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Nuclear Energy Proposal Divides Colorado Democrats And Environmental Groups
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Nuclear Energy Proposal Divides Colorado Democrats And Environmental Groups

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Colorado bill would set a nuclear permitting czar, help utilities find a location, and allow them to charge customers for $20 million in studies. A major effort to smooth the way for a return to nuclear-generated power in Colorado gets a first hearing Thursday in a legislative committee, as boosters of the out-of-favor technology claim growing energy demands and better design prove the time is right for a revival.  The state’s longstanding coalition of nonprofit groups that advocate for environmental and economic justice, meanwhile, vow a united front against the nuclear-friendly effort, and say some of their allies have betrayed the clean energy cause in favor of risky economic development.  House Bill 1337, up for deb...
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Judge Barrett denies Tina Peters bond, calls future appeals “frivolous”
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Judge Barrett denies Tina Peters bond, calls future appeals “frivolous”

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Tina Peters will not be released from custody. Judge Matthew Barrett denied her renewed motion for bond pending appeal Tuesday morning—two days after refusing to step aside from her case. The nine-page order keeps Peters in prison while her legal team prepares to take the bond question to the Colorado Court of Appeals, the same panel that threw out her sentence earlier this month. Barrett did not hold a hearing. He found he could not conclude Peters is unlikely to flee, called her future appeals "frivolous" and said they would be pursued "for the purpose of delay." "Finality is critical to the resolution of the judicial process," Barrett wrote, "and it would be contrary to the law to ignore the reality that Defendant would use all mean...
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The $3M campaign behind Colorado’s CoCo rail tax proposal
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The $3M campaign behind Colorado’s CoCo rail tax proposal

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Department of Transportation had options when describing what $3 million in state transportation funds would buy. Public education. A feasibility study. Community engagement. It called it a Ballot Access Plan. That language — "develop a Ballot Access Plan and Implementation of the Plan" — sits in the purpose clause of a contract which took effect on March 26, 2026 between CDOT and the Front Range Passenger Rail District, the latter established by the legislature in 2021 to plan and eventually build passenger rail along the I-25 corridor. RMV obtained the contract through a public records request. If voters approve a sales tax increase this November, the district would use those funds — along with money ...
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The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado We have all heard the Golden Rule, based on Matthew 7:12, which commands that we treat others the way we would like to be treated. But have you heard of the Golden Rule of Money? This rule says that “He who has the gold makes the rules.” It is a truth based on ownership of resources, which we should be very familiar with here in Colorado. The part-time homeschool enrichment public funding conversations happening under the golden dome in Denver are an incredibly clear example of this golden rule. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) has asked for a bill* to be drafted that addresses Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) operating programs outside their member districts, defines “instructional time,” and clarif...
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PERA Program Designed to Help Rural Schools Has Potential for Abuse
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

PERA Program Designed to Help Rural Schools Has Potential for Abuse

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project A reader messaged me recently about concerns they had in their own local district. The concern centers around who was getting hired (well, re-hired) at their local school district. For a number of reasons, it’s not feasible to go and check out the reader’s district, but I hung on to the story because it felt like a good learning opportunity to share something I learned about, and it might be a concern you share. As best as I can tell (there may have been laws that refined or changed the original program), a 2017 law which I link to first below created a program in PERA, the Public Employees Retirement Association, to help get teachers into rural schools. In order to understand how this works, I have to bac...
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Federal Judge Keeps Unaffiliated Voters In Colorado GOP Primaries
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Federal Judge Keeps Unaffiliated Voters In Colorado GOP Primaries

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer said excluding unaffiliated voters days before the state’s ballot certification deadline, and just weeks before ballots start being mailed out, would create too much confusion. A federal judge Tuesday rejected the Colorado GOP’s last-ditch effort to block unaffiliated voters from participating in the party’s June 30 primaries.  U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer said excluding unaffiliated voters days before the state’s ballot certification deadline, and just weeks before ballots start being mailed out, would create too much confusion.  The Republican Party asked Brimmer on April 20 to issue an emergency order preventing state elections officials from mailing Republican primary ball...
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Colorado Case Tests Limits Of Religious Freedom In Publicly Funded Programs
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Case Tests Limits Of Religious Freedom In Publicly Funded Programs

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a Colorado Catholic preschool that wishes to get state funding but not follow all antidiscrimination laws pertaining to gay and transgender students and possibly staff. I suspect that constitutional law professor Josh Blackman is right to predict the Court’s view, “This will likely be yet another repudiation of Colorado’s hostility to religious liberty.” Yet I wish Blackman and other conservatives would more fully think through the implications of the case for freedom of conscience. Remember who’s paying the bill The basic argument for not excluding the Catholic preschool is that excluding it infringes the school’s religious liberty. Religious prescho...
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Colorado Lawmakers Advance Broad Security Plan Following Nationwide Political Attacks
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The Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Broad Security Plan Following Nationwide Political Attacks

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Gazette Colorado legislators unveiled a 60‑page bill that would dramatically expand protections for elected officials, staff, and judicial employees, responding to a string of high‑profile attacks nationwide and growing safety concerns inside the state’s courthouses and Capitol. Introduced earlier this week, House Bill 1422 contains nearly 30 sections. Among those provisions is the establishment of an Administrator of Legislative Safety, a law enforcement officer who would serve as a point of contact for members and employees of the General Assembly to discuss matters of personal safety and work alongside the Colorado State Patrol. Because the bill was introduced without a fiscal note, its potential cost to the state remains unknown...
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Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Clears Legislature With Mixed Results On Key Priorities

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado legislators on Tuesday adopted a $46.8 billion plan to pay for state operations and programs next year after a joint panel reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions. A small group of lawmakers had resolved those differences. Lawmakers adopted what is called the conference committee report on House Bill 1410 — the budget measure — mostly along party lines. Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, was the only Republican to vote in favor of the bill in the Senate. In the House, fellow JBC member Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, was the only Republican to vote “yes,” while Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, was the only Democrat to vote “no.” READ T...
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Colorado Democrats Advance New Oversight Rules For ICE Facilities
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Advance New Oversight Rules For ICE Facilities

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Colorado state representatives voted along party lines to pass a bill establishing additional inspection requirements for immigration detention centers and expanding civil liabilities related to sharing information with federal immigration authorities. It’s the latest proposal to come out of the state Capitol, which has embraced so-called “sanctuary laws,” which limit or prohibit cooperation with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws. Notably, House Bill 1276 permits the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to require ICE detention facilities to comply with certain health and safety standards and pay for environmental impact studies. It expands a current law prohibiting employees of ...
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