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Taxpayers could foot the bill—twice—for Democrats’ lawsuit to dismantle TABOR
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Taxpayers could foot the bill—twice—for Democrats’ lawsuit to dismantle TABOR

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun Colorado taxpayers may foot the bill twice if Democratic lawmakers manage to pass a resolution directing the legislature to sue the state in an attempt to invalidate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.  That’s because not only will taxpayers likely be responsible for paying the lawyers hired by the legislature to bring the case, but they’ll also be on the hook for the costs incurred by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to defend against the legal challenge to TABOR, a constitutional amendment voters approved in 1992.  If House Joint Resolution 1023 passes as expected, the General Assembly’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Legal Services would likely hire a group of attorneys to file the lawsuit. In the past, the legislature’s third-par...
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New Democrat bill would hamper ICE, prioritize illegal immigrants over Rule of Law
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Approved, KUNC, State

New Democrat bill would hamper ICE, prioritize illegal immigrants over Rule of Law

By Lucas Brady Woods | KUNC Several Colorado lawmakers are trying to create new protections for the state's immigrants against hardline deportation policies under the Trump administration. “People are scared and afraid. And I understand that, and I respect it, because I've also got a little pit of anxiety in my stomach too,” said Sen. Julie Gonzales of Denver. “We drafted a lot of this policy in response to the actual tactics that we have seen be utilized by ICE now under the second Trump administration.” Gonzales and a group of other Democrats, Sen. Mike Weissman of Aurora, Rep. Lorena Garcia of Adams County and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco of Glenwood Springs, introduced a long-awaited piece of legislation Friday that would limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities,...
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One Sunday, four laws and the collapse of middle ground in Colorado politics
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

One Sunday, four laws and the collapse of middle ground in Colorado politics

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice With the clock ticking on the legislative session, Colorado Democrats made their move—advancing four of the year’s most polarizing bills in a single day – Sunday. The marathon legislative blitz was notable not only for its controversial content, but for how it was executed: through rare weekend floor time, party-line votes and multiple Rule 16 motions that cut off debate and silenced opposing voices. https://twitter.com/RepCaldwell/status/1908586233632071742 "Because of the actions today, I would request that this bill be read at length—and every other bill after this," said Rep. Ron Weinberg, responding to the procedural move that ended discussion on one of the bills.  House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese added, "Col...
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Cole: HB-1312 turns pronouns into a weapon against parents and schools
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Cole: HB-1312 turns pronouns into a weapon against parents and schools

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado House Democrats recently leveraged their legislative authority with a calculated one-two punch, invoking Rule 14 on April 4, 2025, to cap debate on House Bill 1312 (HB-1312), the “Kelly Loving Act,” at a scant two hours, then deploying Rule 16 over the weekend to stifle discussion entirely and push the bill to an immediate vote.  These tools, seldom used outside of breaking filibuster gridlock, were not wielded here to clear a clogged calendar but to mute opposition to a measure poised to reshape parental rights, free speech, and family dynamics. This heavy-handed approach stripped away democratic deliberation, a move that should unsettle every Coloradan. This isn’t about streamlining; it’s about dominance. ...
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Enos: Abortion, parental rights and gun grabs—Colorado’s radical trifecta
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Enos: Abortion, parental rights and gun grabs—Colorado’s radical trifecta

By Colleen Enos | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice While continuing to grapple with Colorado’s $1.2 billion dollar shortfall, the state will be losing $250 million in pandemic-related federal funding for healthcare from the American Rescue Plan Act. The federal government is implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative. Coloradoans may believe that our Democrat-led state legislature will surely cut back on bills with a fiscal impact, but that would be an incorrect assumption; they just tweak the fiscal note. SB25-183, Coverage for Pregnancy Related Services, would be more appropriately named “Taxpayer-funded Abortion Coverage.” This bill adds abortion coverage to Colorado’s state Medicaid insurance. Howev...
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NFIB Colorado urges lawmakers to tackle health insurance costs
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Approved, NFIB, State

NFIB Colorado urges lawmakers to tackle health insurance costs

By NFIB The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Colorado’s leading small business advocacy organization, released a new health care policy paper entitled, “Addressing the Health Insurance Affordability Crisis for Small Businesses.” The findings reveal a dire prognosis for the small-group insurance market as employer-provided health coverage is becoming unsustainable for millions of small businesses and their employees.  “Health insurance costs are a major concern for Colorado small business owners,” said NFIB Colorado State Director Michael Smith. “These costs, paired with inflation and hiring shortages, are forcing small business owners to make difficult decisions like cutting back or closing permanently. HB1297 will further add to the rising cost of doing ...
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[UPDATED] Ganahl: Colorado GOP’s New Leadership Faces Rogue Holdouts as Williams’ Allies Cling to Power
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

[UPDATED] Ganahl: Colorado GOP’s New Leadership Faces Rogue Holdouts as Williams’ Allies Cling to Power

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Republican Party’s newly elected leadership, led by Chair Brita Horn, is battling a desperate power grab by ex-Chairman David Williams and his allies. They refuse to let go despite the Colorado Republican State Central Committee’s (SCC) move to dismiss a contentious lawsuit.  Horn, alongside allies Nancy Pallozzi and Todd Watkins, champions a fresh start, but Williams’ appointees—particularly the shadowy Colorado Republican State Party Controversy Investigative Committee (CRSPCIC) led by Matt Arnold—are digging in, in a legal standoff that seems more about ego than justice. The roots lie in 2024’s chaotic primaries, where Williams’ endorsed candidates didn’t fare well (14 of 18 lost). This sparked former Jefferso...
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From Fort Collins to the Capitol, “Hands Off!” protestors shriek over Trump and Musk’s government overhaul
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Approved, DENVER7, National, State

From Fort Collins to the Capitol, “Hands Off!” protestors shriek over Trump and Musk’s government overhaul

By Robert Garrison | The Associated Press via Denver7 WASHINGTON — Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied across Colorado and the country Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues. Nationally, more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations took place, organized by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. In Colorado, thousands gathered at several locations across the state, including on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol. Protesters also demonstrated in Arvada, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Loveland. They also took place at the National Mall in W...
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Trump greenlights AI data center at Colorado’s NREL to ‘win the AI race’
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Approved, National, State, The Colorado Sun

Trump greenlights AI data center at Colorado’s NREL to ‘win the AI race’

By Mark Jaffe | Colorado Sun The Trump administration is looking to locate a private data center and power plant on land owned by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of a broader plan to site such facilities at 16 national laboratories. “Private data center companies, that’s where the capital is, that’s where the investment is and on federal land, we make a commercial arrangement with them,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at a press conference Thursday at NREL. The arrangement could be a combination of lease payments and an allocation of data center computing to the lab. “It is using our land to get some value out of it with a private company,” Wright said. “It helps the lab and helps the country by getting more data centers built.” The underlying goal is to ke...
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Davis: Democrat lawmakers target faith as discriminatory under HB25-1312
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Davis: Democrat lawmakers target faith as discriminatory under HB25-1312

By Chase Davis | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is rapidly becoming one of the nation’s most “progressive” states. And by “progressive,” I mean “radically opposed to God, family, life, marriage, and basic human biology and aggressively hostile to anyone who holds historic conservative and Christian beliefs on these issues.” Welcome to the modern Left—this ain’t your grandaddy’s Democrat Party. As a Southern Baptist pastor living and ministering in Boulder, Colorado, I’m on the front lines of the fight to maintain both a gospel and a “creation order” witness in a state that is increasingly hostile to the spiritual message of salvation in Jesus Christ and the natural law. And what Colorado Democrats are trying to do right now, if successful, would destroy the ...
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