Rocky Mountain Voice

State

Colorado Republicans: Effort to save taxpayers money ‘shredded’ by Democrats this session
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Republicans: Effort to save taxpayers money ‘shredded’ by Democrats this session

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette Republican lawmakers, who are in the minority at the state Capitol, said they saw little success in their campaign to save residents money this year, as Democrats "shredded" that goal. At the beginning of the session, Republicans unveiled a series of measures that, they insisted, would save the average Colorado family $4,500 each year. "We had hopes to make life more affordable," said Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen of Monument. The agenda included measures to repeal the state's grocery bag ban and undo a retail delivery fee, ride share fees, and regulations around cage-free eggs. They also sought reductions in energy and utility costs, and pushed to reduce and — eventually repeal — the state income tax and the state tax on Social ...
Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: Veto HB 25-1147 to stop the soft-on-crime overreach

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette Our state was slammed by a crime wave a few years ago — aided and abetted by a notoriously offender- friendly, victims-be-damned Legislature — leaving it to hard-hit local governments to figure out how to respond. With state lawmakers abandoning the crime fight on every front — hard drugs, auto theft, illegal immigration, you name it — a number of Colorado cities, commendably, took the reins. Some municipalities imposed stiffer sentences than the state’s for shoplifting and motor vehicle theft. Some made clear they’d continue to cooperate with federal authorities seeking to catch lawbreakers who had entered the country illegally. Some cities also stepped up policing to bridge the gap in justice created by a Capitol that had gone...
Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Brauchler: SB25-276 is lawmakers’ latest mockery of immigration enforcement

By George Brauchler | Commentary, Denver Gazette SB 25-276 is a Democrat-only sponsored bill that attacks the rule of law and will make Colorado less safe and less just. It contains a predictably steep, yet unquantified, unfunded mandate to counties, who fund the 23 district attorneys’ offices across Colorado. SB 276 expands the opportunity for “noncitizen defendants” to challenge every guilty plea they have entered to every class of misdemeanor, petty offense, and even municipal charges,” at any time following the entry of a guilty plea.” There is no time limitation for this challenge. Why? To protect noncitizens from the immigration consequences associated with convictions for their criminal conduct, of course. Previously, our left-leaning legislature changed the maximum sentenc...
GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge
Approved, Commentary, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

GOP Chair Horn: President Trump delivered in 100 days – now Colorado Conservatives must lead the charge

By Brita Horn | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice “We will close the border. We will stop the invasion of illegals into our country,” President Trump said at an Aurora, Colorado, rally on October 12, 2024. That promise was central to his push for a second term. Now, just over 100 days in, he’s delivering – tightening the border and reversing years of neglect. The previous administration under President Joe Biden left a legacy of border chaos. Millions of illegal immigrants crossed into the United States, overwhelming not only border communities but also cities and states far from the frontier. Colorado has become a hotspot in the fight against organized crime and trafficking.  In Aurora, Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested after violent apartment takeovers. I...
Boebert revives American Energy Act to push lower costs, energy independence
Approved, kdvr.com, National, State

Boebert revives American Energy Act to push lower costs, energy independence

By Abraham Jewett | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert introduced a new version of her American Energy Act bill this week. Boebert said the goal of the American Energy Act is to streamline permitting processes for oil and gas producers. The thrice-elected congresswoman said the bill will allow American energy companies to focus on creating jobs and lowering costs. “Our American oil & gas producers need to get back to what they do best: creating jobs, lowering energy costs for American families and small businesses, and producing the cleanest natural gas in the world,” Boebert said in a statement. The legislation would require the Department of Interior to continue processing applications for permits to drill under a valid existing lease, regardless of ...
Polis’ ‘libertarian’ label faces reality check from Reason Magazine
Approved, completecolorado.com, State, Top Stories

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...
Green: Report card for Colorado’s collapse under one-party rule—straight F’s across the board
Approved, Commentary, PJ Media, State, Top Stories

Green: Report card for Colorado’s collapse under one-party rule—straight F’s across the board

By Stephen Green | PJ Media Colorado's economic report card is in, and my beloved home state — formerly a solid A and B student — just flunked every subject.  Once upon a time, Colorado was a devilishly weird purple state — home to moderate-to-conservative Republicans like Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Tom Tancredo, idiosyncratic Democrats like Gary Hart and Richard Lamm, and (outside the Denver-Boulder Axis) a healthy libertarian streak. It was such a swirl that one of those famous Republicans, Campbell, was originally a Democrat. That all began to change around 2008 when my purple state went deep blue for Barack Obama. By 2018, the hope'n'change was locked in. The last Republican to win statewide office was in 2016, when Heidi Ganahl was elected to the University of Colora...
Colorado Senate rejects judicial discipline appointee over misconduct cover-up ties, approves another
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado Senate rejects judicial discipline appointee over misconduct cover-up ties, approves another

By David Migoya | Denver Gazette The Colorado state Senate on Wednesday rejected the reappointment of the chairwoman to the state panel that handles judicial discipline but narrowly kept its vice-chair. Needing 18 votes to confirm their reappointments to the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline, chairwoman Mindy Sooter came up two votes shy (19-16 against), while Jim Carpenter was approved by the same margin. The Senate has a firm 21-14 Democratic majority. The decision to drop Sooter from the 10-member commission comes days after a Senate committee made the rare choice to refuse confirming either gubernatorial appointee. Unlike proposed legislation that can die in a committee in either house of the General Assembly, appointments by the governor, which require approval fr...
Money matters: Colorado lawmakers pass bill adding financial literacy to graduation requirements
Approved, Post Independent, State

Money matters: Colorado lawmakers pass bill adding financial literacy to graduation requirements

By Andrea Teres-Martinez | Post Independent Colorado just became the 27th state to turn financial literacy courses into a graduation requirement after the bill passed the Senate with a vast majority vote on Wednesday.  The bipartisan bill’s third reading passed with 55 yes votes and 10 no — a noticeable uptick in support from when the bill was first introduced. House Bill 25-1192 requires that all Colorado high school students complete a personal finance literacy course at some point in their four years in order to graduate. High school graduation requirements and curriculum are traditionally set by local school districts, while academic standards are set by the state. However, the bill gives districts control over when and how the course is implemented so long as the...
Cole: The hidden risks of gender-affirming care demand Colorado’s restraint
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Cole: The hidden risks of gender-affirming care demand Colorado’s restraint

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado has embraced gender-affirming care for minors, covering treatments like puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and, in rare cases, surgeries through Medicaid and other state programs.  While intended to address gender dysphoria, these interventions pose significant long-term dangers to children, potentially causing irreversible harm, with limited evidence of sustained mental health benefits. The rise in gender identity issues among minors may be fueled by social media influence, mental health challenges, and parental dynamics, raising concerns about premature medical decisions.  Given the lack of long-term data and children’s developmental vulnerabilities, we must restrict these treatments to rare, extreme c...

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