Colorado Constitution - Rocky Mountain Voice

Colorado’s bill boom: 56 percent growth since 2012 sparks right-to-know push

27Feb

By External OutletNo Comments

Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s bill boom: 56 percent growth since 2012 sparks right-to-know push

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The legislation piles up so fast, you cannot keep up I was texting with a friend the other day and we both agreed that the legislative pace is beyond human-scale. The laws and, frankly, the nonsense, pile up so fast it's nearly impossible to keep up.My impression seems to be borne out by the Common Sense Institute study linked at bottom. The bullet points out of the study's abstract put numbers to things. Quoting:--The growth of Colorado’s legislative output since 2012 is 56%—4th-highest in the country--In 2025, the legislature passed 487 bills. Although this is a decrease from 2024’s 527, it is still 23% more than the average between 2012 and 2018--The average complexity of passed legislation has increased ...

Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty

6Feb

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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty

By Rob Natelson | Commentary., Complete Colorado This year marks the 150th anniversary of the original Colorado Constitution, which in a recent column I called “an extraordinary testament to human freedom.” The state constitution remains in effect today, but in a mangled form far less protective of liberty than when it became effective on August 1, 1876. As my prior column pointed out, the document imposed severe limitations on taxes, spending, and state debt—limitations far more restrictive than those currently mandated by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The Colorado founders’ dedication to freedom also appeared in their constitution’s bill of rights. The U.S. Bill of Rights consists only of ten relatively short amendments; the original Colo...

Bird Resignation Rekindles Debate Over Unelected Lawmakers

30Dec

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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Bird Resignation Rekindles Debate Over Unelected Lawmakers

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER – Despite new laws governing vacancies in the Colorado legislature, Democrat statehouse member Shannon Bird has still found a workaround that throws a wrench into her constituents’ ability to choose their representative at the ballot box. Bird announced earlier this month she would be stepping down from her seat in House District 29 on Jan. 5 to focus on her bid for the US Congressional District 8 seat, currently held by Republican Gabe Evans. Bird’s unique timing for vacating HD 29, which includes parts of Adams and Jefferson counties, takes advantage of a quirk in the law allowing for her replacement to serve possibly an entire extra year more than state statute sets forth for House members. The meaning of ‘half’ ...

Colorado Voters Could Decide Future Of ICE And Local Law Enforcement Cooperation

29Dec

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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Voters Could Decide Future Of ICE And Local Law Enforcement Cooperation

By Ryan Fish | Denver7 Initiative, currently undergoing signature verification, would include offenders charged with a violent crime or repeat felony. DENVER — Next fall, Colorado voters could decide whether local law enforcement should be required to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in certain cases. The proposed ballot measure would require law enforcement notify the Department of Homeland Security if a person “not lawfully present in the United States”—or with an “unknown” lawful presence after a “reasonable effort” to determine it—is charged with a violent crime or if the person has been convicted of a prior felony. Conservative non-profit Advance Colorado is pushing for the p...

Colorado election results may violate 1946 Secret Ballots Amendment

25Aug

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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado election results may violate 1946 Secret Ballots Amendment

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado Constitution guarantees the right for citizens to vote in secret. Article VII, Section 8 states that all elections by the people shall be by ballot, and no ballots shall be marked in any way that would allow the ballot to be identified as the ballot of a particular person. And in 1946, Colorado voters approved the Secret Ballots Amendment that explicitly provided for secret ballots. However, if a voter voluntarily shares how he or she voted, they may do so. Colorado Revised Statute §1-13-712 says that any voter who makes available an image of the voter’s own ballot through electronic means, after it is prepared for voting, is deemed to have consented to the transmittal of that image. So i...

Push to Enshrine the Public’s Right to Know in Colorado Constitution Gains Steam

8Jul

By External OutletNo Comments

State, Approved, Colorado Freedom of Information

Push to Enshrine the Public’s Right to Know in Colorado Constitution Gains Steam

By Jeffrey A. Roberts | Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.” Should it also guarantee freedom of information? An ad hoc group that includes the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is exploring that idea this summer for a possible ballot initiative in 2026. The impetus is what seems to be a backsliding in the General Assembly on government transparency matters: The legislature exempted itself from major portions of the Colorado Open Meetings Law in 2024 and lawmakers next year will likely try for a third straight session to weaken the Colorado Open Records Act. Also involved in the ...

Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

22Apr

By Jen SchumannNo Comments

Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice What does it mean to defend the Constitution? Two commissioners say this is what it looks like. On April 16, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners voted 2–1 to send a formal Request for Federal Intervention to President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Commissioner Sue Hansen abstained. The letter, authored by Commissioner Sean Pond and finalized with Chair Scott Mijares’ signature, argues that recent legislation passed by the Colorado General Assembly—particularly SB25-003—violates constitutional rights. The message does not call for military action or oversight. Instead, it asks national leaders to review Colorado laws, advocate for liberty and support rural coun...

Menten: HB25-1327 punishes citizen participation and violates the Constitution

16Apr

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Approved, Colorado Politics, Commentary, State

Menten: HB25-1327 punishes citizen participation and violates the Constitution

By Natalie Menten | Colorado Politics Petition rights in Colorado have been under increasing attack, and that trend continues with House Bill 25-1327 (HB 25-1327), recently introduced in the Colorado State legislature. Among other things, HB 25-1327 would reduce the time available for citizen-led initiative efforts by moving the deadline for Title Board hearings up by two weeks. Under current law, Title Board hearings may be held through the third Wednesday in April. This bill shifts that deadline to the first Wednesday in April— a 14-day reduction in time that proponents would otherwise use to finalize their language before gathering nearly 200,000 signatures within a tight window to secure a spot on the ballot. It’s worth noting Colorado voters recently rejected a similar propos...

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

2Apr

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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette In 2011, a coalition of 33 individuals and groups, including current and former lawmakers, county commission and other elected officials and school districts, sued the state of Colorado, challenging the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. A decade later, the lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality: the lawsuit, the federal courts indicated, had the wrong plaintiffs. A state Democratic lawmaker who was part of the legal team in Kerr v. Hickenlooper (later Kerr v. Polis) is now sponsoring a resolution to try again, but with some important differences. Rep. Sean Camacho, D-Denver, sponsored House Joint Resolution 1023, which would require the General Assembly to sue over TABOR's constitutionality in state district court. The...

Signatures being gathered to get charter schools protection in Colorado constitution

20Jun

By External OutletNo Comments

Approved, State, The Center Square

Signatures being gathered to get charter schools protection in Colorado constitution

By Joe Mueller | The Center Square An organization attempting to enshrine charter school rights in Colorado's Constitution published a report supporting the move as it gathers signatures to get it on the ballot. Advance Colorado, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, has until July 25 to gather at least 124,238 signatures of registered voters for Initiative #138 to be on the November general election ballot. It also must get at least 2% of the total registered electors in each of the 35 Colorado state senate districts. “Protecting Educational Freedom: Why School Choice Must Be Placed in the Colorado Constitution,” is a 15-page report by Michael Tsogt, a policy analyst with Advance Colorado. The report states school choice in Colorado received bipartisan support throu...

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Tag: Colorado Constitution

Colorado’s bill boom: 56 percent growth since 2012 sparks right-to-know push

Colorado’s Original Constitution Was a Bold Blueprint for Liberty

Bird Resignation Rekindles Debate Over Unelected Lawmakers

Colorado Voters Could Decide Future Of ICE And Local Law Enforcement Cooperation

Colorado election results may violate 1946 Secret Ballots Amendment

Push to Enshrine the Public’s Right to Know in Colorado Constitution Gains Steam

Not political theater: Montrose federal intervention request grounded in Constitutional oath

Menten: HB25-1327 punishes citizen participation and violates the Constitution

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

Signatures being gathered to get charter schools protection in Colorado constitution

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