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Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Federal Officials Cite Fraud Concerns In Proposed Cuts Affecting Colorado and 3 Other States

By: Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette The Trump’s administration is planning to withhold some public health and transportation money from a group of Democratic-led states, including Colorado. The other states are California, Illinois and Minnesota. Full details have not been released, including whether the states could take any steps to avoid losing the funding. Colorado has sued the White House or joined lawsuits filed by other states over similar efforts to withhold funding. The federal government cited concerns over fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services said the state learned of the potential cuts through the media and has not been formally notified by the federal agency. ...
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Griswold Makes Contingency Plans for “A Bunch of Election Deniers” Interfering in Colorado Elections
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Griswold Makes Contingency Plans for “A Bunch of Election Deniers” Interfering in Colorado Elections

By: Jessica Porter | Denver7 The relationship between state elections officials and the Trump Administration is strained. DENVER — The FBI has invited state election officials to an unexpected meeting about the midterm elections, but Colorado officials are skeptical of the federal government’s intentions. "To prepare for the 2026 US midterm elections, your election partners at the FBI, DOJ, DHS, USPIS, and the EAC would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff… We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections,” wrote FBI staffer Kellie Hardiman in the email obtained by ABC News. The invitation, sent last week, comes as the...
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Colorado task force clears 566 felony warrants as fugitive arrests rise in 2025
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado task force clears 566 felony warrants as fugitive arrests rise in 2025

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado was not an easy place to hide last year. By the end of 2025, U.S. Marshals Service was reporting 498 fugitive arrests tied to Colorado's Violent Offender Task Force. Those arrests cleared 566 felony warrants in total - more than the year before, and enough to register as a 17 percent increase. The figures come from the Marshals Service’s statewide enforcement summary, not from a collection of isolated arrests or one-off operations. In the agency’s words, the increase reflected “relentless efforts to locate and arrest violent fugitives,” driven by coordination across multiple law-enforcement agencies. What the Marshals Actually Reported The organization and operation of the Colorado Violen...
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Mandated hiring preferences are not a “just transition”
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Mandated hiring preferences are not a “just transition”

By Aimee Tooker | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Just Transition Action Plan was established in 2020 to “empower communities with resources to drive their own economic transitions.”  I take personal issue with Section 2 of this introduced bill. SB26-052 “CONCERNING COAL TRANSITION COMMUNITIES, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, PROVIDING A HIRING PREFERENCE FOR COAL TRANSITION WORKERS IN COAL TRANSITION COMMUNITIES AND EXPANDING THE ALLOWABLE WAYS IN WHICH A PUBLIC ENTITY MAY DEPOSIT OR INVEST JUST TRANSITION MONEY.” ·       A COVERED BUSINESS SHALL CONSULT WITH THE JUST TRANSITION OFFICE, ·       A COVERED BUSINESS SHALL REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE JUST TRANSITION OFFICE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRIOR YEAR: o   (a) THE TITLE OF ANY POS...
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Colorado’s crime problem is bigger than the laws on the books
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s crime problem is bigger than the laws on the books

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Colorado’s crime problem isn’t just due to our laws As I've written before, our troubles with crime involve more than just the laws on the books.There are a few steps in the criminal justice process where someone has discretion. Discretion means the ability to be too hard, or too soft.District Attorneys decide on whether to charge and what charges to bring. Judges decide on bail, and the trial judge passes sentence.Each step a chance to be too harsh or too easy.The Complete Colorado article at bottom details a new effort by some lawmakers and talk radio host Jeff Hunt. Their website is linked below the story for convenience.I'll leave it to you to read either, but in brief, their effort is intended to bring publ...
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Colorado Lawmakers Weigh Justice and Unintended Consequences in Child Sex Solicitation Bill
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Weigh Justice and Unintended Consequences in Child Sex Solicitation Bill

By: Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Colorado is among the top ten states in the country for human trafficking and most of the victims here are children. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation says 64% of human trafficking survivors are under age 18 and, under current state law, some of their abusers receive probation. A bill by state Sen.s Byron Pelton and Dylan Roberts would change that. Roberts says the current law is failing children. "How do we hold buyers of children accountable for their crimes?" he said. Under the legislation, anyone convicted of crimes related to child solicitation would be sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison. State analysts say each year, an average of 25 of those offenders receive probation. READ THE F...
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Colorado Budget Panel Halts Proposed Medicaid Pay Reductions for Family Caregivers
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Panel Halts Proposed Medicaid Pay Reductions for Family Caregivers

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The Colorado General Assembly’s budget decision-makers have put proposed pay cuts on hold for people who care for a family member with a disability who receives Medicaid. The Joint Budget Committee made the decision after hours of testimony from family caregivers and several advocates. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has been struggling to manage a substantial spike in Medicaid spending, which accounts for about one-third of the state’s budget, even as Colorado faces a $1 billion budget deficit. Members of the JBC earlier expressed concerns with Gov. Jared Polis’ proposal last November on how to plug that deficit, which included a plan to fund Medicaid below its projected growth. “This isn’t a tr...
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Durango forum brings together Republican candidates ahead of caucus and assembly season
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Durango forum brings together Republican candidates ahead of caucus and assembly season

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Southwest Colorado Republicans won’t have to travel far to see candidates vying for statewide and federal races this month. On Feb. 13, in Durango, candidates will gather weeks ahead of the caucus and assembly season. The VFW Post 4031 will open its doors at 5:30. And the forum begins at 6. RMV, Southwest Republican Women and the La Plata County Republican Central Committee organized the event. No advance sign-up is required to attend. The night is split into three panels, covering statewide offices, the U.S. Senate race and the governor’s race. The forum will feature three separate panels, allowing voters to hear directly from candidates seeking different offices ahead of the Republican primary. ...
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A ‘county average’ for pretzels: Colorado’s next price-control creep
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

A ‘county average’ for pretzels: Colorado’s next price-control creep

By Rep. Ken DeGraaf | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice HB26-1012“A PERSON IS PRESUMED TO BE ENGAGED IN AN UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE IF THE PERSON CHARGES A CAPTIVE CONSUMER A PRICE FOR AN ANCILLARY GOOD OR SERVICE THAT IS MORE THAN THE AVERAGE PRICE OFFERED FOR A COMPARABLE GOOD OR SERVICE SOLD IN THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE CAPTIVE CONSUMER PURCHASES THE ANCILLARY GOOD OR SERVICE” Welcome to bill #12 of over 700 to be considered and passed into law in 120 days of session. The Democrats keep piling on regulations that jack up costs for everyone, then act like the fix is squeezing vendors harder—instead of slashing the taxes, fees, and mandates they've created. They could drop sales taxes on basics, cut absurd airport fees, or repeal rules that inflate...
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Open letter warns HB26-1065 expands unelected power and state control
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Open letter warns HB26-1065 expands unelected power and state control

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project An open email to the sponsors of HB26-1065 and the House Finance Committee Members In keeping with earlier posts, I have been watching affordable housing legislation this session. One of the bills that came up in an earlier post is HB26-1065. I link to that bill first below. Mild in the impact, especially compared with efforts that take away local control and further reinforce the NGO/nonprofit/government complex, this bill is still concerning in what it sets up. My open letter to the committee is copied below the link. If it’s helpful to you in advocating on this issue, please feel free to use any part or the whole. Before I get to my email (and testimony if I can make the hearing) howe...
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