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Senate bill aims to stop the expansion of grocery stores selling hard liquor in Colorado
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Approved, gazette.com, State

Senate bill aims to stop the expansion of grocery stores selling hard liquor in Colorado

By David Migoya | The Gazette The number of grocery stores selling hard booze under a quirky license initially designed for pharmacies would stop at about two dozen under a bill that advocates say is meant to save independent liquor stores. Senate Bill 25-33 would put an end to any new licenses for pharmacies to sell spirits such as whiskey — known as Liquor License Drug Stores (LLDS) — and leave at about 25 the number of stores such as King Soopers and Costco that already do. The bill is sponsored by senators Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and Dylan Roberts, D-Steamboat Springs, who unsuccessfully backed a similar, though more comprehensive, bill last year. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Schools with declining enrollment brace for “gut punch” from governor’s budget
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Schools with declining enrollment brace for “gut punch” from governor’s budget

By Erica Breunlin | The Colorado Sun School districts in urban, suburban and rural parts of Colorado fear serious funding cuts — amounting to as much as 30% of their total budget — that could force tough decisions next year under Gov. Jared Polis’ latest budget proposal. The prospect of less funding for those districts adds another complication to the school finance puzzle as district leaders in the upcoming months begin piecing together their budgets. Not only are districts grappling with rising costs driven by inflation, but they have also had to figure out how to sustain — or eliminate — programs, resources and staff positions they funded with federal COVID relief dollars that expired in September. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Senate Bill 25-005 would unwind labor compromise, prompt ‘right to work’ initiative
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Senate Bill 25-005 would unwind labor compromise, prompt ‘right to work’ initiative

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado Colorado workers and their employers have lived in relative peace under a deal struck more than 80 years ago that stopped years of violence over salary and working conditions. Colorado Democrats want to unravel that deal, but one local policy influencer isn’t going to let it pass without a fight. Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute*, has filed a ballot initiative that won’t only unravel Senate Bill 25-005, should it pass, but it would also make Colorado what’s called a “right-to-work” state, giving employees the right to refuse to join unions, and denying unions the ability to force non-union employees to still pay dues. READ THE FULL STORY AT COMPLETE COLORADO
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Rep. Winter asks Coloradans to ‘get out to the stock show’ and see the state’s $47 billion industry
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Winter asks Coloradans to ‘get out to the stock show’ and see the state’s $47 billion industry

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A leading voice of agriculture in the Colorado House, Rep. Ty Winter reminded urban and rural legislators alike Tuesday of the National Western Stock Show in Denver. "Its stock show week here in Denver," said Winter, the assistant minority leader and representative for nine Southeastern Colorado counties. The 119th edition of the National Western Stock Show runs through Jan. 26 with a variety of livestock exhibitions, rodeos and more. "Please get out and see your ag producers," said Winter, in an announcement from the floor of the House. "See what they do to make sure you have food on the table and clothes on your back." Among Winter's district in Southern Colorado is Prowers County, which boasts $430 million in annual agricultural prod...
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New wolf pack arrival in Western Colorado is just in time for calving season
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

New wolf pack arrival in Western Colorado is just in time for calving season

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice On Saturday, Jan. 11, Colorado Parks and Wildlife put out a press release that they were going to begin trapping and transporting operations to bring up to 15 Canadian Grey Wolves from British Columbia, Canada, to Western Colorado. One day later, wolves were on the ground in Garfield County.  A plane, operated by Lighthawk Conservation Flying, is the same plane that CPW leased in December 2023 to bring wolves from Oregon to the state. The aircraft left Prince St. George, British Columbia, early in the morning of Jan. 12, and landed at Eagle County Airport at about 4 p.m., where witnesses on the ground saw CPW vehicles equipped with a trailer and animal crates leave the airport and head west on Interstate 70. Eagle Ai...
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Lawmakers have introduced 10 education-focused bills thus far in 75th session
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Lawmakers have introduced 10 education-focused bills thus far in 75th session

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado lawmakers hit the ground running as the 75th General Assembly opened last week, introducing more than 130 bills on the first day. Ten of those bills were education-related. The bills cover diverse topics, from workforce development in natural resources to food waste reduction in schools.  Below is an overview of the education bills, their prime sponsors and some pros and cons to be considered. 1. HB25-1078: Forestry & Firefighter Workforce & Education Prime Sponsors: House: Rep. Andrew Boesenecker (D, District 53)  and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco (D, District 57)  Senate: Sen. Janice Marchman (D, District 15)  and Sen. Lisa Cutter (D, District 20)  Summary: Aims to enhance workforce developmen...
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‘You can’t win them all,’ but poll by Rep. Barron finds legislators (mostly) believe in Broncos
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘You can’t win them all,’ but poll by Rep. Barron finds legislators (mostly) believe in Broncos

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice If ever there was a vote that should have earned 100% unity between the majority and minority in the Colorado House, this was it. Rep. Carlos Barron, a Republican from District 48 in Weld and Adams Counties, got the first full week of the 75th legislative session started by reflecting on a Denver Broncos wild card playoff loss and the team's future Monday, as he called for approval of the Colorado House journal. "As we all know, our Denver Broncos were eliminated yesterday," Barron began, with a disapproving gasp from House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Democrat. Barron continued, "It is a bittersweet day, but as famous Mexican wrestlers say, 'You can't win them all.' " In the spirit of the Broncos having their best season in a decade behi...
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As 75th session gets started, GOP opens caucus meetings, Democrats behind closed doors
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

As 75th session gets started, GOP opens caucus meetings, Democrats behind closed doors

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado As the 2025 legislative session gets underway it appears majority Democrats will continue practicing closed door governance, while Republicans have pledged to be more transparent, saying Colorado voters have right to know what is going on under the gold dome of the state capitol. Both Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon) and Senate President Steve Fenberg (D-Boulder) have made it clear that Democrat caucus meetings will no longer be open to the public or the media. The two started closing meetings last August after a new bill they both supported went into law that exempted the legislature from portions of Colorado’s open meeting laws. Senate Bill 24-157 was passed after another bill sponsored by Democrats allowing legislators to block...
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House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House Republicans respond to Gov. Polis on his ‘State of the State’

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It will remain to be seen how closely Democrat Gov. Jared Polis aligns in the 75th legislative session with Colorado House Republicans on a variety of priority issues to the minority caucus. During a long address in which he noted Lord of the Rings, referenced Star Trek and Star Wars, and imitated Taylor Swift, Polis found a bit of time to borrow some of the key issues of the day from the minority party's playbook, including affordability, public safety, education and brief mentions of agriculture. “Colorado families are facing significant challenges, and I appreciate the governor’s recognition that affordability remains one of the greatest concerns for Coloradans," House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said following Polis' address to the join...
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Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Coloradans are clamoring for ‘unity, action and hope’ Minority Leader Lundeen tells Senate

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a tough time to be a Coloradan, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen summarized for the Colorado Senate as the 75th General Assembly opened this week. "In recent years, our state has been burdened with policies that are at best heavy-handed, at worst suffocating," he said. Such as, Lundeen said, regulations, fees and the hated 10-cent per-bag fee each time a Coloradan goes to the mini-mart or the grocery store. They are policies that "weigh heavily on the families we are here to serve," Lundeen said. Some have estimated the 10-cent bag fee is a $500 annual tax for the average family. The Republican warned that economic anxieties of Coloradans are real, tangible and growing. "We have passed policies that overreach," he said. "Laws th...
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