Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Bipartisan Legislation

Ranchers Turn Frustration Into Reform With New Anti Rustling Law
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Ranchers Turn Frustration Into Reform With New Anti Rustling Law

By: Michael Abeyta | CBS Colorado Colorado's most valuable single goods export is beef. That means ranching is a big part of our economy, but when an animal goes missing the process of reporting that info used to be a little outdated. Until recently. Two ranchers, Nicole and C.W. Mallery, changed the way missing animals are handled in the state. Nicole Mallery says she knows exactly how difficult ranching can be sometimes. She and her husband C.W. own Freedom Acres Ranch in eastern El Paso County. They raise all sorts of animals, but cattle are a big moneymaker for them. So, they hate to lose one of them, especially to theft. "Last year we had 15 cattle come up missing. This year already, we've had four cattle come up missing," said Mallery. "It becomes very traumatic....
Lawmakers Move To Level Playing Field Between Lobbyists And State Agencies
Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

Lawmakers Move To Level Playing Field Between Lobbyists And State Agencies

By Rae Solomon | Colorado Public Radio Governor Jared Polis is strongly pushing back against a proposal that would treat legislative staff in his administration like any other lobbyist.  The primary job of those workers, called legislative liaisons, is to try to sway lawmakers and change legislation. They’re essentially lobbyists for the state government and the Polis administration, but they aren’t required to follow the same disclosure rules that govern most lobbyists.  A bipartisan bill moving through the statehouse would change that, a measure that appeared to ruffle feathers within Governor Jared Polis’s administration. “Staff members in the Governor’s office are not registered lobbyists, and it would be absurd to have them treated the same way,” ...
Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes
Colorado Politics, Approved, National

Boebert Pushes Bill To Block Taxpayer Pensions For Lawmakers Convicted Of Crimes

By Haris Alic and Lauren Green | Colorado Politics EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is working on legislation to strip disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell of his $22,000 annual taxpayer-funded congressional pension. Swalwell resigned from the House on Tuesday after allegations of sexual assault by multiple women, including a former congressional staffer. Despite his exit under an ethical cloud, the California Democrat is still entitled to a taxpayer-funded congressional pension for his nearly 13 years of service in the House. Boebert, who was one of the first lawmakers to call on the House to expel Swalwell, told the Washington Examiner it was unacceptable that Swalwell would still benefit from American taxpayers. “We should pass a...
Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving
DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving

By Colette Bordelon | Denver7 Senate Bill 26-072 passed unanimously out of its first committee hearing, but only after a sweeping amendment removed a portion that would have made vehicular homicide or assault a crime of violence. DENVER — Over the years, Denver7 has listened to countless families who have lost loved ones on Colorado roads and believe the penalties for vehicular homicide and other related charges are too lenient. On Monday, state lawmakers voted unanimously to advance a bill that would give district attorneys the option to charge negligent drivers who kill someone with a Class 5 felony — a step above the misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in death, and a step below vehicular homicide. Supporters argued Senate Bill 26-072 ...
Congress Should Fix Our Forests Before the Next Red Flag Warning
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Congress Should Fix Our Forests Before the Next Red Flag Warning

By Hunter Rivera | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I still remember the orange sky over Loveland in October 2020: ash on windshields, headlights at noon, and a horizon rimmed with flame. The Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Rocky Mountain National Park, destroying hundreds of structures and forcing thousands to evacuate. The same month, the East Troublesome Fire exploded across Grand County, jumping the Continental Divide and claiming lives. Those weren’t abstract “Western wildfire” headlines. They were in Northern Colorado’s front yard. If you want to remember what megafire really means, drive Highway 14 toward Cameron Pass. Mile after mile, blackened trunks still stand like matchsticks where forest...
Bipartisan Colorado Bill Targets Tougher Prison Time for Child Trafficking Predators
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Bipartisan Colorado Bill Targets Tougher Prison Time for Child Trafficking Predators

By: Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators on Monday announced a proposal to ramp up the penalties for human trafficking of children. The proposal, which received the backing of Democratic and Republican leaders in the House, will address one of the many problems when dealing with individuals who buy children for sexual exploitation — penalties so low that most offenders get probation, not real prison or jail time, according to the bill’s backers. At a news conference attended by dozens of law enforcement officials, district attorneys and victim advocates, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason pointed out that Colorado is in the top 10 states for human trafficking. The measure goes after people who pay for kids for sexual gratification...
Unanimous Arkansas Valley Water Bill Blocked by Presidential Veto
kdvr.com, Approved, State

Unanimous Arkansas Valley Water Bill Blocked by Presidential Veto

By Spencer Kristensen | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan, unanimously-approved bill sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Jeff Hurd that would have secured funding to bring clean water to communities on the Eastern Plains, according to a statement made to FOX31 by Boebert’s office. The Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act passed unanimously in the House and the Senate. The bill would have secured funding to continue building the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a water pipeline that would bring access to clean water for 39 communities between Pueblo and Lamar, an area that is known to have high concentrations of salt in the groundwater. It is not a new idea that has been recently created, but rather the end of a project that was de...
Saving lives in schools: Naloxone access expands across Colorado
Pew Charitable Trusts, Approved, State

Saving lives in schools: Naloxone access expands across Colorado

By Alexandra Duncan | Pew Charitable Trusts State Senator Cleave Simpson explains why making an opioid overdose reversal drug more available matters Despite declining drug overdose deaths in the U.S., opioids such as fentanyl are still driving most of these fatalities across the country. But naloxone is a lifesaving medication that can help. Any person, even those without medical training, can administer naloxone to someone in need and reverse an opioid overdose. As a farmer and rancher in rural Colorado, State Senator and Minority Leader Cleave Simpson—a Republican representing District 6, the southwest region covering Alamosa, Durango, Telluride, and other cities—knew the overdose crisis was taking a toll on his community. But when he joined the Colorado...
Boebert Delivers Big for Small Colorado Towns with ZIP Code Bill
State, Approved, CBS News

Boebert Delivers Big for Small Colorado Towns with ZIP Code Bill

By Austen Erblat | CBS News A bill that aims to help smaller cities and towns collect more local revenue has passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives and could soon go to the president's desk to be signed into law. The legislation, sponsored by U.S. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, whose district includes a large swath of Northern Colorado and the Eastern Plains, would create unique ZIP codes for 15 communities across the state, as well as dozens more in other states. All eight members of Colorado's Congressional delegation -- four Democrats and four Republicans -- all voted in favor of the bill. Colorado's Democrats joined 71 others in Congress to bring the final vote on the bill to 278-121, with 31 members of Congress not voting on the bill. One town that could benefit ...

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

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds