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New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 24B-1001 was the solution in a whirlwind, not-quite four-day special session of the Colorado Legislature, aimed at addressing escalating property taxes. Now local governments are discovering how it may take away one of their tools in providing relief: tax credits. This could mean property owners and businesses will end up paying more in taxes. What the new law does Following the special session he called in late August, Gov. Polis signed this bill into law on Sept. 4. It will limit annual property tax increases. The goal is halting the surge in property taxes caused by factors including increased home prices, inflation, the Gallagher Amendment repeal, TABOR and politically-driven initiatives. When it takes ef...
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Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs? How it reached the ballot: Citizen signature petition, designated agents Dusti Gurule and Dani Newsum. Background: This measure seeks to add the following language to the Colorado Constitution: "The right to abortion is herby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede or discriminate ag...
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Does Colorado’s public pension program invest in companies that boycott Israel?
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Does Colorado’s public pension program invest in companies that boycott Israel?

By Justin George | The Colorado Sun Colorado’s Public Employees’ Retirement Association, or PERA, is barred from investing in companies that have economic prohibitions against Israel under a law passed in 2016. The law requires PERA to identify all companies that have economic prohibitions against Israel and put together a list of these companies twice a year. PERA must notify any company on the list that it could be subject to divestment if the company continues its anti-Israel policy. If the company hasn’t dropped its policy within 180 days of being notified, PERA is required to stop investing in it. This year, a Colorado house bill proposed to repeal the rule but it failed. The issue has come under greater scrutiny since Israel has been at war in Palestine since an Oct. 7, 2023...
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Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-002, supported by a 61-1 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: This bipartisan measure simply seeks to provide an extra week of time for the secretary of state to meet election deadlines. The bill summary cites the deadline for military and overseas ballots as reasoning for the additional time. The measure would shorten an initiative petitioner's time by a week, and shorten a referendum petitioner's time to file following a session by a week. It amends the timeline for t...
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UC-Colorado Springs economic expert weighs in on port strike impact
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Approved, CBS 11 KKTV, State

UC-Colorado Springs economic expert weighs in on port strike impact

By Blake Sammann | CBS 11 News As the dock workers strike at ports across the East and Gulf Coast, a Southern Colorado economist weighs on how it will affect local consumers. The strike involves up to 25,000 workers at 14 ports demanding better wages and job security. It’s expected to have an impact on the availability and prices of certain goods like imported fruit and cars. Bill Craighead, director of the UCCS Economic Forum, said he doesn’t think the strike will affect life for Southern Colorado consumers. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS 11 NEWS
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Colorado Democratic candidate spends campaign money on hair, clothes, makeup
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Democratic candidate spends campaign money on hair, clothes, makeup

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Is Democratic candidate Vivian Smotherman, who's running for one of Colorado's hottest state senate seats, violating Colorado's campaign finance laws and regulations? Smotherman has used more than $1,000 of campaign contributions to pay for clothes, hair styling and a consultant (who's also the hairstylist) on her appearance. The state's campaign finance manual doesn't specifically prohibit a candidate from spending campaign contributions on hair and clothes. Still, it states candidates "may not use contributions for personal purposes not reasonably related to the election of the candidate." The manual's only specified language on permissible use of campaign contributions for personal use is for child or dependent care. READ THE FULL STO...
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(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-003, originally titled "Protecting the freedom to marry". This partisan legislation split upon party lines, being supported by a 46-14 vote of the Democrat-controlled House and 29-5 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: Presently, Section 31 of the Colorado Constitution regarding marriage reads: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." This measure repeals the language, currently read to restrict same-sex marriage. The summary page of SCR 24-003 correctly notes that since 2015 the U.S. Supr...
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Overbeck: Ranked-choice (Prop. 131) is the scam that can erase your vote 
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Overbeck: Ranked-choice (Prop. 131) is the scam that can erase your vote 

By Joy Overbeck  | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Ranked-choice voting (RCV), Proposition 131 on Colorado’s November ballot, is such a drastic perversion of our nation’s 247-year election standard of one person/one vote that voting for it risks actually losing your vote. Rather than an improvement in election bi-partisanship and choice -- its boosters are spending more than $8 million to convince voters, in practice, the candidates that get the most votes can lose, and those with the fewest votes may come out the winners. And your vote can even be trashed, thrown out, if you don’t follow the complicated directions.  This initiative would replace party primary ballots with "jungle" primaries for governor, treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state, state board of e...
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Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Two more community mental health centers are eliminating jobs and cutting programs as Colorado’s safety-net health system staggers from a massive drop in Medicaid rolls.  WellPower, which provides mental health care in Denver regardless of whether patients have insurance, is cutting six positions from its co-responder team that pairs social workers with city park rangers, fire and law officers. It’s also eliminating its virtual therapy program, which connected 579 patients with therapists online last year. And it’s ending its lease of Garfield House, an apartment complex where the mental health center has placed patients who needed housing.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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National concerns leave Colorado biz leaders less confident in late ’24
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Approved, BizWest, State

National concerns leave Colorado biz leaders less confident in late ’24

By Lucas High | BizWest Heading into the fourth quarter of 2024, Colorado business leaders are feeling less confident about the state of the economy. The University of Colorado Leeds Business Confidence Index for the final quarter of 2024 was down nearly four points from the preceding quarter, based largely on national-level issues such as next month’s presidential election and inflation.  The index figure heading into the fourth quarter was 46.7. An LBCI score — which is based on impressions of the state economy, national economy, industry sales, industry profits, industry hiring and capital expenditures — of 50 is neutral.  READ THE FULL STORY AT BIZWEST
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