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The High Cost of Ignorance: Why Special Interests Are Fighting Prescription Drug Transparency in Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The High Cost of Ignorance: Why Special Interests Are Fighting Prescription Drug Transparency in Colorado

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s update: House Bill 26-1056 will be heard in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, upon adjournment in HCR 0112. The committee is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Readers may listen live here: https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00327/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20260217/-1/18053#handoutFile_  “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” — Upton Sinclair It's easy to be wrong when it makes you money.  If the average savings from using a Pharmacy Stewardship Program (PSP) are $1,500 per member per year, and Colorado has around 2 million workers covered by employer health plans, th...
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At Durango forum, GOP candidates field rotating questions submitted from across Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

At Durango forum, GOP candidates field rotating questions submitted from across Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Instead of posing the same question to an entire panel and allowing candidates to respond in sequence, organizers of the Feb. 13 Republican candidate forum in Durango tried something different. For the most part, candidates received different questions in turn. There wasn’t much room to sit back and think through an answer while someone else talked. Once your name was called, it was your turn.  VFW Post 4031 hosted the event, with RMV, Southwest Republican Women and the La Plata County Republican Central Committee working together to put it on. Clark Craig emceed the evening, and local GOP members Lisa Zimmerman and Amber Morris helped organize it. JJ McKinzie joined the Secretary of State panel shortly before t...
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Democrats advance gun barrel regulation bill on party line vote
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Democrats advance gun barrel regulation bill on party line vote

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Gun barrels are not serialized. They are not a regulated “firearm” under federal law. But Colorado lawmakers are preparing to vote on whether they should be treated more like one. The bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Sullivan of Centennial, would require barrels to be sold through a federally licensed dealer instead of privately. Dealers would keep purchase records for five years. Violations could carry fines — and up to 30 days in county jail. The proposal advanced out of committee on a narrow vote and now heads to the full Senate. Supporters describe it as the next step after last year’s ghost gun legislation. Critics argue it regulates a part that cannot be traced. At the center of the debate: whethe...
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Faith Over Feelings: The Rules of Engagement – Flight Line to Living Room
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Devotional, Top Stories

Faith Over Feelings: The Rules of Engagement – Flight Line to Living Room

By Drake Hunter | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice If you love me, keep my commands. ~ John 14:15 ~ In the Air Force, Rules of Engagement were never suggestions. They weren’t emotional guidelines. They were commands—clearly defined before the pressure ever came. When executing missions on the flight line, especially in dangerous areas, you can't decide in the moment what feels right. You don’t rely on instinct alone. You don’t let adrenaline dictate your actions. You operate under authority—clear orders, strict boundaries, and a defined purpose. Never letting emotions alter the mission, because obedience is what ensures lives are protected—yours and others', no matter how you feel. In fact, I learned early on that the tougher the situation, the more im...
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Buyers walk free, survivors carry the scars: Colorado debates sentencing for child traffickers
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Buyers walk free, survivors carry the scars: Colorado debates sentencing for child traffickers

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers confronted a question this week that has lingered for years under the gold dome: how far should the state go in punishing those who buy and traffic children? Two bills offered two different answers. Senate Bill 26-015 cleared Senate Judiciary on a 6–1 vote and was referred, as amended, to Appropriations. Senator Nick Hinrichsen cast the lone “no.” HB26-1082 went the other direction. Representative Scott Bottoms’ bill would have required life without parole in certain cases involving trafficked minors. It stalled in the House Judiciary Committee. No one in the room disputed the harm. That wasn’t the fight. The debate centered on sentencing, and whether judges should still have ro...
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CMU student leaders press governor hopefuls on taxes, energy and rural control
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

CMU student leaders press governor hopefuls on taxes, energy and rural control

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice TPUSA chapter leaders from Colorado Mesa University opened Monday night’s gubernatorial forum with a question more typical of a legislative hearing than a campaign rally. Instead of easing into the forum, they went straight to TABOR. “How would you approach balancing Colorado’s budget while complying with TABOR? And what are your priorities when it comes to taxes, refunds and state spending during periods of surplus and economic stagnation?” Six candidates were at the forum that evening. Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer told the crowd she almost didn’t make the trip, saying she rearranged her Joint Budget Committee schedule and decided to “head on over to Grand Junction” when the weather held. Rep. Scott Bottoms of Colorado Springs share...
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$4 million-plus in alleged Medicaid ride billing draws federal fraud charges in Colorado
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$4 million-plus in alleged Medicaid ride billing draws federal fraud charges in Colorado

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s Medicaid transportation system operates on a straightforward premise. A ride is provided to a qualified Medicaid recipient. Documentation is submitted. The state reimburses the provider. For thousands of Coloradans, particularly those in rural communities or without reliable transportation — that structure makes routine medical care possible. But federal prosecutors now allege that in two separate cases, the reimbursement model itself was manipulated. Non-emergent medical transportation billing is the focus in the cases that have been filed in U.S. District Court this month regarding providers in Mesa and Douglas counties. The cases involve more than $4 million. On Feb. 10, the U...
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What SuperBowl LX Can Teach Us About Colorado Politics
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What SuperBowl LX Can Teach Us About Colorado Politics

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan (*not a football player) Last Sunday, millions of Americans watched one of the most lackluster competitions between two NFL teams in a long while. The stats indicate that the Seattle Seahawks outplayed the New England Patriots, consistently from start to finish. The score speaks clearlly: Seattle won and New England lost.  I think SuperBowl LX was chock full of lessons that apply to Colorado politics. One team (Seattle) had a clear game plan, a competent and experienced coach and quarterback, and great players who understood their jobs and executed well. The other team (New England) didn’t. Both teams made it to the SuperB...
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House passes SAVE America Act: Citizenship proof bill heads to Senate
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Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

House passes SAVE America Act: Citizenship proof bill heads to Senate

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice In a tight 218–213 vote Wednesday, the House approved the SAVE America Act and sent it on to the Senate. U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) voted in favor of H.R. 7296, the SAVE America Act. “American elections are reserved for American citizens only,” Crank said after the vote. “The majority of American people want secure elections, and the SAVE America Act will require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.” The bill makes changes to the 1993 federal voter registration law, adding a requirement that applicants prove they are U.S. citizens. Anyone registering for a federal election would need to provide documentary proof of citizenship. The bill also lays out what counts as proof of citizenship. A REAL ID that...
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Colorado’s immigration folly: Taxpayer dollars fueling a broken system
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s immigration folly: Taxpayer dollars fueling a broken system

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As the state representative from House District 22 in Colorado Springs, I see daily how federal immigration enforcement and state policies affect families in El Paso County. President Trump’s 2024 reelection brought a secured southern border after the Biden era’s chaos, when 8 to 11 million people entered illegally—the largest surge in U.S. history.  That influx overwhelmed communities nationwide, including Colorado. While federal policy now prioritizes removing criminal aliens, Colorado Democrats have enacted legislation that rewards illegal immigration with generous taxpayer-funded benefits, all while ignoring the burden on law-abiding citizens. Deportation data from 1993 to 2022 show enforcement is bi...
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