Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

State

‘DEVASTATED’, the story of fentanyl in Colorado, will be shown Thursday in Fort Morgan
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘DEVASTATED’, the story of fentanyl in Colorado, will be shown Thursday in Fort Morgan

By DRAKE HUNTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The equivalent of a capacity school bus is killed each week by fentanyl, making the drug the leading cause of death for those ages 18 to 45 in America. It has been termed by the Drug Enforcement Administration as the "deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced." The story of fentanyl in Colorado, as told by the movie DEVASTATED, has been shown for the second time in Morgan County on the Eastern Plains this week. DEVASTATED delves into the stories of parents who have lost children to the drug, with members of law enforcement, addicts, dealers, politicians and the medical community participating in the movie. "The fentanyl issue is not only an epidemic issue statewide, but it is a monster in our own backyard affecting every aspect of o...
Read More
Rep. Holtorf offers cattle class 101 to ‘city slickers’ in special session tax discussion
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Holtorf offers cattle class 101 to ‘city slickers’ in special session tax discussion

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice What is the impact of rising taxation on a cattle ranch or agricultural operation? That's what Eastern Colorado rancher Richard Holtorf asked what he termed "city slickers" in the Colorado Legislature to consider Tuesday as he offered a master's class in the costly prospects of cattle-raising, while perhaps straying from the topic at hand. "To run cattle, you have to have grassland," Rep. Holtorf said. "To have grassland, you have to own or lease grassland. There is a property tax element to that." In Eastern Colorado where Holtorf ranches, many cattle raisers and agriculture producers work on 640-acre "sections" of land or larger. The land is dry and most cattle raisers restrict grazing to no more than a head per 15 acres, or supplement w...
Read More
Liberty Scorecard releases six position points to guide lawmakers in special session
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Liberty Scorecard releases six position points to guide lawmakers in special session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Members of the 74th General Assembly are not the only ones working overtime during a special session called by Gov. Jared Polis. So is Liberty Scorecard Colorado. The team behind Liberty Scorecard has released six position points to guide the special session, after review of bills proposed for the session's single focus of property tax relief. The House and Senate convened the special session Monday, with Democrat House Speaker Julie McCluskie lamenting two special sessions and a regular session all within about 10 months. "When we concluded our regular session in May, we came together and delivered a bipartisan property tax bill that reduced rates, capped growth and permanently fixed our antiquated property tax system," she said. "It was ...
Read More
Despite going over budget last year, school lunches will still be free for Coloradans in 2024
No Comments
Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Despite going over budget last year, school lunches will still be free for Coloradans in 2024

By Yesenia Robles | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado is still offering free school meals this school year, even though the program has ended up costing more than state officials predicted. While an advisory group tries to come up with long-term solutions that may mean changes in future school years, state lawmakers decided to continue funding the program in the short term, so the program won’t change for this school year. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
Read More
Making quick work of special session assignment, property tax bills clear first hurdles
No Comments
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Making quick work of special session assignment, property tax bills clear first hurdles

By Gabrielle Franklin | Fox 31 News The agreement between Colorado property tax initiative supporters, the governor and a group of lawmakers passed its first committee on Monday afternoon. Another measure seeking to gain voter approval to put property tax measures on the ballot also advanced out of committee. Both measures passed with a vote of 8-3. The House Appropriations Committee worked on the marquee negotiated agreement. While leaders on both sides of the aisle made clear they were ready to get to work on property taxes, their members made it known they had concerns about the pre-negotiated deal on the table. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
Read More
Colorado’s fee-based enterprises skirt TABOR, increase revenue by 3,000%
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado’s fee-based enterprises skirt TABOR, increase revenue by 3,000%

By Scott Weiser | Denver Gazette In 1992 voters enacted the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to constrain the growth of government by requiring voter approval for tax increases. Since then, the state government has built a new structure to avoid that requirement. The creation of TABOR-exempt state-owned “enterprises” has allowed government to increase fees from 46% of total state spending in 1996 to 71% of state spending in 2023 without requiring approval from taxpayers, according to a new report released by the Common Sense Institute, a non-partisan research organization “dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado’s economy.” “Fees are a rapidly growing and significant cost for Coloradans,” said Kelly Caufield, Executive Director of the Common Sense Institute. “At the end of ...
Read More
On opening day of special session, lawmakers kill most bills, advance tax cut, constitutional change
No Comments
Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

On opening day of special session, lawmakers kill most bills, advance tax cut, constitutional change

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado legislators winnowed 13 property-tax bills down to just four during the first day of a special session Monday, but put a bill at the center of a governor-negotiated deal on a collision course with a constitutional amendment that could upend that deal. In the most anticipated hearing of the day, the House Appropriations Committee approved a measure that would expand property-tax breaks passed at the end of the regular session in May and cap annual growth of property-tax revenue for schools and local governments. Passage of House Bill 1001 also would get Advance Colorado and Colorado Concern to pull from the November ballot a pair of more far-reaching property-tax-cut proposals that education and government leaders fear would result in ...
Read More
Retired brand commissioner, Chris Whitney, honored for his service to industry
No Comments
Approved, State, thefencepost.com

Retired brand commissioner, Chris Whitney, honored for his service to industry

By Rachel Gabel   | The Fence Post Recently retired Colorado Brand Commissioner Chris Whitney was honored for his service to the state’s livestock industry by the Colorado Livestock Association at their recent meeting in Black Hawk. In a statement, CLA said Whitney has exemplified a profound understanding of the intricate balance between producers, sustainability, good business practices and animal stewardship. Whitney jokes that how he became the commissioner is a bit of a mystery to him. He grew up on the Walking Horse Ranch in Ridgway, Colo., a Western Slope Hereford operation but after graduation, found himself in Vietnam in the Air Force. “I’ve been so lucky in my life, it’s just disgusting,” he said. “When I was in college, I took undergraduate and graduate degrees in Russia...
Read More
‘Their property taxes have gone up exponentially’: Rose Pugliese addresses Mighty 19 in opening of special session
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘Their property taxes have gone up exponentially’: Rose Pugliese addresses Mighty 19 in opening of special session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When the second regular session of Colorado's 74th General Assembly closed earlier this year, lawmakers believed they had reached consensus on a property tax plan. Senate Bill 24-233, led by Republican prime sponsors Rep. Lisa Frizell and Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, cleared the House with about two-thirds of Republicans supporting the bill and just two Republicans in the Senate opposed. Then a pair of citizen initiatives on the subject earned enough support to reach the fall ballot and lead Gov. Jared Polis to call a special session on property tax. That special session opened Monday, with many on the political right opposed to the deal that allowed for the special session to be called. "We did good work [with SB 24-233]," said House Minority Lea...
Read More
First bills of special session released by sponsors, including five by Republicans
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

First bills of special session released by sponsors, including five by Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Nine bills in the Colorado House and two more in the Colorado Senate are set to be introduced in the special session of the 74th General Assembly, along with others which have not been pre-released. The special session, called by Gov. Jared Polis, opened at 10 a.m. Monday. The special session has a singular purpose to address property tax in an effort for lawmakers to avoid citizen-led Prop. 108 and Constitutional Amendment 50 from reaching the ballot. Following is a glance at the Republican bills set to be introduced: Senate Bill 24B-0009, by Republican Sens. Mark Baisley and Kevin Van Winkle, would require the property tax levy of a special taxing district to be calculated by dividing the actual value of the property by the total actual ...
Read More