Rocky Mountain Voice

State

Phil Weiser’s ICE portal: A hotline for the wrong crisis
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Phil Weiser’s ICE portal: A hotline for the wrong crisis

By RMV Editorial Board Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser wants you to do something. Not vote. Not volunteer. Not show up to a school board meeting and read the agenda before somebody else reads it for you. He wants you to report ICE. Weiser’s office rolled out a portal inviting Coloradans to document “concerns” about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. His pitch is tidy and familiar. The public assumes rules apply to everyone and that safety isn’t optional. When that assumption fails, there needs to be a way to say so. Fine. In theory. In practice, this portal is a neon sign pointing at the wrong problem. It's a taxpayer-funded invitation to fixate on federal immigration enforcement while the crimes and dysfunction Coloradans actually live ...
Do We Vote by Faith in Colorado? 
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Do We Vote by Faith in Colorado? 

By Pamela Poll | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has become a national figure in the battle for transparent elections in the USA. I believe her story holds important revelations. After the controversial 2020 election, around mid-year 2021, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold informed County Clerks that an update of their Dominion election software called the ‘Trusted Build’ would be installed on their election server. Preserving election data for at least 22 months is required by Federal law.  Clerk Peters arranged to have an outside person come in and create backups of the 2020 and 2021 election data. He made a second backup after the “Trusted Build” update was installed. The second backup confirmed that the 2020 ...
Colorado Democrats Push Sweeping New Crackdown on 3-D Printed Guns and Gun Dealer Oversight
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Push Sweeping New Crackdown on 3-D Printed Guns and Gun Dealer Oversight

By Lucas Brady Woods and Kyle McKinnon | The Colorado Sun Federal data show ghost guns are increasingly turning up at crime scenes. Democrats in the Colorado legislature are adding to their slate of proposals this year to tighten the state’s gun regulations with measures that would further crack down on 3-D printed firearms and impose tougher rules on gun dealers. House Bill 1144 would add to Colorado’s restrictions on ghost guns, unserialized firearms that are often assembled at home using 3-D printed parts or do-it-yourself kits. They allow people to bypass background checks and are virtually untraceable. Federal data show ghost guns are increasingly turning up at crime scenes. Recoveries of the weapons surged nearly 1,600% between 2017 and 2023,...
Transit Equity Day and the price of “equity”: Who pays when fares go to zero?
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Transit Equity Day and the price of “equity”: Who pays when fares go to zero?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Did you forget to celebrate Transit Equity Day? A reader pointed out the recent RTD press release linked first below. It touts how RTD celebrated Transit Equity Day on the 4th by giving everyone a free ride.Transit Equity Day itself is observed in remembrance of Rosa Parks and her stand against segregation of city busses. Quoting the press release (with links intact):"Transit Equity Day is observed annually on Parks’ birthday in recognition of public transit as a civil right and a critical pathway to opportunity. On Dec. 1, 1955, Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, an act that helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement and launched the Montgomery Bus ...
Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty

By Rob Natelson | Commentary., Complete Colorado This year marks the 150th anniversary of the original Colorado Constitution, which in a recent column I called “an extraordinary testament to human freedom.” The state constitution remains in effect today, but in a mangled form far less protective of liberty than when it became effective on August 1, 1876. As my prior column pointed out, the document imposed severe limitations on taxes, spending, and state debt—limitations far more restrictive than those currently mandated by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The Colorado founders’ dedication to freedom also appeared in their constitution’s bill of rights. The U.S. Bill of Rights consists only of ten relatively short amendments; the original Colo...
Colorado Democrats Revive Union Bill Vetoed by Polis Last Year
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Revive Union Bill Vetoed by Polis Last Year

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 House Bill 26-1005 has the same goal as legislation that passed out of the Capitol last year, and then was vetoed by Governor Jared Polis. DENVER — On Thursday, Colorado lawmakers heard passionate testimony that spanned across roughly three hours related to how workers unionize in the state, and whether or not that should be changed. If the debate under the Gold Dome feels familiar, that's because it is. House Bill 26-1005 proposes changes to Colorado's Labor Peace Act, which was enacted in 1943. Advocates claim the modifications would encourage good faith collective bargaining negotiations, but opponents believe they are trying to fix something that is not broken. In Colorado, a simple majority vote is needed for wor...
Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Revive Push to Ban State Lawmakers From Holding Multiple Elected Offices

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in Brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state. A bill set for its first hearing later this month would bar Colorado lawmakers from holding more than one elected office at a time, reviving a recurring debate over conflicts of interest at the Capitol. Senate Bill 59 aims to address an issue that has surfaced at least six times in the last few years: lawmakers holding more than one elected office at a time. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, and Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, is slated for a Feb. 24 hearing in the...
Colorado ag department seeks dismissal of whistleblower complaint over DEI as employee calls for HR director removal
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado ag department seeks dismissal of whistleblower complaint over DEI as employee calls for HR director removal

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice More than two months after a single chat comment during a virtual meeting sparked a whistleblower complaint at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the case has escalated into a legal standoff, with the department moving to dismiss the complaint as the employee seeks the removal of its HR director. At the center of the dispute is the employee’s contention that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are embedded in state governance and being promoted within a federally funded agency despite a federal executive order restricting DEI activities tied to federal programs. “Complainant cannot establish a Whistleblower Act claim for several reasons,” the CDA response states. “First, Complainant failed to comply with the Act’s man...
Colorado Senate moves to widen red flag authority despite due process warnings
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado Senate moves to widen red flag authority despite due process warnings

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Since its adoption five years ago, Colorado’s red flag law has not stayed static. Since its passage, lawmakers have kept returning to Colorado’s red flag law, expanding it piece by piece as new concerns arise. SB26-004 is the latest revision, reviving debate over how far intervention should reach — and how much due process should accompany it. SB26-004 cleared the Colorado Senate on Feb. 3, passing on a 20–13 vote and moving to the House for further consideration. Sen. Nick Hinrichsen the only Democrat to oppose it. The bill revises the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order system, often referred to as red flag orders, and prompted extended debate during second reading the day before final passage. Supporters s...
The camel’s nose under the tent: Why Colorado’s “captive customer” bill matters
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

The camel’s nose under the tent: Why Colorado’s “captive customer” bill matters

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Captive customer price controls--the camel’s nose under the tent? Colorado Democrats are tinkering in the market again, going after a variety to things including so-called "captive customers".Quoting the Complete Colorado article below (with links intact):"House Bill 26-1012 is part of a package of legislation majority Democrats have in mind to regulate consumer prices and limit what the bill sponsors claim is price gouging. “Consumer Protections to Promote Fair Market Pricing” is the only bill in the package introduced so far."There's more to the bill, but the part relevant to this post relates to what the sponsors define as captive customers. Quoting again:"The bill also requires all vendors selling to...

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds