Rocky Mountain Voice

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Hartsook: Record-setting session dominated by ‘extreme Progressive’ wing of Democrat party
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Hartsook: Record-setting session dominated by ‘extreme Progressive’ wing of Democrat party

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice The speed with which legislation is flowing in the Colorado Legislature is unprecedented, Rep. Anthony Hartsook told constituents Wednesday in a newsletter. Hartsook serves Douglas County residents in House District 44. “The legislature is well on its way to a record or near-record year for the volume of legislation,” he wrote. “I continue to fight for tax relief, parental rights, public safety, veterans and small business.” In an address Saturday to Weld County residents, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer predicted bill count could reach 1,000. The bill total presently sits at 470. Hartsook sponsored House Bill 1156, which would allow issuance of a special event permit to a chamber of commerce and its members related to events where alcohol m...
Colorado lawmakers review bill on refusing DUI-related blood tests, motor vehicle offenses
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers review bill on refusing DUI-related blood tests, motor vehicle offenses

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A sweeping measure that would deal with a host of motor vehicle offenses, including refusal to submit to a blood test for drunk driving, is awaiting a vote from the House Judiciary Committee. The main provisions in House Bill 1135 actually deal with motor vehicle offenses committed by commercial drivers. But the bill's broad title, on offenses related to operating a motor vehicle, gave the sponsors latitude to include other issues. Reps. Marc Snyder, D-Manitou Springs, and Matt Soper, R-Delta, attempted to address several roadway problems with the measure, which a committee reviewed — but took no action — on Tuesday. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Report: ‘People think this is the marijuana they used in college. It is not.’
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Report: ‘People think this is the marijuana they used in college. It is not.’

One Chance to Grow Up details dangers of today’s marijuana on children By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice COLORADO SPRINGS – When marijuana was legalized in Colorado more than a decade ago, it became apparent action would be needed to protect youth and One Chance to Grow Up was formed, co-founder Doug Robinson told a group of business leaders here last week. “Colorado was the first state to legalize it,” he said. “We decided we had to do something about it. We had to focus on protecting kids.” The citizen-led and funded non-profit was formed and, in the 11 years since marijuana was legalized, has impacted 37 pieces of legislation aimed at improving outcomes for children. In the early years of the campaign, focus was toward child-resistant packaging, labeling and warn...
Colorado bill proposes library committees to consider whether to ban books, other content
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado bill proposes library committees to consider whether to ban books, other content

BY Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A panel of Colorado legislators tackled — but decided against voting for now — a measure that would create an official process for parents, students and the public to object to materials in a school or public library, diving squarely into an issue that has divided communities and at times pitted parents against each other across America.     The sponsors agreed that Senate Bill 049 needs changes to address points raised by both sides of the issue.  As introduced, SB 049 would create the Committee for School Libraries, which would be composed of individuals appointed by school districts to consider requests and complaints. A separate committee would be created at local levels for public libraries. Members of the...
Lauren Boebert’s son arrested in western Colorado in connection with string of vehicle break-ins
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Lauren Boebert’s son arrested in western Colorado in connection with string of vehicle break-ins

By The Colorado Sun The oldest son of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was in a western Colorado jail on Wednesday after being arrested in connection with a recent string of vehicle break-ins and property thefts. Tyler Jay Boebert, 18, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and is facing possible felony charges of criminal possession of identification documents involving multiple victims and conspiracy to commit a felony, the Rifle Police Department said in a statement. He also faces over 15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses, it said. Jail records say other charges he is being held on include theft of less than $300, criminal possession of a financial device and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado conservatives want a property tax cap. The state’s bipartisan tax commission hates the idea.
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado conservatives want a property tax cap. The state’s bipartisan tax commission hates the idea.

By Brian Eason | Colorado Sun In late January, Colorado’s bipartisan tax commission took an informal poll among its 19 members to gauge support for the dozen or so ideas they’d been discussing to deliver tax relief to homeowners. One emerged as a clear loser: a cap on property tax revenue growth. The concept — backed by influential conservative and business groups outside the Capitol — ranked among the lowest of any proposal among the committee’s members, garnering strong opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike. “Hard caps are a terrible idea,” Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat and chair of the commission, told The Colorado Sun in an interview. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Are laws cracking down on car theft responsible for downward trend in Colorado?
Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Are laws cracking down on car theft responsible for downward trend in Colorado?

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Colorado found itself atop most lists of states with the highest car thefts and associated crimes in the last several years — record-breaking numbers that had been accumulating since 2020 and which put pressure on the governor and legislators to respond. Notably, lawmakers, upon the urging of the governor, passed a law that made all car thefts a felony, decoupling the severity of the crime from the value of the car and tying it instead to behavior so that the penalty becomes more severe with repeat offenders.      But lawmakers haven't introduced a lot of bills devoted to auto theft this year. Is that because the laws enacted are working? READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Nikki Haley came to Colorado in her quest to defeat Donald Trump. Here’s how her visit went.
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Nikki Haley came to Colorado in her quest to defeat Donald Trump. Here’s how her visit went.

By Sandra Fish | Colorado Sun Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley took aim at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Colorado Tuesday, one week before the state’s presidential primary election. “No Republican statewide has gotten more than 45% statewide since Donald Trump became president,” Haley said of Colorado’s elections. “Everywhere he goes, chaos follows him.” The former U.N. ambassador criticized Trump, her former boss, over big spending and higher national debt during his administration, as well as his recent opposition to a congressional bill that would have spent billions to strengthen border security. She blended in criticism of President Joe Biden along the way, saying she has a better chance of beating the Democrat than Trump does. READ THE FULL ...
Study: Colorado has some of the worst pothole problems
Approved, kdvr.com, State

Study: Colorado has some of the worst pothole problems

By Maddie Rhodes | KDVR-TV If you think the roads are bad in Colorado, you’re not wrong. However, there are plenty of states with worse pothole problems, based on a new study. USA Today released a study on states with the most pothole problems. Because individual pothole data from each state isn’t available, the study looked into online searches for pothole-related terms on Google Trends from 2020 to 2023. Here’s where Colorado ranks among states with the worst pothole problems, according to the study. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR-TV
Disabled American Veterans facing statewide shortage of vehicles, drivers to take veterans to VA appointments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Disabled American Veterans facing statewide shortage of vehicles, drivers to take veterans to VA appointments

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Veterans from the distant regions of the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains are met with a challenge in order to receive medical treatment. There are three Veterans Affairs medical centers serving the state, and only one actually in the state. Many veterans take appointments in Cheyenne, Wyo., and others in Albuquerque, N.M. That often means transportation is needed, even to get to an appointment at the Denver location. The solution is Colorado’s Disabled American Veterans’ transportation program, but there exists a shortage of vehicles and drivers. “We just purchased five more vehicles and at least three will need to go to Northeast Colorado,” said Benito Gonzales, adjutant and treasurer for the Colorado DAV. “These new vehicles repl...

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