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Tag: Gov. Jared Polis

Colorado joins multistate lawsuit challenging Trump administration tariffs
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Approved, denvergazette.com, National, State

Colorado joins multistate lawsuit challenging Trump administration tariffs

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette Colorado has joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration for imposing tariffs on about 90 different countries, Attorney General Phil Weiser and Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday. Weiser and Polis said the tariffs are "destroying our economy, increasing costs on Americans, plunging markets, and putting America on the track to a recession." The president has argued that the tariffs would reverse decades of what he called unfair treatment in the form of a trade deficit by the rest of the world. His trade policy, he said, would result in factories and jobs moving back to the United States. The states on the suit included Oregon, Arizona, Illinois, and New York. "Coloradans are already starting to feel the effects of the T...
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Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis Vetoes Open Records Bill—But Conservatives Say It’s Too Little, Too Late

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Governor Jared Polis vetoed a controversial bill last Thursday that would have made it more difficult—and more expensive—for Coloradans to access public records. But transparency advocates across the political spectrum say his sudden concern about responsive governance contradicts years of actions that have consistently chipped away at public accountability. Senate Bill 25-077, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp (D–Fort Collins), would have: Extended response deadlines for open records requests from three to five days, and up to ten under “extenuating circumstances” Allowed government agencies to bundle multiple requests from the same person to increase feesEliminated the first free hour of research time for follow-up requests Created diffe...
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Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis’s $4M legal fund to fight Trump? GOP Senators say it’s a political power grab

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Colorado Governor Jared Polis wants $4 million in taxpayer money to fight off the return of Trump—literally. Under HB25-1321, Democrats in the Colorado legislature are moving to shift $4 million from the state’s infrastructure fund directly into Polis’s office, allowing him to wage legal and administrative battles against the federal government, particularly policies implemented by the Trump administration.  The bill gives Polis sweeping discretion to use the funds however he sees fit, including hiring outside legal teams, launching lawsuits, and defending state officials under federal investigation. The bill—ironically titled "Support Against Adverse Federal Action"—has raised red flags across the aisle, with critics calling it a pa...
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95,000 petitions delivered to the Capitol, urging Polis to veto SB25-003
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

95,000 petitions delivered to the Capitol, urging Polis to veto SB25-003

By Tori Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice A group of conservative leaders took a bold stand for gun rights today at the Colorado State Capitol. Between Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) and the Colorado State Shooting Association, nearly 95,000 petitions were delivered on Thursday calling on Governor Jared Polis to veto SB25-003, the controversial “safety training” bill that critics say imposes unconstitutional restrictions on the Second Amendment. The Capitol demonstration came just one day after Colorado’s Republican congressional delegation issued a formal letter to Governor Polis demanding a veto of SB25-003.  The letter—organized by U.S. Representative Jeff Crank and signed by Lauren Boebert, Jeff Hurd, and Gabe Evans—called the bill “one of the most restrictive gun ownership...
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New law lets Colorado colleges cut checks to student athletes
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Approved, Axios Denver, State

New law lets Colorado colleges cut checks to student athletes

By Alayna Alvarez | Axios Denver Colorado universities can now put student athletes on the payroll for their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights — but what they're paid is off-limits to the public. Why it matters: The move aligns Colorado with a federal settlement (House v. NCAA) that will soon force colleges to share sports revenue with athletes. But it also shields those contracts from public records requests, raising bipartisan alarms about transparency. Catch up quick: The NCAA and its five power conferences voted last spring to let schools directly pay athletes — a seismic shift for a league that has long sought to maintain the amateur nature of college sports, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. Driving the news: Last week, Gov. Jared Polis signed C...
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Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Polis greenlights nuclear power as Colorado rejects “Green New Deal”

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff After years of progressive opposition to nuclear energy, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed House Bill 25-1040 into law, officially recognizing nuclear power as part of the state’s clean energy portfolio.  The move—driven by bipartisan support and grassroots pressure—marks a turning point for Colorado’s energy future, and a long-overdue recognition that nuclear energy must be on the table to meet rising power demands and stabilize the grid. The new law adds nuclear energy to the list of technologies eligible for clean energy incentives and financing, aligning it with solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen. While HB1040 does not mandate nuclear projects, it opens the door for utilities and private companies to begin investing in advanced nucl...
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Rep. Gabe Evans defends GOP spending bill as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse warn it will slash Medicaid
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Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Rep. Gabe Evans defends GOP spending bill as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse warn it will slash Medicaid

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado The Republican spending bill is helping unite the Democratic Party after days of infighting over a GOP resolution to avert a shutdown. Party leaders called for a Medicaid Day of Action to protest the spending bill that they say will mean drastic cuts to Medicaid. The party turned to two heavy hitters in Colorado -- Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District -- who held an event at Clinica Family Health in Lafayette to sound an alarm. "$880 billion of cuts to Medicaid would dismantle the Medicaid program as we know it, and it would mean that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans would no longer have access to health care," warned Neguse. The GOP resolution directs the Energy and Commerce Committ...
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Gov. Polis calls for investigation into Morgan County water district disaster
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Gov. Polis calls for investigation into Morgan County water district disaster

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado After years of fighting for clean drinking water, a Morgan County neighborhood is finally getting help. A series of stories by CBS Colorado exposed a water district disaster 20 years in the making and got the attention of Gov. Jared Polis. Now, he's doing what many other government officials have failed to do - he's helping. The governor says every Coloradan deserves to have clean water. Yet, all the checks and balances meant to ensure safe drinking water failed at Prairie View Ranch Water District and residents say the people they turned to for help turned a blind eye. Their drinking water is now black sludge that certified lab tests show has unsafe levels of radioactive lead and uranium. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Browning: Gov. Polis should focus on being governor for all, not just for Front Range special interests
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Browning: Gov. Polis should focus on being governor for all, not just for Front Range special interests

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado Parks and Wildlife senior staff in Denver told the joint Senate and House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee that their lack of transparency and secrecy is because of their local field staff having been threatened, followed and harassed as they perform the 2025 wolf reintroduction operations. Elected officials from both sides of the political aisle aren’t buying it. It became more than clear at the meeting between CPW senior staff and legislators, held Jan. 15, that not only is CPW senior staff keeping the public on the Western Slope in the dark, but also elected officials.  All of the elected Senate and House members criticized the senior staff for their lack of transparency, not only with ...
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Flags to be lifted to full-staff today in Colorado by order of Gov. Jared Polis
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Flags to be lifted to full-staff today in Colorado by order of Gov. Jared Polis

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and chair of the National Governors Association, on Friday proclaimed that flags should be raised to full-staff on Monday. President-elect Donald J. Trump will be administered his oath of office as President of the United States at noon Monday, Jan. 20. Meanwhile, flags had previously been ordered to remain at half-staff for 30 days as the nation mourns the death of former President Jimmy Carter. Flags are ordered to remain at full-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday throughout Colorado, Gov. Polis' order reads, and then should be lowered to half-staff for the remainder of the 30 days of mourning, through Jan. 28.
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