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Democrat TABOR Revenue Reclassification Plan Draws Scrutiny at State Capitol
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Democrat TABOR Revenue Reclassification Plan Draws Scrutiny at State Capitol

By Nash Herman | Complete Colorado Similar to last year’s Senate Bill 173, legislative Democrats are returning this year with another effort to bypass Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) by reclassifying certain state revenue streams.  While Senate Bill 26-042 may have some plausibility under specific TABOR terms, it raises broader concerns about the runaway growth of Colorado’s state government, and the mechanisms legislators pursue to evade voter consent over taxation.  What the bill does  While TABOR generally limits the growth of a portion of state revenue to a modest formula of population growth plus inflation, it allows for certain carve outs such as “damage awards” and “collections for another government.”  ...
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Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty
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Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty

By Rob Natelson | Commentary., Complete Colorado This year marks the 150th anniversary of the original Colorado Constitution, which in a recent column I called “an extraordinary testament to human freedom.” The state constitution remains in effect today, but in a mangled form far less protective of liberty than when it became effective on August 1, 1876. As my prior column pointed out, the document imposed severe limitations on taxes, spending, and state debt—limitations far more restrictive than those currently mandated by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The Colorado founders’ dedication to freedom also appeared in their constitution’s bill of rights. The U.S. Bill of Rights consists only of ten relatively short amendments; the original Colo...
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Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email
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Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado GREELEY – While businesses closed, teachers called in sick and students walked out of class across Colorado as a sign of solidarity with two recent shootings by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minnesota, one Greeley-Evans School District 6 staffer decided to push her political opinions onto colleagues via the district email system, earning her a sit down with human resources about the appropriate use of school resources. The recent killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officials in Minneapolis, who were attempting to take into custody suspected criminal aliens in the country illegally, has sparked protests across the country, including in Colorado. Although District 6 has had classes as usual, and...
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Clean Energy Mandates in HB 1030 Could Undermine Colorado’s Critical Infrastructure
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Clean Energy Mandates in HB 1030 Could Undermine Colorado’s Critical Infrastructure

By Sarah Montalbano | Commentary, Complete Colorado Legislators in Denver are off to the races this session with a heavy-handed bill that will chase data center investment out of Colorado. House Bill 26-1030 creates a new bureaucracy, imposes burdensome labor and workforce requirements, and requires data centers to use 100% clean energy. If lawmakers believe data centers are “essential critical infrastructure,” as the bill claims, then the legislature must allow them to use whatever electricity sources they need. If the goal is to drive data center developers to Wyoming, then lawmakers should continue down this path. Mandating unreliable energy The worst part of HB 1030 is its requirement that data centers must be powered with 100% renewabl...
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Federal Lawsuit Challenges Northglenn Over Church Activities At Public Park
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Federal Lawsuit Challenges Northglenn Over Church Activities At Public Park

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Several recent legal motions related to an ongoing lawsuit against the City of Northglenn seek dismissal of citations issued to members of three Colorado churches for hosting a public worship and charity event at a city park. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a public interest law firm specializing in religious freedom, filed a lawsuit in federal court in November on behalf of those cited and other church members. Northglenn, with around 38,000 residents, is a home rule municipality in the north metro Denver area. Starting in July 2020, Brave Church, and The Crossing Church–both located in neighboring Westminster–as well as Next Step Church located in Thornton, began hosting religious ministry gatherings ...
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Runaway Medicaid Spending Forces Colorado Toward Hard Choices
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Runaway Medicaid Spending Forces Colorado Toward Hard Choices

By: Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The legislature’s Joint Budget Committee (JBC) recently held a hearing with the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing (HCPF), the Governor’s office, and Manatt, a healthcare consulting firm, to address the unsustainable growth of Colorado’s Medicaid spending. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from the hearing. Runaway spending According to HCPF and the Governor’s office, General Fund spending on Medicaid increased at an average rate of 6 percent from fiscal year 2015-16 to fiscal year 2018-19. However, after the federal government windfall from COVID, General Fund spending blew up, growing at an average rate of 19 percent from fiscal year 2021-22 to fiscal year 2024-25. Health c...
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New Colorado Nonprofit Targets Judges and DAs Accused of Being Soft on Crime
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New Colorado Nonprofit Targets Judges and DAs Accused of Being Soft on Crime

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Two elected officials representing a hefty swath of the Front Range are teaming up with a Colorado radio host because they say they have had enough of rogue judges releasing violent criminals onto the streets, only to repeat offend. Their desire to change that trajectory led them to form a new non-profit educational group aimed at shining a light on those they believe need to move on from the bench. Conservative talk show host Jeff Hunt, State Rep. Dan Woog (R-Frederick), and 4th Congressional District CU Regent Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch), have joined forces to form Law and Order Action, which they say is “dedicated to holding pro-crime judges, district attorneys and lawmakers accountable.” Woog’s legislat...
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Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda
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Poll Shows Coloradans Want the Center, But Democrats Focused on Progressive Agenda

By Mark Hillman | Complete Colorado The Colorado General Assembly returns for its annual 120-day session on Jan. 14, evoking a four-month visceral cringe from Coloradans who dread the next round of legislative fiats certain to be imposed upon us. Coloradans are in a restless mood lately.  It’s no secret a majority of Colorado voters has little affection for President Trump, but they’re not exactly cheerleaders for Democrats either. A December poll by Keating Research, which often works with Democrat clients, found disapproval of the Colorado Democratic Party at 55% – only slightly better than the 58% disapproval of Colorado Republicans. A majority said Colorado is headed in the wrong direction and expressed little confidence in the state legislature, w...
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Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments
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Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Remember during COVID, when the people screaming the loudest for government-mandated jabs were the very same people chanting “my body, my choice” when it came to abortion — I mean, “women’s health care”? They’re also the folks who insist a 12-year-old is far too young to get a tattoo, but perfectly mature enough to make irreversible “gender-affirming” medical decisions. The technical term for this is cognitive dissonance. In Colorado, we just call it public policy. Fighting tyranny by ending elections Now, as the new year dawns and another legislative session lurches to life, prepare yourself for the mother of all contradictions: “I will fight Trump’s assault on democracy,” followed immediately by, “and on an...
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Lowering The Bar In The Name Of Equity At MSU Denver
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Lowering The Bar In The Name Of Equity At MSU Denver

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado Standard American English does not exist, says Metropolitan State University’s writing center, but also it “is a social construct that privileges white communities and maintains social and racial hierarchies.” Yet the very MSU document damning standard English and calling for its rejection is written in—you guessed it—standard English. (MSU’s ‘linguistic white supremacy’ webpage has been taken down, but here are screenshots from the document). You might think that a writing center’s goal should be to help students write clearly and intelligibly. No, no, no. Obviously you’re a racist if you think that. The goal of MSU’s writing center is to “be actively anti-racist,” to fight white supremacy, to challenge inequali...
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