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Rep. Gonzalez: States can’t solve immigration chaos without congressional action
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completecolorado.com, National

Rep. Gonzalez: States can’t solve immigration chaos without congressional action

Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Commentary, Complete Colorado There’s no denying we have a broken immigration system. For decades, meaningful reform to solve this very complex issue has failed to take root. The people have wanted a fair and more streamlined immigration process that protects national security, but also is just and humane. Given the very heated climate we find ourselves in today, with riots and anarchy playing out in the streets, I have to speak up. I will not let the media speak for me. I won’t let anyone speak for me. As a Colorado state legislator and a son of immigrants, I know this issue on a personal level. My parents are immigrants. My mom is a resident and my dad is a citizen. They told me we all need a hand up sometimes but never handouts. I know many undocumented ...
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Critics warn Polis’ immigration law oversteps Constitution, ignores federal authority
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Critics warn Polis’ immigration law oversteps Constitution, ignores federal authority

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER—Despite repeated claims that Colorado is not a “sanctuary state” for illegal immigration, Gov. Jared Polis on May 23 signed a bill into law that both reinforces and expands Colorado’s existing protections for immigrants living in the country illegally. Senate Bill 25-276, Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status was a top priority for majority Democrats in the state legislature as they continue their attempt at isolating Colorado from the Trump administration’s deportation policies, with the bill picking up a remarkable 46 prime and co-sponsors on its way to passage. Expanded protections Colorado state law already limits interaction and information sharing between local and federal officers. However, SB 276 extends this measure to proh...
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Petition launched to stop Colorado’s nickel-and-dime delivery surcharge
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Petition launched to stop Colorado’s nickel-and-dime delivery surcharge

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters may get the chance to repeal at least one of the many news fees set by the Colorado legislature in the recent past— the retail delivery fee of .29 cents on any tangible property that is delivered by motor vehicle. The fee, which was passed by majority Democrats in the legislature in 2021 and amended in 2023, is scheduled to be reduced to .28 cents on July 1. The money generated by the fee, nearly $90 million in 2023, is currently earmarked for transportation projects. The ballot initiative language approved by the title board on May 21, would repeal the fee entirely.  The measure is now awaiting approval of petitions to begin circulating for signatures. Supporters will then have six months to gathe...
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Gaines: Colorado Public Radio takes a swing at ‘climate realism’—and misses
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Gaines: Colorado Public Radio takes a swing at ‘climate realism’—and misses

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Complete Colorado Have you heard of climate realism?  It varies depending on who uses it, but in general the term refers to acknowledging that while fossil fuels are contributing to climate change, it’s not an existential threat demanding immediate, drastic action.  It describes a view that the proper response to climate change is mitigating the downside while understanding that reliable, abundant and affordable energy from fossil fuels prevents a whole host of problems we could have if we simply left them in the ground. This is the view held by recently appointed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, former CEO of Liberty Energy.  I don’t think he coined the phrase “climate realist,” but it is certainly how he has described his own v...
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First in the state: District 49 bans boys from girls’ sports, sues state over anti-discrimination laws
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First in the state: District 49 bans boys from girls’ sports, sues state over anti-discrimination laws

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado’s 18th largest school district, located about 15 miles northeast of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, appears to be the first to unilaterally develop transgender athlete regulations in adherence to recent presidential executive orders. Saying that “there are inherent differences between boys and girls, meaning biological males and biological females” the Falcon 49 school board last week enacted a new policy specifying in part that “classification of sports team participation by biological sex is therefore necessary to preserve and promote equal opportunity for District 49’s female athletes.” The policy, titled Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports, goes on to state:  “Allowing boys to compete in girls’ ...
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Polis’ ‘libertarian’ label faces reality check from Reason Magazine
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Polis’ ‘libertarian’ label faces reality check from Reason Magazine

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Amidst ongoing battles within his own party, and despite recently vetoing a pair of bills that concentrated more authority in Colorado state government, Jared Polis’ carefully scripted reputation as a libertarian-leaning governor appears to be fading. Even Reason Magazine, the national media outlet that has for years has hung its hat on the idea that Polis is more liberty-minded than progressive, is now questioning whether Polis’ moderate temperament is real, with editor-at-large Nick Gillepsie tugging back on Polis’ libertarian card in an April 14 article asking if the “small government Democrat is beefing up state power.” Reason has long been considered the standard-bearer for libertarian though...
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Natelson: Colorado’s Senate Bill 276 jampacked with constitutional absurdities
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Natelson: Colorado’s Senate Bill 276 jampacked with constitutional absurdities

By Rob Natelson | Complete Colorado, Commentary You have to wonder about a large portion of the Colorado legislature. I’ve already written about their bills to squelch freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms, and the constitutional right of parents to raise their own children. Not to mention the loony idea of wasting taxpayer money on a frivolous lawsuit to take away our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refunds. But now comes Senate Bill 276, or as I like to call it the “Venezuelan Gang Protection Act.” If you want gangs of illegal immigrants terrorizing your neighborhood, you’ll love SB 276.  You’ll also love it if you want less-violent illegals taking away American jobs or being subsidized at your expense. And if you are a legal&n...
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House Bill 1303: Transportation ‘tip jar’ ignores Colorado’s crumbling roads
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House Bill 1303: Transportation ‘tip jar’ ignores Colorado’s crumbling roads

By Rep. Scott Bottoms | Complete Colorado A friend told me about a recent experience at a fast-food restaurant. He arrived to pick up and pay for his order, and the cashier made a point of twice pointing him to the tip jar. My friend asked me, “Why should I pay him extra when I pick up a sack? Doesn’t everyone understand that I’ve already paid for that?” It’s a fair question, and one that springs to mind with Colorado House Bill 1303, which recently passed out of the House of Representatives. The legislation will create yet another “enterprise” (a government-run business designed to circumvent the taxpayer refunds normally paired with overcollected revenues under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights). It will be funded with a new fee impose on insurance companies that issue policies to C...
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CHSAA pressed by over 68 school leaders to follow federal guidance on girls’ sports
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CHSAA pressed by over 68 school leaders to follow federal guidance on girls’ sports

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — A letter signed by some 60 school district administrators and school board members from across the state is calling on the Colorado High School Activities Association to come into compliance with a recent Trump administration order around biological boys competing in girls’ sports. “The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) must immediately adopt rules and practices to ensure that boys are not permitted to compete as girls in girls’ sports,” the letter reads in part. “This action is not only a matter of safety and fairness for our female athletes, but also aligns with recent federal directives that reinforce the protection of women’s sports under Title IX.” Names on the letter include board members who  have prev...
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Why HJR25-1023’s logic for killing TABOR collapses under basic constitutional history
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Why HJR25-1023’s logic for killing TABOR collapses under basic constitutional history

By Rob Natelson | Complete Colorado To understand why some members of the Colorado legislature are unworthy of your trust, look no further than their current effort to take away your state tax refunds and abolish your right to vote on taxes, spending, and debt. An astounding 44 of 100 lawmakers are sponsoring House Joint Resolution (HJR) 25-1023. This resolution would spend tax dollars on a lawsuit to void the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). Coloradans voted to add this valuable protection to the state Constitution in 1992. I’ve listed the sponsors at the end of this column, so you can see who they are and what districts they so poorly represent. I’ve also included a link so you can see their party affiliation and email addresses and another link so you ...
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