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PERA seeks legislation to push the next auto-adjust to 2044
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

PERA seeks legislation to push the next auto-adjust to 2044

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun State pension officials plan to ask lawmakers to relax some provisions of Senate Bill 200 in order to provide financial relief to PERA’s members. For the first time since the state pension’s finances cratered in the early 2000s, the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association is putting together a legislative proposal to bring some relief to its beleaguered members. At the pension board’s annual retreat in Colorado Springs earlier this month, pension officials offered a number of ideas to prevent — or at least delay — another round of automatic adjustments to the system’s finances. If the legislature agrees, the changes could spare retirees from additional cuts to their monthly pension checks, and stave off even higher payroll d...
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Colorado congress members ask Trump for disaster declaration over Rio Blanco County wildfires
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Fox31, Approved, State

Colorado congress members ask Trump for disaster declaration over Rio Blanco County wildfires

By Jacob Factor | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s congressional delegation is asking President Donald Trump to declare a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the wildfires that struck Rio Blanco County over the summer. The lawmakers in a joint letter to the president asked him to make the disaster declaration and open federal assistance for Western Slope County after the Lee and Elk fires burned more than 150,000 acres and caused more than $27 million in damages.5 charged with starting wildfire while Lee, Elk and Crosho Fires burned nearby “Successful recovery is essential to restoring the County’s economy, which depends on oil and gas, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and hunting and fishing,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Without additional support, resid...
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Shutdown Impact in Colorado Small for Now But Storm Clouds Gather
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Shutdown Impact in Colorado Small for Now But Storm Clouds Gather

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado officials do not not expect to see major impacts on Colorado-run programs or its workforce for the first week of the federal shutdown, though the state stands to feel the strain, particularly if the stoppage goes into the second week or longer. Like other states, a big chunk of spending in Colorado is paid for with federal dollars. The state expects to receive approximately $14 billion in federal funding for the 2025-26 budget and almost every state agency sees some of that money. Indeed, numerous state programs heavily rely on federal funding. Already, the state has had to provide stopgap funding for one of them. Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday approved a one-month funding allocation of $7.5 million to cover the cost of con...
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State Review Reveals Widespread Misconduct in Juvenile Strip Searches
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

State Review Reveals Widespread Misconduct in Juvenile Strip Searches

By Nicole Fierro | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — A review of strip searches at juvenile detention centers in Colorado unveiled more than a thousand policy violations. Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado tells FOX31 it has the legal authority to vet children’s complaints in the youth services systems by checking agencies’ documents. A complaint from a child is what initially prompted the review of more than a thousand strip searches where juveniles had to completely undress, according to CPO. “We have youth that are ages 10 to 21 that we’re talking about,” Stephanie Villafuerte, the Child Protection Ombudsman of Colorado, said. “These are facilities designed to rehabilitate these young people and send them back out into the community where they can be safe and they can also be prod...
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USDA move to Fort Collins could add 6,000 jobs and $1B in output, study finds
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

USDA move to Fort Collins could add 6,000 jobs and $1B in output, study finds

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planned relocation of up to 2,600 employees to Fort Collins could bring more than $1 billion in new business output and over 6,000 new jobs to the area by the end of next year, according to a study by the think tank Common Sense Institute. In July, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the department would be relocating up to 2,600 personnel and operations to five new hubs, including Fort Collins. According to CSI study authors Dr. Caitlin McKennie and Cooper Pollard, the move is expected to “stimulate job creation, bolster local businesses, and enhance collaboration with Colorado State University,” which ranks 23rd in the nation for agricultural sciences. Agriculture plays a “vital role...
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When will the health-related employment bubble burst?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

When will the health-related employment bubble burst?

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice A few weeks ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that it had inadvertently overstated—by more than 100%—the number of new jobs created across the United States during the last full year of the Biden/Harris Administration. The BLS also noted that corrected industry and state-specific numbers won’t be available until early next year, although no changes are expected to previously published numbers for new jobs created in the “Health Care & Social Assistance” and “Government” industry categories. The overstatement means that the number of new jobs reportedly created in Colorado since the start of the current post-COVID economy (January 2023) will likely end up lower than the published 78,900, although ...
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Congressman Evans Urges Colorado to Embrace Oil, Gas and Nuclear
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Greeley Tribune, Approved, State

Congressman Evans Urges Colorado to Embrace Oil, Gas and Nuclear

By Tyler Duncan | Greeley Tribune Evans promises to fight for the deregulation of the oil and gas industry to promote job growth, national security. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans and other Colorado Republicans have set their sights on reducing environmental regulations in an effort to increase oil and gas production and revive nuclear power in Weld County. Evans and State Reps. Carlos Barron and Scott Slaugh, who was recently appointed to District 64 after Ryan Armagost resigned, visited Aims Community College on Monday for a workforce roundtable. Evans’ message to the students and faculty who attended was clear: if we don’t improve our energy production, then Colorado will suffer. Evans discussed China and its innovations in artificial intelligence and drone technology. For every 100,0...
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Colorado Officials Block GOP Pick for House Seat Over Vacancy Rule Dispute
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Officials Block GOP Pick for House Seat Over Vacancy Rule Dispute

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office told the GOP vacancy committee in House District 14 that its members did not get 10 days of notice ahead of making their appointment as is required by state law. State elections officials Monday rejected a Republican vacancy committee’s pick for a seat in the Colorado legislature, finding that the panel didn’t follow state law in making the selection.  The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office told the GOP vacancy committee in House District 14 that its members did not get 10 days of notice ahead the gathering to make their appointment as is required by state law. The committee was picking a replacement for former House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. She resigned Sept. 15. The vacancy vote was he...
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Colorado certifies light ballot: Two statewide measures on TABOR refunds and high-earner deductions
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado certifies light ballot: Two statewide measures on TABOR refunds and high-earner deductions

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Colorado voters will be getting a break from a long list of statewide questions this November, after Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced she had certified the 2025 ballot with only two measures going in front of all voters in the state. Voters will however still have their fair share of things to vote on closer to home as many city council and school board seats are up for grabs, as well as new local tax asks and extensions of existing taxes around the state. This year is an odd year election, meaning ballot measures are, for the most part, limited under state law to fiscal issues related to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The two measures that will appear were both referred by the legislature this S...
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