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Gaines: Colorado Democrats blew the budget and now they want your TABOR refunds
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Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Gaines: Colorado Democrats blew the budget and now they want your TABOR refunds

By Cory Gaines | Colorado Accountability Project Colorado Democrats made a hash of the state's finances, but they want YOU to pay to fix it. In this post I want to flesh out some of the many assaults on TABOR and fiscal responsibility the Democrats are cooking up for this legislative session. The previous two posts were all about financial problems in this state. Problems that arose from mismanagement of state rules and money. Problems that arose from out of control spending. Problems that arose from politicians not being willing to do what families are forced to do every single day: adjust their spending to their income and choose among priorities. In this final post of the series, I want to outline some of the ways in which Colorado Democrats--the party that has completely ru...
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Fort Carson strykers head to U.S.-Mexico border to help with immigration enforcement
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Approved, gazette.com, National, State

Fort Carson strykers head to U.S.-Mexico border to help with immigration enforcement

By Mary Shinn | The Gazette In brisk and windy weather Tuesday, Fort Carson soldiers eased roughly 20-ton Strykers onto flat rail cars for their trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to help with illegal immigration enforcement.  The slow roll of the eight-wheeled Strykers was followed by the clanking of chains as soldiers tied down the vehicles. Other 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team equipment, including jeeps, small trucks, fuel, water and IT vehicles, waited in rows alongside the Strykers for loading.  Over two days, crews expected to load two trains with vehicles. While Strykers can travel by truck or convoy, rail is more efficient.  The brigade plans to send 105 Strykers with advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems to help border patrol agents, an ...
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Democrat-only backed bill addressing ‘junk fees’ heads to governor’s desk
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Approved, State, The Center Square

Democrat-only backed bill addressing ‘junk fees’ heads to governor’s desk

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A bill addressing so-called “junk fees” is headed to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for his signature after successfully passing both the state House and Senate. No Republicans voted to support the legislation, which received unanimous approval from Democrats. House Bill 1090, titled “Protections Against Deceptive Pricing Practices,” requires sellers to clearly disclose the total price of goods and services, and restricts which fees landlords may charge. It is part of a broader package of bills from Democrats, all looking to address the state’s housing prices. Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, sponsored the bill in the House. She argued that it is an important step to end “deceptive junk fees” that add hidden costs. “...
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Perspectives on water after 30 years of talking about it in the Arkansas River Basin
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Approved, Colorado Public Radio, State

Perspectives on water after 30 years of talking about it in the Arkansas River Basin

By Shanna Lewis | CPR Water in the Arkansas River Basin is in high demand. Farmers, rafters, and fishermen use it. So do cities and towns far from the river, where hundreds of thousands of people live and work. Like elsewhere in the West, the region’s water resources are stretched by drought and growth, along with downstream obligations to Kansas. The 30th annual Arkansas River Basin Water Forum in Pueblo recently brought together water managers and users from all over Colorado to talk about the often contentious nature of water in the basin and around the state and to look for possible solutions to longstanding, reoccurring and often vexing questions about the precious resource. Water experts and advocates from the San Luis Valley, the Arkansas River Basin and Northern Colorado e...
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Federal judge dismisses drug company’s suit challenging Colorado prescription affordability board
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Federal judge dismisses drug company’s suit challenging Colorado prescription affordability board

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun A federal judge tossed out a lawsuit filed by the pharmaceutical company Amgen challenging the authority of a Colorado board that seeks to rein in high-priced prescription drugs. U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang ruled Friday that Amgen had not shown it has or likely will suffer harm from the board’s actions. As a result, she granted the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but she did so “without prejudice” — meaning Amgen could sue again if it can later show harm. “The economic injuries alleged by Amgen are too speculative and too attenuated to support standing in this case,” Wang wrote in her order. The case involved a relatively obscure body known as the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board, or PDAB, which has the authority...
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Gazette editorial board: CO drivers footing the bill for transit dreams amounts to highway robbery
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Gazette editorial board: CO drivers footing the bill for transit dreams amounts to highway robbery

The Gazette editorial board | Denver Gazette A lot of motorists aren’t crazy about driving our crumbling and congested traffic corridors. But only a handful actually hates motor vehicles. Unfortunately, that unrepresentative handful is overrepresented in our state legislature and the Governor’s Office. In some city halls, too. And they’d like nothing more than for the rest of us to quit driving and ride a bus or light rail, instead. Or ride a bike. Which explains those empty bike lanes you see squeezing cars and trucks aside on busy transportation thoroughfares and neighborhood streets. It also helps to explain the abysmal condition of Colorado’s highways, bridges and other basic transportation infrastructure. It’s getting worse by the day. Although the powers that be wouldn...
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Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette In 2011, a coalition of 33 individuals and groups, including current and former lawmakers, county commission and other elected officials and school districts, sued the state of Colorado, challenging the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. A decade later, the lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality: the lawsuit, the federal courts indicated, had the wrong plaintiffs. A state Democratic lawmaker who was part of the legal team in Kerr v. Hickenlooper (later Kerr v. Polis) is now sponsoring a resolution to try again, but with some important differences. Rep. Sean Camacho, D-Denver, sponsored House Joint Resolution 1023, which would require the General Assembly to sue over TABOR's constitutionality in state district court. The...
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Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Late last year, five wolves were airlifted from Oregon to Colorado under a plan voters narrowly approved—but few knew one of them came from a pack with a history of livestock attacks.  Fewer still knew the move may have violated federal law. At the center of the controversy is a growing belief that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction bypassed environmental law and public transparency.  And a federal lawsuit now threatens to unravel the entire plan. The lawsuit that could reset the rules The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, is one of the country’s cornerstone environmental laws — meant to ensure that federal actions don’t proceed without full environmental review and public input.  But when...
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Rep. Gabe Evans to host telephone town hall Wednesday evening
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Gabe Evans to host telephone town hall Wednesday evening

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans is inviting constituents from across the 8th Congressional District to participate in a telephone town hall on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. MT, offering a chance for voters to ask questions directly and hear updates from Washington. The event is part of Evans’ ongoing effort to maintain open lines of communication with the people he represents. According to his office, participants can register at this link, provide their phone number, and will receive a call promptly at 6:30 p.m. to join the conversation. During the call, Evans will take live questions from constituents, who can choose to speak directly or submit their questions to a moderator. Questions will be taken in real-time, and there is no option to submit t...
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Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff After years of progressive opposition to nuclear energy, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed House Bill 25-1040 into law, officially recognizing nuclear power as part of the state’s clean energy portfolio.  The move—driven by bipartisan support and grassroots pressure—marks a turning point for Colorado’s energy future, and a long-overdue recognition that nuclear energy must be on the table to meet rising power demands and stabilize the grid. The new law adds nuclear energy to the list of technologies eligible for clean energy incentives and financing, aligning it with solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. While HB1040 does not mandate nuclear projects, it opens the door for utilities and private companies to begin investing in advanced nucl...
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