminated are mostly administrative and support service jobs. That includes 91 jobs currently held by AMHR employees. Four are clinical positions. The nonprofit also announced it is eliminating programs that no longer have sustainable funding, including behavioral health services at its Mrachek House; the youth leadership academy, adult education and victim assistance at the Cultural Development & Wellness Center; and the Aurora Sustained program within its fore...
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Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado legislators on Tuesday adopted a $46.8 billion plan to pay for state operations and programs next year after a joint panel reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions. A small group of lawmakers had resolved those differences. Lawmakers adopted what is called the conference committee report on House Bill 1410 — the budget measure — mostly along party lines. Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, was the only Republican to vote in favor of the bill in the Senate. In the House, fellow JBC member Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, was the only Republican to vote “yes,” while Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, was the only Democrat to vote “no.” READ T...
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Colorado Primary Battles Intensify As Voters Face Crowded 2026 Ballots
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Primary Battles Intensify As Voters Face Crowded 2026 Ballots

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics With just over two months to go until ballots are counted in Colorado’s primary, candidates are squaring off in high-stakes contests for their party’s nominations in statewide and congressional races approaching the midterm election. For the first time in memory, state voters will have the chance to elect an entire new slate of state-level executive officials — from governor and attorney general to secretary of state and state treasurer — since those offices’ Democratic incumbents all face term limits. At the same time, Democrats will decide which candidate to nominate in the state’s marquee U.S. House race, where the Republican incumbent in the 8th Congressional District is facing three potential challengers in what’s expected to b...
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Lone Colorado Judge Sides With Government On Immigration Custody Rules
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Lone Colorado Judge Sides With Government On Immigration Custody Rules

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Chief Judge Daniel D. Domenico broke with his peers on Colorado’s U.S. District Court last week in siding with the government’s argument about the broad scope of its immigration detention authority. In an April 15 order finding that a man was properly in custody without a bond hearing, Domenico acknowledged his view is the outlier locally and nationally. “The majority of district courts, including all of the judges in this District who have addressed the issue, have found that detention of noncitizens similar to the petitioner under (the mandatory detention provision) is improper,” wrote Domenico, a first-term appointee of President Donald Trump. “There are legitimate arguments on both sides.” Beginning last year, ...
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Lawmakers To Examine Claims Of Financial Mismanagement By House Democrat Leader
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Lawmakers To Examine Claims Of Financial Mismanagement By House Democrat Leader

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A legislative ethics panel in Colorado is scheduled to meet Wednesday to review a complaint alleging that Aurora Democrat Rep. Mandy Lindsay misused House Democratic caucus funds. Rep. Bob Marshall, D‑Highlands Ranch, filed the complaint on Jan. 26. Marshall’s complaint outlines the structure of caucus funds and details the responsibilities Lindsay has in managing them. Lindsay told Colorado Politics on Tuesday, “I respect the ethics committee, trust in the work they will do, and I look forward to the process.” Lindsay has served as one of the two House Democratic caucus co‑chairs — alongside Rep. Junie Joseph of Boulder — since November 2022. The caucus chair is responsible for managing the group’s fund, including...
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Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Medicaid Cuts Raise Alarm for Colorado Hospitals Already on Thin Margins

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics The $900 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade could threaten the viability of more than 400 hospitals nationally and at least nine in Colorado, a new report has found. The hospitals span the Front Range and rural communities, from Denver Health — the region’s primary safety-net provider — to smaller hospitals in places like Leadville, Lamar and Fort Morgan, reflecting the mounting pressure across both urban and rural health systems. “The cuts will be devastating to many low-income and disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid,” the report said. “Moreover, they will have knock-on effects on hospitals that disproportionately serve these communities, deepening the financial strain already plaguing rural and sa...
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Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes
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Colorado Politics, Approved, National

Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes

By Haris Alic and Lauren Green | Colorado Politics EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is working on legislation to strip disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell of his $22,000 annual taxpayer-funded congressional pension. Swalwell resigned from the House on Tuesday after allegations of sexual assault by multiple women, including a former congressional staffer. Despite his exit under an ethical cloud, the California Democrat is still entitled to a taxpayer-funded congressional pension for his nearly 13 years of service in the House. Boebert, who was one of the first lawmakers to call on the House to expel Swalwell, told the Washington Examiner it was unacceptable that Swalwell would still benefit from American taxpayers. “We should pass a...
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Colorado Supreme Court Confronts Trans Care Dispute With Federal Funding at Stake
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Supreme Court Confronts Trans Care Dispute With Federal Funding at Stake

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court expressed discomfort on Tuesday with having to decide whether to order Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume providing certain services to transgender children, which could trigger a “death sentence” if the federal government imposes consequences. “I’m assuming there’s no middle ground here with the federal administration, in terms of letting the patients who are already in treatment complete their treatment but just not take on any new patients for gender-affirming care?” asked Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr. during oral arguments. There is not, responded the hospital’s lawyer. “We believe that the care can be provided safely and effectively,” added attorney Patrick O’Rourke. “But ul...
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