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Colorado lawmakers hike fees to fill budget gaps
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Approved, Axios Denver, State

Colorado lawmakers hike fees to fill budget gaps

By John Frank | Axios Denver If you own a car, run a restaurant or go to court, expect to pay more in fees in coming years. Why it matters: The Democratic majority at the state Capitol is using fees to fill spending gaps in an austere budget year — even though it works against their promises to reduce Coloradans' cost of living. Catch up quick: The small-dollar increases are easy to overlook, but a handful of bills would generate big money for the state. READ THE FULL STORY AT AXIOS DENVER
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“Drawing the line”: School boards warn HB25-1312 oversteps on parental rights, brings policy chaos
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“Drawing the line”: School boards warn HB25-1312 oversteps on parental rights, brings policy chaos

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Board members say the bill risks punishing parents, stripping local authority, and forcing schools into the middle of contentious custody battles More than 70 school board members and education leaders have signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject HB25-1312, also known as the Kelly Loving Act. Jason Jorgenson, secretary of the District 11 Board of Education and a lead organizer of the opposition letter, said HB25-1312 “risks encouraging youth to pursue a path of gender transition without appropriate parental involvement.” Andrea Haitz, president of the District 51 Board of Education, warned that the bill “risks placing schools in an even more precarious legal position, especially when parents disagree on matters like gender identity or p...
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Colorado braces for special session over bloated Medicaid spending amid federal pressure
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Approved, National, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado braces for special session over bloated Medicaid spending amid federal pressure

By John Ingold | Colorado Sun There are now only seven days left in Colorado’s legislative session. But lawmakers and other state officials have for weeks been bracing for the possibility of coming back to the Capitol later this year to deal with potential federal cuts to Medicaid likely to be included in Congressional Republicans’ still-being-written budget proposal. “There certainly are a lot of indicators that would suggest that we might end up having to come back in the event that there’s a dramatic cut to Medicaid,” state Sen. Judy Amabile, a Boulder Democrat and member of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, said last month, as first reported in The Colorado Sun’s politics newsletter, The Unaffiliated. Speaking to a group of health care leaders earlier this mo...
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Was it the people’s town hall — or a political playbook in action?
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Approved, Local, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Was it the people’s town hall — or a political playbook in action?

By RMV Staff | RMV NE CO Newsroom, Rocky Mountain Voice As constituents speak out in Greeley, and across Colorado, political operatives sharpen their sights on Colorado’s 8th District. On April 26, more than 100 residents gathered at the Moxi Theater in downtown Greeley for a two-hour town hall organized by progressive groups, including Vote Save America PAC. Billed as “The People's Town Hall: Where is Gabe?” – the event gave attendees from across the political spectrum a chance to speak up about representation, leadership, and what they want to see from elected officials. The Collective Voice: The True Keynote In a unique format, nearly 50 individuals were given three minutes each to share their thoughts, speaking with passion, urgency, and reflection. The event was led by Kar...
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Southern Baptist group urges Colorado pastors, members to oppose transgender rights bill
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Southern Baptist group urges Colorado pastors, members to oppose transgender rights bill

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette The Center for Baptist Leadership, an organization associated with the Southern Baptist Church, is urging pastors and members in Colorado to speak out against a bill that establishes certain legal protections for transgender people. House Bill 1312 seeks to penalize "deadnaming" and "misgendering" as discriminatory actions and to mandate that the courts include such claims in determining the allocation of parenting time in custody cases. The bill has already passed through the House on a 36-20 vote and is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Clock runs out on social media bill: lawmakers shield themselves and Polis from historic override
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Clock runs out on social media bill: lawmakers shield themselves and Polis from historic override

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The Senate overrode the governor’s veto. The House never even had to say no. In Colorado politics, sometimes the clock matters more than the votes. Without casting a single "no" vote, Colorado lawmakers on April 28 killed a bipartisan attempt to override Governor Jared Polis’ veto of a social media regulation bill. Just days earlier, the Senate had voted 29–6 to override the veto of Senate Bill 25-086, marking the state's first successful chamber override of a policy bill in more than a decade.  But when the bill reached the House, members voted 51–13 to lay over the override until after the legislative session ended. As reported by The Colorado Sun, the maneuver guaranteed the bill’s death without a formal vote, allowing lawmakers to av...
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Colorado legislature declines to override Jared Polis’ veto of social media bill after House caves
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado legislature declines to override Jared Polis’ veto of social media bill after House caves

By Jesse Paul | Colorado Sun The Colorado legislature Monday declined to override Jared Polis’ veto of a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting children from the harms of social media, sparing the governor the embarrassment of the state’s first veto override in 14 years. The override effort failed when the state House caved by laying over the vote to override the veto until May 9, which is after the legislative session ends. That prevented representatives from having to vote against the override after backing the bill. “The votes are not here,” said Rep. Andy Boesenecker, a Fort Collins Democrat and one of the lead sponsors of the bill. “That’s a fact.”  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Colorado GOP lawmakers and sheriffs press AG Bondi to examine SB3 for 2A infringements
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Approved, kdvr.com, National, State

Colorado GOP lawmakers and sheriffs press AG Bondi to examine SB3 for 2A infringements

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was sent a formal letter on Monday urging a Department of Justice investigation into the state of Colorado’s gun laws, specifically citing a newly signed law that Second Amendment advocates have called an infringement on their rights. The letter was sent by the Colorado State Shooting Association, which is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. The groups announced immediately after Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law that they would be filing a lawsuit against the measure. “We respectfully request that the Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force launch a thorough investigation into Colorado’s anti-Second Amendment agenda, focusing on the following,” the ...
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HB25-1312 Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Hearing Wednesday: How to Participate
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

HB25-1312 Scheduled for Senate Judiciary Hearing Wednesday: How to Participate

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff The Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on House Bill 25-1312, titled "Legal Protections for Gender Expression and Identity," this Wednesday, April 30 at the Colorado State Capitol. The bill, which has already passed the House, could redefine “discrimination” to include parents, teachers, and citizens who don’t comply with radical gender ideology demands—including pronoun use and so-called "gender-affirming care." Hearing Information: Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Scheduled Start Time: 1:30 PM (subject to floor work delays) Location: Old Supreme Court Chambers, Colorado State Capitol Members of the public who are interested in providing testimony have several options to participate. Individuals who wish to testif...
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