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Polis open to signing bill restricting local ICE cooperation as Colorado sanctuary debate heats up
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Polis open to signing bill restricting local ICE cooperation as Colorado sanctuary debate heats up

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis said that while he had "major problems" with an earlier proposal that sought to inoculate immigrants from federal policies, the bill now includes "workable language," thereby signaling his intent to sign it. The governor reiterated he is still reviewing the proposal, which underwent several changes before its final passage during the 2025 legislative session. At its core, Senate Bill 276 reemphasized existing state law that precludes local law enforcers from detaining an individual based on an "immigration detainer." An immigration "detainer" is a notice issued to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies informing the latter that agents intend to assume custody of an individual no longer subject to the former's dete...
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Polis signs sweeping election bill modeled on federal law—GOP calls it unnecessary
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Polis signs sweeping election bill modeled on federal law—GOP calls it unnecessary

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis signed a trio of election-related bills into law on Monday, including a measure sponsors say will "safeguard voting rights in Colorado amid federal uncertainty." Senate Bill 001, sponsored by Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Reps. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, implements a state-level version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned certain discriminatory voting practices.  Several states, including Colorado, are considering their own version of the Voting Rights Act: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey. Meanwhile, Washington and New York have already passed a state-version of the federal law. Gonzales said Senate Bill 001 mirrors the federal Voting Ri...
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Hancock: The future of Colorado hangs between boom and blackout
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Substack, Top Stories

Hancock: The future of Colorado hangs between boom and blackout

By Michael A. Hancock | Commentary, Substack There's a difference between dreaming big and hallucinating. Colorado's progressive legislators have yet to figure that out. Once a beacon of frontier grit and entrepreneurial promise, Colorado is drifting into a twilight of self-imposed stagnation. This isn't the result of some unforeseeable external shock. No. The decline is being engineered — brick by legislative brick — by a political class more interested in social signaling than in fostering economic vitality. The question isn't whether Colorado faces a reckoning. The question is whether we will admit the cause before we hit the wall. Let's start with energy, the lifeblood of any serious economy. Colorado holds a wealth of natural resources—oil, gas, coal, and uranium— all of ...
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Wolves roam, pups are born, riders deployed—but land-use plans still stuck in 2023
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Wolves roam, pups are born, riders deployed—but land-use plans still stuck in 2023

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Wolves are roaming, ranchers are riding – but the rulebook hasn’t changed. Wolves are traveling farther, forming dens and producing pups. Many have turned up dead — especially in Wyoming, where wolves that prey on livestock can be killed on sight under state law.  Yet not one federal or state land-use plan in Colorado has been updated since gray wolf reintroduction began in December 2023. That’s the backdrop for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s May 13 press release announcing that its Range Rider Program is fully operational and patrolling western Colorado.  Eleven contracted riders hired by CPW have joined two staff from the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) to monitor livestock, haze predators and report signs of wolf-livestock ...
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Colorado Capitol female staffers fear retaliation after filing bathroom complaint against transgender aide
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Approved, Fox News, State

Colorado Capitol female staffers fear retaliation after filing bathroom complaint against transgender aide

By Taylor Penley  | Fox News Some female staffers in the Colorado Capitol reportedly disturbed by having to share the women's restroom with a biological male aide are allegedly being bullied into submission. A press conference held on the steps outside the Colorado Capitol on April 30 saw men and women alike coalescing against transgender ideology – both the argument at stake in a controversial bill touted as a threat to parental rights and in the case involving the staffers. "They are being squished, being told to be quiet, sit down, shut up and know your place. When did we go back to that? Women no longer have rights to this [privacy]?" State Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Republican representing the 15th district, said from the steps. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS...
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Condo reform bill becomes law–after years of lawsuits, delays and rising insurance costs
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Condo reform bill becomes law–after years of lawsuits, delays and rising insurance costs

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed the first major bill of his administration that sponsors hope would unclog the state's longstanding logjam regarding the construction of affordable, middle-market multi-family housing, specifically condos and townhomes, and, thereby directly promote home ownership. Past efforts by the governor had mostly focused on rental housing and zoning.  This year, House Bill 1272 aims to jumpstart the affordable condo market, which backers say has died off in Colorado due to "construction defects" litigation.  This bill puts Colorado more in line with other states that see condo construction and protects homeowners from legitimate defects, Polis said. "There's no silver bullet" for dealing wi...
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Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget
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Approved, State, Westword

Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget

By Catie Cheshire | Westword Colorado is eighteen months into the state’s wolf restoration project, and the teeth are still coming out. So far, the state has paid over $370,000 in claims to ranchers who have been impacted by the presence of wolves near their operations. Although wolf advocates and detractors both agree that Colorado should compensate people for wolf-related losses, ranchers believe the funds are not enough to cover the full breadth of the impact of the carnivores in this state. Conversely, wildlife advocates question if some of the reimbursements that ranchers have claimed are a good use of taxpayer money. The wolf-related claims that made many wildlife advocates howl came on December 31 from three ranchers in Middle Park. The ranchers argued the state s...
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Caldara: Time to see if Polis will choose his socialist friends or Colorado’s future
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Approved, Commentary, denvergazette.com, State

Caldara: Time to see if Polis will choose his socialist friends or Colorado’s future

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Denver Gazette There are only three jobs worth having in Colorado. The first is fortunately mine. Any person who can make a living by indulging his passion is beyond blessed. I somehow have provided for my family by fighting for personal and economic freedom in Colorado. Running Independence Institute, Colorado’s machine to promote liberty principles over party, politicians and special interests, is a dream come true. The next coolest job in Colorado is quarterback for the Denver Broncos, which, by the way, I would be totally awesome at. The only other job I’d want here would be governor, the most influential and powerful gig for changing policy and shaping the state’s future. And to be Jared Polis, a near billionaire to boot, would be a rip. I m...
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Statewide and congressional contests heat up early as candidates line up for 2026
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Statewide and congressional contests heat up early as candidates line up for 2026

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Colorado's political world is in as close to a lull as it's likely to get this cycle — six months past the 2024 general election, days after the end of this year's regular legislative session, and with just over a year to go until voters begin casting primary ballots. Major candidates for the state's most prominent and competitive 2026 contests have already emerged, but many are about to get more company. Like at the beginning of a fundraising quarter, the immediate aftermath of the General Assembly's 120 day session is prime calendar real estate to launch campaigns for higher offices, for a couple of reasons: State lawmakers finally again have some control over their schedule and can turn their attention to campaigning, while other hopefuls ca...
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The Good, the Bad, and the Alarming: What You Need to Know from Colorado’s 2025 Legislative Session
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The Good, the Bad, and the Alarming: What You Need to Know from Colorado’s 2025 Legislative Session

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board The 2025 legislative session officially adjourned Wednesday evening after 120 days, leaving behind a flood of new laws, deep partisan divides, and a public increasingly skeptical of the pace and priorities of progressive lawmakers. From sweeping gender identity mandates to gun control and TABOR attacks, the Democrat supermajority pushed through one of the most ideologically driven sessions in recent memory. Here’s a full breakdown of what passed, what failed—and what it all means for Colorado: 🔺 The Most Controversial Bills of Session SB25-003 – Gun Permit-to-Purchase Law (BECAME LAW): What began as a sweeping semi-auto ban was revised—under pressure from Gov. Polis—into a permit-to-purchase system. Starting in 2026, Coloradans must take ...
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