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Polis Plan Relies On Keeping TABOR Refunds to Balance Budget
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis Plan Relies On Keeping TABOR Refunds to Balance Budget

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Should voters have a say in whether Colorado’s state government can keep and spend $289.1 million in taxpayer money because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)?  House Bill 1419, titled “Refund of State Revenues,” fulfills one of Governor Polis’ primary budget requests to balance this year’s budget.  Background Polis’ office suggests that, due to immediate reductions in state tax collections upon passage of the federal OBBBA, the state is entitled to recoup Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds accordingly.  However, as previously explained, Legislative Council Staff believed that the request was legally dubious and could exacerbate future fiscal challenges should the g...
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Colorado Lawmakers Face Crunch Time With Hundreds Of Bills Still Pending
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Face Crunch Time With Hundreds Of Bills Still Pending

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette With just 10 days left in the 2026 session, Colorado lawmakers are staring down the final stretch of a crowded agenda, with 228 bills still unresolved and several major measures that have yet to even be introduced. Monday’s report from the Office of Legislative Legal Services shows that of the 619 bills introduced so far, 430 originated in the House and 189 in the Senate. The large gap between the chambers stems not only from their different membership sizes but also from the annual budget process. In February, the House introduced supplemental budget bills, and later it carried the Long Bill and its 64 accompanying “orbital” measures that adjust state law to keep the budget in balance. There are 228 bills still awaiting...
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Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues
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Fox21, Approved, State

Democratic Governor Hopefuls Debate Housing Health Care And Youth Issues

By Carolynn Felling | FOX21 News (COLORADO SPRINGS) — Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser debated in Colorado Springs on Sunday, May 3, outlining their distinct visions for addressing Colorado’s cost-of-living crisis. The two candidates are running for the governor’s office in the upcoming June primary election. Their campaigns show differences in strategies to tackle issues like housing affordability, health care costs, and support for the next generation. Both Sen. Bennet and Attorney General Weiser acknowledge the critical urgency of Colorado’s affordability challenges. However, their proposed solutions present divergent paths for the state’s future. Their debate highlighted a division on how to best move Colorado forward. The debate brought ...
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National Small Business Week: Signs of Rising Optimism in Colorado
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

National Small Business Week: Signs of Rising Optimism in Colorado

By Justin D. Everett | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice This National Small Business Week, May 3-9, we’re not just celebrating America’s entrepreneurs – we’re seeing the results of policies that are putting them back in the driver’s seat. Across Colorado and the country, small businesses are growing, hiring, and investing again – and they have the confidence to do it. That didn’t happen by accident. Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, we’ve ushered in a new era of economic strength focused on Main Street – making the Working Families Tax Cuts permanent, rolling back burdensome regulations, and restoring the conditions small businesses need to succeed; and the results are clear. Last year alone, the U.S. Small Business Administration delivered a record $45 billion i...
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SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

SB26-147: A Great Idea Almost Certain to Be Vetoed

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project     SB26-147: a great idea almost certain to be vetoed The CPR article linked first below was my first introduction to the bill SB26-147, which is linked second below. The focus of the article is on how the legislature is pushing back on Governor Polis’ micromanaging by requiring his staff to register and hold to the same rules as any other lobbyist would. Quoting from the article with link intact: “Currently, lobbyists are required to register a stance on any bills they’re trying to influence with the Secretary of State’s Office, which makes that information publicly available. Legislative liaisons doing the same type of work for state agencies or the governor’s office directly don’t have those dis...
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Rail plan on the brink: Court ruling and ballot fight could kill funding
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rail plan on the brink: Court ruling and ballot fight could kill funding

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice On April 29, Governor Jared Polis declared in a press release that Colorado had struck a deal to bring passenger rail to the Front Range — three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins, launching in 2029, with no new taxes.  "At nearly half the cost of previous studies," he wrote, "this agreement proves that through partnership and collaboration, passenger rail service across the Front Range is not a far-off dream, but a reality." The day before, RTD's board voted to authorize $5.58 million from its FasTracks savings account and support the project's preliminary funding framework. The term sheet itself was executed April 30 between the Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), a government-owned ...
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Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting
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The Daily Record, Approved, State

Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting

By Brian Porter | The Daily Record Director Clellan recommends 3% increase to issued licenses; 257,000 participated in Big Game Draw. A briefing on prairie dog conservation, a keystone species to Fremont County, and an update to the gray wolf reintroduction will be shared when the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission meets May 6-7 at the Grand Junction Convention Center, 159 Main St., in Grand Junction. Frances Silva Blayney will officially become the newest Commission member – although she has already been serving – after her gubernatorial appointment to the Commission was upheld by the Colorado Senate last week. With the withdrawals of John Emerick and Chris Sichko from consideration, the Commission could be two members short when it convenes. ...
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Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s War On Natural Gas Could Cost Coloradans Dearly

By Elizabeth Caven | Commentary, The Denver Gazette In a state where winter isn’t optional, you’d think reliable heat wouldn’t be either. Yet, Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission seems increasingly comfortable with discarding the very energy source that keeps the majority of households in the state warm: natural gas. Residents are not thinking about long-term regulatory frameworks when they go to turn up the heat in January. They are asking much simpler questions: Will their homes stay warm, and can they afford it? This is what makes Colorados current energy trajectory so puzzling and, increasingly, troubling. Natural gas continues to be the backbone of the states energy sphere even as lawmakers at the Capitol seem determined to ignore that fact. A recent report published ...
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Colorado Title Board Blocks The “Right to Know” Transparency Amendment From Ballot
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Title Board Blocks The “Right to Know” Transparency Amendment From Ballot

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — The Colorado Title Board has refused to give Coloradans the opportunity to vote on making government transparency a state constitutional right. The board voted 2-1 at an April 24 re-hearing that a proposed constitutional amendment, put together by a large stakeholder group from across the political spectrum, did not meet Colorado’s “single-subject” requirement, calling it too broad. The 3-member Title Board is made up of representatives of the secretary of state, attorney general, and office of legislative legal services (OLLS). Colorado’s single‑subject rule requires that every citizen-initiated ballot measure be only about one issue in an effort to keep non-related topics from being grouped together.  Ball...
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Gas Turbines Ramp Up As Colorado Joins Regional Grid System
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The Coloradoan, Approved, State

Gas Turbines Ramp Up As Colorado Joins Regional Grid System

By Rebecca Powell | The Coloradoan In the month since Platte River Power Authority joined a regional energy market, its combustion gas turbines have been operating at a higher level and the Craig 1 unit that was supposed to have been retired instead began burning coal again. The combustion turbines have been operating at a "much higher capacity factor" and prices have been volatile, Melie Vincent, PRPA's chief power supply officer, told the board of directors on April 30. "A lot of this is just SPP operators trying to figure out the western side," Vincent said, referring to the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization's expansion into the western United States with nine utilities in Colorado, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyo...
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