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Rep. Luck questions why tribal members aren’t part of Colorado’s American Indian Affairs Committee
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Luck questions why tribal members aren’t part of Colorado’s American Indian Affairs Committee

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Whether tribal members should be provided a place on Colorado's American Indian Affairs Committee was a consideration for a pair of House members Monday during a hearing for House Bill 25-1057 in front of the State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee. "We listen, we pay attention and we learn," said Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg, a prime sponsor of the bill establishing the five-year American Indian Affairs Interim Committee. The committee's purpose is to "examine issues and challenges that impact American Indian Tribal Nations," the bill summary reads. It would consist of six members of the general assembly who serve for the duration of the committee, outside of a resignation or are no longer in office. The committee can meet up...
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Rep. Luck’s bill to increase transparency in legislation gains broad committee support
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Luck’s bill to increase transparency in legislation gains broad committee support

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice If you are not a political insider, the two-month period between electing your state lawmakers to the General Assembly and the filing of bills as the state legislature begins might be filled with radio silence. That's the point of a bill from Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Southern Colorado Republican in District 60. House Bill 25-1069 would seek to increase transparency in the legislative process for all Coloradans. It was heard Monday in the House's State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill would create an online forum for a member of the General Assembly to voluntarily share drafts or titles of bills being considered with the public. "Our constituents seek more than just periodic updates," said Democrat Eliza Hamrick, a ...
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Colorado school districts push back on plan that state officials say would save $147 million
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Colorado school districts push back on plan that state officials say would save $147 million

By Jason Gonzales | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado would save $147 million next year by using a single-year student count for the purposes of calculating how to fund schools, according to the state’s budget director. Colorado funds its school districts per student, and Gov. Jared Polis has proposed using a single-year student count rather than a multi-year average to help balance a $1 billion shortfall. Because Colorado’s enrollment is declining, using a single-year count would cost less. But school district officials pushed back during a legislative hearing Thursday, saying the maneuver would amount to Colorado once again balancing its budget on the backs of students. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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‘More like this, please,’: Governor, lawmakers respond to DEA raid in Adams County
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

‘More like this, please,’: Governor, lawmakers respond to DEA raid in Adams County

By Heather Willard | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News Federal law enforcement agencies, joined by local partners, raided what the Drug Enforcement Agency called a “makeshift nightclub” in Adams County on Sunday, resulting in 49 people arrested. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement took 41 of those arrested into custody, alleging they were in the U.S. illegally. The raid was the result of a months-long investigation by the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division. The RMFD has been investigating drug trafficking by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua since “last summer,” according to DEA RMFD Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. The DEA RMFD said the party at the nightclub was “invite-only,” which Pullen said is only set up on certain weekends and is “invitation-only to members of TdA and th...
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Public school enrollment is on the decline. How is your local school district changing?
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Public school enrollment is on the decline. How is your local school district changing?

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun Most Colorado school districts are continuing to count fewer students in their classrooms, propelling a statewide trend of declining enrollment. Total state enrollment in preschool through high school this school year fell by a modest 399 kids — from 881,464 students during fall 2023 to 881,065 students last fall, state data shows. Education leaders attribute decreasing student counts across both the state and country to a mix of factors, primarily declining birth rates and increasing housing costs. Four of the Colorado’s 10 largest districts saw a notable year-over-year decrease in students: Jeffco Public Schools, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Poudre School District and Boulder Valley School District. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO ...
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Legislators will debate a very different wage-theft bill this year, but opposition remains
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Legislators will debate a very different wage-theft bill this year, but opposition remains

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance After Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a 2024 construction wage-theft-enforcement bill that he said could trip up law-abiding contractors, proponents are back with a follow-up that doesn’t single out one industry — but that may harm many sectors, some business leaders warn. House Bill 1001, sponsored by House Majority Leader Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge and fellow Democratic Rep. Meg Froelich of Greenwood Village, is scheduled for its first hearing Thursday afternoon before the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee. And its compromise efforts already have gotten a shout-out from Polis in his State of the State Address, starting it on much firmer ground than that on which last year’s effort began. A major reason that the bill is getti...
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‘Top shelf’ lawmaker Rep. Dan Woog finds inspiration at capitol from his collegiate hockey past
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘Top shelf’ lawmaker Rep. Dan Woog finds inspiration at capitol from his collegiate hockey past

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Dan Woog doesn’t hesitate when asked which hit was harder — one on the ice as a hockey player or one in politics as an elected official. “Hockey taught me resilience,” said Woog, a former collegiate athlete from Minnesota and the newly-elected House District 19 state representative. “As an athlete, you never quit. You practice, work hard and learn to work with people you might not always agree with.” These lessons prepared him for the highs and lows of his political journey, including his 2022 re-election loss. Hockey, Woog explained, also instilled a drive to persevere through setbacks: “I just believe in the will,” he said. “If we have the will and never give up, great things can happen.”  That drive brought ...
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Colorado files lawsuit against apartment rental manager of 45,000 units for ‘junk fees’
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The Center Square, Approved, State

Colorado files lawsuit against apartment rental manager of 45,000 units for ‘junk fees’

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square The Colorado Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit against apartment rental company Greystar for charging “junk fees.” The lawsuit was filed in Denver federal district court against Greystar, which is one of the largest providers of rental housing in Colorado managing approximately 45,000 units. “I will continue fighting for fair treatment of all Colorado renters,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. The lawsuit alleges that Greystar has, since 2019, “used deceptive advertising to entice consumers into applying for rental housing, and then bilked those consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars by charging ‘Hidden Fees.’” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
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Letter asks Gov. Polis to lead repeal of three laws he signed which created state immigration sanctuary
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Letter asks Gov. Polis to lead repeal of three laws he signed which created state immigration sanctuary

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Whether Gov. Jared Polis means what he says is the subject of a recent joint letter from three Republican members of the U.S. House to the governor. The letter dated Jan. 17, 2025, references the governor's pledge in his State of the State address to "welcome more federal help to detain and deport dangerous criminals". The statement stands in opposition to three pieces of legislation law enforcement often say tells a different story. The letter, authored on U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans letterhead, and additionally signed by U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank, takes the governor's comments at face value. "This is undoubtedly welcome news to Coloradans, who have watched the sanctuary state policies you signed negatively impact our state — f...
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Colorado, 13 other states, reach $7.4 billion settlement over opioid crisis
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado, 13 other states, reach $7.4 billion settlement over opioid crisis

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette The Colorado Attorney General's Office, along with 14 other states, helped secure a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family over its role in fueling the ongoing opioid crisis. The resolution comes on the heels of a previous settlement that was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2024. The new agreement is more than $1 billion more than the initial settlement. Purdue Pharma is the maker of OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller that has been a significant factor in the opioid epidemic striking the country since 2011. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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