75th Colorado Legislature

Enos: Colorado’s war on parental rights isn’t over—it’s escalating

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Colorado is on a roll. Violating religious liberty and compelling free speech are two issues that Colorado Courts have already been reprimanded for. Our Courts lost two civil rights lawsuits – Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis – in addition to being overturned by the United States Supreme Court in the decision that was supposed to throw Donald Trump off the 2024 Colorado Presidential Election ballot. Now, we are doing it all over again.

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Restaurants win relief as Colorado bill leaves wage hikes to local control

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The nasty fight at the Colorado Capitol over how much to pay tipped restaurant workers ended in a standoff this week.

The big picture: Gov. Jared Polis signed the Restaurant Relief Act into Colorado law on Tuesday, with backing from the Colorado Restaurant Association and other major industry organizations.

Why it matters: The result is a victory for the opposition, which mounted an aggressive campaign against the legislation, though it gives cash-pinched restaurant owners another chance to make their case at the local level.

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Chamber report flags 200K Colorado regulations as “excessive or duplicative”

Colorado Politics, Approved, State / / , , , , , ,

Colorado’s regulatory framework took the center stage during this year’s legislative session, where lawmakers clashed over proposed measures that — depending on who is asked — either benefit workers or create new burdens on businesses.

Behind these two competing frameworks are the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Fiscal Institute.

On the one hand, the chamber and its allies argue that regulations have increased significantly over the past decade, putting up unnecessary barriers for businesses. On the other hand, the Colorado Fiscal Institute and its supporters maintain that the rules are essential to protect workers and consumers from harmful practices.

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Gazette editorial board: Colorado’s green agenda is pricing out homeowners

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Colorado’s governor and Legislature may claim they want more affordable housing — but they aren’t about to let it stand in the way of their headlong rush toward green energy. Their zero-emissions-at-any-cost dogma seems to trump all other policy priorities.

Which helps explain why the state’s Energy Code Board is poised to impose extreme energy standards — even more stringent than those already in effect — on new home construction. The pending rules would turn the screws on wide-ranging aspects of the building code — and are projected to add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home in Colorado.

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Tech industry outcry stalls Colorado’s AI law as Congress weighs ban on state regulations

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DENVER — U.S. Congress is considering banning states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years, adding uncertainty to the future of Colorado’s AI law.

In 2024, Colorado became the first state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence.

“A.I. in general is just changing so rapidly all the time,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, one of the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 24-205.

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Hunt: Governor signs laws advancing trans agenda, sparking constitutional challenge

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Just as a refreshing wave of reality-based, commonsense policy seems to be sweeping the nation, Colorado lawmakers are doubling down on “trans” policies that can only be described as absurd, unconscionable and unconstitutional.

For those of us in Colorado who still believe in parental rights and free speech, the speed at which our state is descending into a dystopian nightmare is terrifying.

Here in Colorado, transactivists control the State House, the Senate, and the governor’s seat. Whatever they want to do, however far they want to push the envelope, they can, and they did this legislative cycle. Some of the bills are so radical that even California’s governor refused to sign similar legislation.

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Governor rejects rideshare reform bill amid corporate exit warnings

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Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed House Bill 1291, a bill that would have put more teeth in regulating rideshare companies.

Sponsors heavily criticized the veto, saying his claims that he cares about victims fell short and that he didn’t engage with the sponsors on the bill until three days before the end of the session. 

House Bill 1291 was intended to beef up consumer protections for those who use ride share companies, such as Lyft and Uber. The bill would have required rideshare companies to conduct criminal background checks on drivers at least once every six months and review drivers who have had complaints filed against them by riders. If the company determined that the allegation is “more than likely to have occurred,” it would have had to deactivate the driver’s profile.

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Polis backs federal halt after his own AI law faces fierce blowback

The Colorado Sun, Approved, State / / , , , , , ,

Nine months: that’s all the time left before companies have to start complying with Colorado’s first-in-the-nation anti-discrimination law for AI systems, unless policymakers act.

Business and industry groups have been begging for a delay. They say the law as it stands is unworkable — they’re urging Colorado’s lawmakers to give all sides more time to try to find a compromise.

But consumer rights advocates say AI’s rapid spread into more and more areas of life makes it critical to put guardrails on how the technology is working. Many advocates for the law also feel some in the tech industry won’t be satisfied with anything other than a full capitulation on the policy’s most meaningful consumer protections.

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Gaines: Polis’ picks for land board proves Colorado’s gone to the wolves

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I wrote about Polis advisor Nicole Rosmarino being the sole finalist for the directorship of the State Land Board recently. That newsletter is linked first below if you want or need context.

On the heels of that newsletter, I got a message from a reader alerting me to the other two appointments that Governor Polis made to the State Land Board–this is the same board mind you that makes decisions on grazing leases, mineral-extraction (oil/gas) leases, and provides revenue to schools–Mark Harvey from Pitkin County and James Pribyl from Louisville. Harvey was appointed to fill the agriculture seat on the board and Pribyl the citizen-at-large seat.

If the name Pribyl sounds familiar, you’re not alone. He was a former member of the CPW Commissioners (see the picture heading this post whose text was taken from Pribyl’s Linked In account), a wolf reintroduction advocate, and one of the three co-authors of the op ed in support of Prop 127, the big cat hunting ban.**

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“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ

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Would you need a perfect GPA to speak your mind or worship freely? Mesa County officials say Colorado’s new gun law is treating the Second Amendment that way – and they’ve asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene.

In a three-page letter sent this month, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners urged federal authorities to investigate Senate Bill 25-003, calling it a “grotesque misuse of government power” that effectively imposes a discriminatory test on anyone wishing to lawfully own or carry a firearm.

The law, which takes effect in August 2026, requires residents to complete state-approved firearms training, score 90% on a written exam and obtain conditional approval from their sheriff’s office every five years in order to receive or renew a permit.

“Aptitude test for your rights?” Mesa County pushes back on SB3 in letter to the DOJ Read More »