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Profit or patients? The 340B fight that could close Colorado hospitals
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Profit or patients? The 340B fight that could close Colorado hospitals

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice If Senate Bill 25-071 fails, Julie Lonborg says her neighbor could end up driving from Lone Tree to Thornton just to pick up a single prescription. That’s not some theoretical what-if. It’s a glimpse into what hospital leaders say is already unfolding in Colorado, especially for patients in rural communities who depend on access to affordable medication through the federal 340B drug discount program. SB25-071, known as the Colorado 340B Contract Pharmacy Protection Act, aims to stop pharmaceutical manufacturers from placing limits on where and how hospitals dispense discounted drugs to vulnerable patients.  Supporters say it’s the only thing standing between local hospitals and a set of restrictions from out-of-state...
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Coloradans get their chance to scrap sanctuary laws with ballot measure
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COLORADO PEAK POLITICS, Commentary, State

Coloradans get their chance to scrap sanctuary laws with ballot measure

By Colorado Peak Politics, Commentary Detainees at the Aurora immigration facility escaped this week and are still at large but the media could care less except to fuel a fight between local law enforcement and ICE. Reporters aren’t the least bit curious how the two escapees, and only those two, knew that one back door was unlocked during a power failure. Why was there a power failure and how does that affect the security of the center? So-called journalists don’t seem to care enough to find out. How does the surrounding community feel about the fact that local police refused to respond when called? Or at the very flipping least, why Aurora PD couldn’t even issue a BOLO alert for their officers to be on the lookout? And while we’re grandstanding, since when does the media...
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Colorado lawmakers delay budget introduction as they agonize over final cuts
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado lawmakers delay budget introduction as they agonize over final cuts

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Over and over last week, Colorado budget writers kept getting mired in the same debates. Is a $21 million program that allows recent high school graduates to enroll in free college-level classes worth the cost? Can the state afford to continue paying bonuses to nurses at its understaffed mental health facilities? What about in jails, where the state has a long backlog of inmates awaiting mental health evaluations in order to stand trial? Should the state keep providing free lunches to school kids, whether or not their parents are truly in financial need? What if doing so means less money for their classroom teachers — over 1,000 of whom were just across the street Thursday to protest proposed cuts to public education? Acr...
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President Trump calls Colorado Capitol portrait ‘distorted,’ blames Gov. Polis
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

President Trump calls Colorado Capitol portrait ‘distorted,’ blames Gov. Polis

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 News DENVER (KDVR) — President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to disparage a portrait of himself that has hung in the Colorado Capitol since 2019. The Colorado Republican party collected over $10,000 in donations for Trump’s portrait in 2018, which was overseen by Colorado Citizens for Culture. The oil painting was commissioned by the Colorado GOP from Sarah Boardman, who also painted the Colorado Capitol’s portrait of former President Barack Obama.AOC, Sanders speak to over 30K in Denver in ‘biggest political event since Obama 2008’ However, Trump took issue with the painting on Sunday, posting to Truth Social that his Colorado portrait “was purposefully distorted.” "Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, b...
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Colorado legislature to discuss bill that could remove social media users acting illegally
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Approved, DENVER7, State

Colorado legislature to discuss bill that could remove social media users acting illegally

By Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 DENVER — A mother who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose wants stronger protections for people acting illegally on social media, and a bill scheduled for discussion on Monday could do just that. Among many things, SB25-086 would require social media companies to enact public policies for their platform and remove a user who violates them within 72 hours. "Users who are posting the sale or availability of fentanyl or other illicit drugs or illegal guns or opportunities for young people to engage in sex would be, should be removed from the platform," Chelsea Congdon said. Congdon lost her son Miles Brundige, 19, on Nov. 8, 2020. He was a sophomore at University of Colorado Boulder, suffering from a dislocated shoulder. READ FULL ARTI...
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Colorado Joint Budget Committee addresses wolf reintroduction concerns with budget footnotes
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Joint Budget Committee addresses wolf reintroduction concerns with budget footnotes

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics While agricultural organizations did not succeed in their efforts to halt the reintroduction of more wolves, they found a more sympathetic ear among policymakers at the state Capitol. In their work on "footnotes," which are directions to state departments on administering appropriations, the Joint Budget Committee adopted two items related to the wolf reintroduction program. Footnotes do not have the force of law, although state agencies comply. Even when the governor vetoes a footnote, usually due to a separation of powers issue, he often directs the agencies to comply anyway. The first said the annual $2.1 million general fund appropriation should be used to implement Proposition 114, the narrowly-adopted 2020 ballot measure that resulted...
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Democrats dealt messaging blow after NRCC defamation threat forces Medicaid billboards to come down
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Approved, State, Washington Examiner

Democrats dealt messaging blow after NRCC defamation threat forces Medicaid billboards to come down

ByRachel Schilke | Washington Examiner A vendor in charge of displaying House Democrats’ billboards accusing vulnerable Republicans of voting to cut Medicaid and give tax breaks to Elon Musk was forced to take them down after House Republicans’ campaign arm sent a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday. The Washington Examiner exclusively reported that House Majority Forward launched six billboards in vulnerable Republican districts, those of Reps. Gabe Evans (R-CO), Don Bacon (R-NE), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Rob Wittman (R-VA), on Tuesday. But now, the billboards have been pulled after the National Republican Congressional Committee sent a letter to Lamar Advertising Company, warning the vendor it “will b...
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SB25-003, the $27 million paywall on the Second Amendment
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

SB25-003, the $27 million paywall on the Second Amendment

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice It started at 8:00 a.m. By the time the clock neared 10:00 p.m., Colorado House Democrats had passed a bill critics say is the most economically discriminating gun control law in state history. SB25-003 cleared second reading on March 21, advancing despite fierce Republican resistance. Over the course of over 12 hours, GOP lawmakers argued that the bill sets up a pay-to-play structure that burdens working-class Coloradans, rural sheriffs and law-abiding gun owners with costs, bureaucracy and uncertainty. “Senate Bill three has passed second reading. It’s unfortunate for Coloradans, but you need to know the Colorado House Republicans put up a valiant fight for your Second Amendment rights,” Rep. Ty Winter said. https:/...
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Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem

By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the state of Colorado, we are facing over a $1.2 BILLION dollar shortfall. As we are now halfway through the 2025 legislative session, we have seen little progress from the lawmaking majority on making hard and significant cuts to our budget.  Rather than admit the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars, the majority uses this predicament to go after and attack our Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  Our state budget this year is over 43 BILLION. In the last 6 years they have gone from a budget surplus to a very progressive spending spree at the expense of taxpayers.  More offices, tax credits, and programs that require funding and eat away at TABOR refunds have been – and continue to be –  the...
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[UPDATED] RMV Candidate Questionnaire: The battle for CO GOP Chair
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

[UPDATED] RMV Candidate Questionnaire: The battle for CO GOP Chair

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff With the Colorado GOP Chair race heating up, more candidates have weighed in on the party’s future. When we first posed these questions, Brita Horn was the sole candidate to reply. Now, Darcy Schoening and Kevin McCarney have shared their perspectives, offering distinct strategies on voter outreach, fundraising and Proposition 108. We have not received answers from Jeremy Goodall, Richard Holtorf, or Lori Saine. As the March 29 election nears, their responses shed light on how each plans to rebuild and strengthen the party in a challenging political landscape. Why are you running for Chair? Brita Horn Darcy Schoening: I am running for Chair because winning starts locally—and right now, the Colorado GOP lacks the infrastructure, training,...
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