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Zeldin: Trump administration to rewrite WOTUS rule
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Approved, National, State, The Fence Post

Zeldin: Trump administration to rewrite WOTUS rule

By Jerry Hagstrom | The Fence Post Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced today that EPA will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revise the definition of the Waters of the United States. At a news conference surrounded by Republican members of Congress, Zeldin said that the Trump administration wants to write a revised definition that “follows the law, reduces red tape, cuts overall permitting costs, and lowers the cost of doing business in communities across the country while protecting the nation’s navigable waters from pollution.” Zeldin said that the Trump administration wants to write a practical rule that will follow the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency and not be a “ping pong” in court decisio...
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Senate Democrats — including Colorado’s John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — refuse to go along with GOP spending plan
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State, The Colorado Sun, Top Stories

Senate Democrats — including Colorado’s John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet — refuse to go along with GOP spending plan

By Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press via The Colorado Sun WASHINGTON — A day before a shutdown deadline, Senate Democrats are mounting a last-ditch protest over a Republican-led government funding bill that already passed the House but failed to slap any limits on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to gut federal operations. Senate Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies by purging thousands of federal workers from jobs. U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, said Wednesday during a virtual town hall he would vote against the Republican bill and vote “no” on the Senate...
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Colorado teen’s death during abortion reveals abortion industry’s lack of regulation, group calls for investigation
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Approved, Gateway Pundit, State

Colorado teen’s death during abortion reveals abortion industry’s lack of regulation, group calls for investigation

By The Gateway Pundit Alexis “Lexi” Arguello, 18, from Colorado, died on February 6th following a botched abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic. The clinic delayed emergency transport for the teenager to a local hospital from the Fort Collins facility. The clinic, Operation Rescue claims in a press release, transferred Arguello ‘too late’ in order to protect itself and its profits from child murder. Planned Parenthood Transferred a Dying 18-Year-Old “Too Late” Pro-Life group Operation Rescue is working to investigate and document the low medical standards used at Colorado’s clinics and nationwide. The incident has reignited concerns about the safety of abortion procedures and the lack of oversight in the industry, prompting pro-life advocates to demand a full inve...
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New Colorado law will fast-track process for immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses
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Approved, DENVER7, State

New Colorado law will fast-track process for immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses

By Kristian Lopez | Denver7 New immigrants will be able to apply for driver's licenses in Colorado immediately under a new law that goes into effect on March 31 A new Colorado law will speed up the process for new immigrants to obtain their driver's licenses. Colorado already allows undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, but they currently must live in the state for at least two years before qualifying and provide a Social Security or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). SB24-182, which was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis in June of 2024, will drop those requirements. Denver7 spoke with Maria Valdez, a driving instructor at American Driving Academy in Aurora, who said this new law will benefit everyone in the state by making the roads safer....
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Who gets to know? Lawmakers, media and watchdogs wrangle over public records access
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Who gets to know? Lawmakers, media and watchdogs wrangle over public records access

By RMV Staff | Rocky Mountain Voice Last year Democrat lawmakers created a loophole to dodge public scrutiny—and Governor Polis made it law. Now it’s easier for lawmakers to evade state open meetings law, through written and electronic communication. Republicans Sen. Byron Pelton and Rep. Lori Garcia Sander introduced House Bill 25-1242 to repeal and close that loophole. But the bill was killed in committee along party lines, reinforcing a trend toward less transparency at the state capitol. In response, a coalition of government watchdogs and media groups from across the political spectrum is pushing a ballot measure to strengthen public access to records and keep legislative meetings open. Transparency advocates, including the Independence Institute, League of Women Voters an...
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Colorado lawmakers opt to keep teen legislative panel, but cut its power
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Approved, KUNC, State

Colorado lawmakers opt to keep teen legislative panel, but cut its power

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun via KUNC Colorado lawmakers reversed course on Wednesday and decided to keep in place a 20-year-old program that gets teens involved at the Capitol — with a big caveat. The Colorado Youth Advisory Council will no longer have the power to draft bills for the legislature’s consideration. The General Assembly planned to ax the Colorado Youth Advisory Council — known as COYAC — to save $50,000 annually as lawmakers try to close a $1.2 billion budget hole. Republicans also complained that the council had become too liberal. Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, attempted Wednesday on the Senate floor to keep the council operating as-is, but an amendment she offered to Senate Bill 25-199, which will end a number of interim committees t...
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“Education desert” bill would let charters open without school board approval in underperforming areas
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun, Top Stories

“Education desert” bill would let charters open without school board approval in underperforming areas

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun New charter schools authorized by the Colorado Charter School Institute would be allowed to open in communities with low-performing schools — possibly without approval from local school boards — under legislation that Colorado Senate President James Coleman is considering introducing at the Capitol this year. Coleman, a Denver Democrat, is also exploring the prospect of giving Colorado school districts “the option to solicit proposals from their communities for new quality schools,” including traditional public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, innovation schools or “other innovative education models.” The key factor in opening new schools in areas with struggling schools, Coleman said, would be “demonstrated community demand from acros...
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DOGE is terminating $9.4M in leases across Colorado
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Approved, kdvr.com, State

DOGE is terminating $9.4M in leases across Colorado

By Maddie Rhodes | Fox31 News Government agencies nationwide are experiencing spending cuts and layoffs with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and leases for property across Colorado are on the list. DOGE posted a “Wall of Receipts” on its website, listing contract, grant and lease cancellations. Over $9.4 million in leases are included, totaling 355,000 square feet. FOX31 matched the list to the U.S. General Services Administration’s inventory of federal government leases, which provided additional information, including addresses. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX31 NEWS
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Where is my refund? Here’s how to track your federal and Colorado state tax refunds
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Approved, State, The Coloradoan

Where is my refund? Here’s how to track your federal and Colorado state tax refunds

By Nate Trela | Coloradoan Tax filing season has a little over a month left to go, with federal and Colorado state tax returns both due April 15. The IRS says it has already issued nearly 37 million refunds totaling nearly $125 billion as of Feb. 28. The average refund amount of $3,382 is up 6% from last year. Some taxpayers enjoy the big lump sum payment, although the refunds are largely the result of withholding more money from paychecks than you actually owed in a given year. That money could have been invested and generated a return instead of sitting in state and federal government accounts.   READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADOAN
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Health care costs spike for undocumented immigrants
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Approved, Axios Denver, State

Health care costs spike for undocumented immigrants

By John Frank | Axios Denver A Colorado program that provides taxpayer-funded health care to unauthorized immigrants is seeing costs spike more than 600% after the latest influx. Why it matters: The benefits that Colorado offers to people living in the country illegally are in the spotlight amid a federal crackdown on sanctuary states and cities. How it works: A 2022 law dubbed Cover All Coloradans provides the equivalent of Medicaid and children's health insurance coverage to those who would otherwise qualify if they were citizens. READ THE FULL STORY AT AXIOS DENVER
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