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Tag: Governor Jared Polis

Gaines: Activists are using CPW to sneak in what the public rejected
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Gaines: Activists are using CPW to sneak in what the public rejected

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project By a 15% margin Denver voters last November soundly rejected an initiative to ban any new fur sales (among other things like display or trades) in the city.If you thought that this would be enough to convince animal rights activists to rethink their strategy, you're right.They did rethink it. According to the Complete Colorado article linked first below, a citizen petition for rulemaking (which is linked second below) has recently been filed with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to effectively do what voters in Denver clearly and obviously rejected.The difference? This petition, if it goes through, would be statewide and would be decided upon by the 12 CPW commissioners that Polis appointed.Let me run that past you again. 12 unelec...
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Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

Polis’ $28M Capitol bridge project proposal advances with 8–4 vote from state advisory committee

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette One of the major steps in approving a pedestrian walkway linking the state Capitol to Lincoln Park won an 8-4 vote on Thursday from a building advisory committee. The vote by the General Assembly's Capitol Building Advisory Committee followed testimony from neighborhoods groups and local residents opposed to the project, as well as from supporters, including a group advocating for people with disabilities.  One of those four "no" votes came from Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, whose Senate district includes the state Capitol. The pedestrian walkway bridge, which Gov. Jared Polis is pushing, could come at a cost of $28.5 million, according to an analysis by 9News. That's as much as 60% higher than the original forecast. Under the plan, the br...
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Denver judge blocks ICE request over state privacy law, leaves unaccompanied minor safety in limbo
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

Denver judge blocks ICE request over state privacy law, leaves unaccompanied minor safety in limbo

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette A Denver district court judge has issued a preliminary injunction to prevent a division within a state agency from complying with a subpoena issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The injunction is a step that will now lead to a trial on the merits of a lawsuit filed by a state division chief. Notably, the judge's injunction only applies to that state division and the court appears to allow the governor to comply with the ICE subpoena. In his order, Judge A. Bruce Jones said the subpoena would require state employees to violate state laws signed in 2021 and 2025 by disclosing personally identifiable information to federal immigration officials. The ICE subpoena was issued administratively, not by a court or judge, and that w...
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State official testifies against Polis in data-sharing dispute with ICE
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DENVER7, Approved, State

State official testifies against Polis in data-sharing dispute with ICE

By Danielle Kreutter | Denver7 DENVER — A whistleblower who accused Governor Jared Polis of ordering state employees to hand over personal information to federal immigration officials testified in court on Tuesday. Scott Moss is a licensed attorney and the director of the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Earlier this month, he filed a lawsuit in Denver County Court, alleging that he was ordered by the governor to turn over information about people providing homes to unaccompanied minors to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in compliance with a subpoena. Moss believed giving ICE the information would violate state laws that ban state and local government agencies from sharing personal information with f...
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Trump administration investigating Colorado’s Medicaid spending on illegal immigrants
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Trump administration investigating Colorado’s Medicaid spending on illegal immigrants

By Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid requested detailed information from the state Medicaid program as it investigates “fiscal integrity” The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Colorado Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants, an extensive data request from federal officials reveals.  The 11 pages of requested information, which The Colorado Sun obtained through the state open records act, asks about Colorado spending and policies, and seeks personal information about Medicaid claims during the past three months, including patients’ immigration status.  In an email accompanying the data request, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it intends to review claims that Colorado submitted ...
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The COvid Chronicles June 1–7, 2020: Struggle sessions and Stockholm syndrome rewrite the rules
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The COvid Chronicles June 1–7, 2020: Struggle sessions and Stockholm syndrome rewrite the rules

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board In this seventh chapter of COvid Chronicles, Contradictions defined the week. Rioters roamed, elites applauded and Denver’s institutions bent the knee. Officials called for systemic change—just not to their own hypocrisy. No, it’s not short. Neither was the damage—to downtown, to public trust or to the truth. As a dark pall fell over what little of downtown Denver hadn’t been destroyed or defaced by the George Floyd riots, the reckoning intensified at the foot of the Rockies. If the first week of June taught Coloradans anything, it was that COVID had become an afterthought. In its place came the fallout from the Floyd frenzy, which demanded real victims of harassment and havoc abandon the truth of their Orwellian ordeal, bow to the altar of ...
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$2.3B at risk? House Republicans press Polis to end Medicaid funding for illegals
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

$2.3B at risk? House Republicans press Polis to end Medicaid funding for illegals

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Three Republican members of Colorado's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives are urging Gov. Jared Polis to work with legislators to end state spending on health care coverage for undocumented immigrants — or risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. "We write to you expressing grave concerns over Colorado’s continued policy of covering illegal immigrants with state Medicaid funds — prioritizing benefits for those unlawfully present in our country over citizens who need it the most: individuals with disabilities, single mothers, children, and seniors," U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans wrote in a letter delivered to the Democratic governor on Thursday. The letter was also signed by U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Jeff Cr...
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Polis ignored GOP lawmakers’ warnings—and now Colorado faces massive federal funding cuts
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis ignored GOP lawmakers’ warnings—and now Colorado faces massive federal funding cuts

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado's House Republican leadership is criticizing Democratic Gov. Jared Polis for not heeding their advice against enacting legislation that could lead to the state losing federal funding. Earlier this week, Polis announced that the state created a dashboard to track funds that are either being cut or are at risk from the Trump administration, as well as the state's efforts to protect those funds through legal action. As of June 19, about $76 million in federal funding has been cut, and another $56 million are at risk. Over $282 million has been reinstated across state agencies.  The dashboard currently shows federal funding tied to nine of the state's 20 agencies. It does not yet include the largest source of f...
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SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories

SCOTUS backs states protecting minors from transgender treatment—Colorado lawmakers say HB25-1312 defies it

 By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s restrictions on gender-related medical interventions for minors has reignited scrutiny over Colorado’s HB25-1312, with several Republican lawmakers calling the ruling a clear rebuke to the law’s premise—and a warning to parents. “I was so happy with the Supreme Court’s ruling. I hope it leads to the State of Colorado being sued for the passing and the Governor’s signing of HB25-1312,” said Sen. Janice Rich (Mesa County). That ruling, issued June 18 in U.S. v. Skrmetti, affirmed that Tennessee’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for youth were constitutionally sound because the state had a legitimate interest in protecting minors from harm.  The ma...
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Hardin: Why the NRA-ILA legislative roundups matter more than ever
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Hardin: Why the NRA-ILA legislative roundups matter more than ever

By Amanda Hardin | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Last week, Rocky Mountain Voice partnered with the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) to host two critical Second Amendment Legislative Roundups—first in Lakewood, then in Fort Morgan. These events weren’t just a chance to hand out bumper stickers and shake hands; they were about mobilization. Colorado’s gun owners are facing unprecedented legislative attacks, and what we saw in those rooms was the beginning of a serious response. The first event took place on June 10 at Bristlecone Shooting, Training & Retail Center in Lakewood. Over 45 citizens gathered to review the flurry of anti-gun bills that crossed the governor’s desk this year, including the newly signed Senate Bill 25-003. Attendees walked away not only wit...
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