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Colorado Sees Strong Concealed Carry Permit Numbers Despite New Restrictions
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Sees Strong Concealed Carry Permit Numbers Despite New Restrictions

By: Mike Krause | Complete Colorado DENVER– Despite a Democrat-led state legislature hostile to the lawful carrying of concealed handguns, new data show at least 27,901 Coloradans still subjected themselves to the government scrutiny and costs required to become concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders in 2025, while another 21,871 renewed existing permits.  That’s according to a recently published County Sheriffs of Colorado annual report. Notably, the report lacks data from Adams, Garfield, Pueblo and San Juan counties, which combined accounted for over 5,000 new permits in the prior year, meaning the numbers for 2025 may well be under-reported. Regardless, while the number of new permits trails the 29,495 issued in 2024, it outpaces the 25,218...
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Democrat TABOR Revenue Reclassification Plan Draws Scrutiny at State Capitol
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Democrat TABOR Revenue Reclassification Plan Draws Scrutiny at State Capitol

By Nash Herman | Complete Colorado Similar to last year’s Senate Bill 173, legislative Democrats are returning this year with another effort to bypass Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) by reclassifying certain state revenue streams.  While Senate Bill 26-042 may have some plausibility under specific TABOR terms, it raises broader concerns about the runaway growth of Colorado’s state government, and the mechanisms legislators pursue to evade voter consent over taxation.  What the bill does  While TABOR generally limits the growth of a portion of state revenue to a modest formula of population growth plus inflation, it allows for certain carve outs such as “damage awards” and “collections for another government.”  ...
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Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits
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Approved, Complete Colorado, State

Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — After years of voter-approved measures scaling back Colorado’s income tax rate, proponents of significantly higher government spending have cleared a major hurdle at the state Title Board towards raising taxes by $4.1 billion annually.   Proposed Initiative #181 would replace Colorado’s flat income tax with a so-called “progressive” tax where taxpayers are charged higher rates based on their income.   The initiative is being put forth by the Bell Policy Center, a progressive nonprofit led by former Colorado state rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, who while in office advocated multiple times for such things as reducing refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) and universal healthcare. The Title Board gave the green light to move forw...
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Deadline Nears for Educators Seeking Refund of Union-Backed Political Spending
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Deadline Nears for Educators Seeking Refund of Union-Backed Political Spending

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER—An annual deadline is looming for Colorado teachers to request a refund of that portion of their union dues going to political purposes with which they might well disagree. Members of Colorado’s statewide teachers’ union are entitled to a $49 partial refund of their dues. The money otherwise goes toward supporting union-backed candidates and political causes. Many teachers are unaware of their right to the yearly refund, or the mid-December deadline to apply. Every Colorado teacher who joins their local union automatically joins the National Education Association (NEA) as well as the Colorado Education Association (CEA). According to the CEA website, the statewide union is then organized into approximately 200 ...
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Governor Polis Pushes Record $50.7 Billion Budget Amid Fiscal Concerns
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Governor Polis Pushes Record $50.7 Billion Budget Amid Fiscal Concerns

By: Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Governor Jared Polis recently proposed his more than $50 billion Colorado state budget, requesting a flood of money to education and public safety while acknowledging Medicaid spending has gotten out of hand. The 2026-27 spending plan was presented to the Joint Budget Committee on Oct. 31, three days ahead of schedule. Polis’ total request stands at $50.7 billion, with $18.6 billion being General Fund (or discretionary) money. The plan dedicates an additional $167 million to school finance, as well as reallocating remaining revenue from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund to the education fund , while increasing universal pre-school funding by $14.3 million. The state will then issue $2 million for the evidence-based math accelerator program, $...
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Colorado buys the socialist sandwich: Free lunches and fewer freedoms
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado buys the socialist sandwich: Free lunches and fewer freedoms

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Colorado Politics If you’re a fan of limited government, personal liberty, or educational choice, Tuesday night’s election results were a downer, just another one in a long line of depressing elections that has made Colorado more California than California. However, if you prefer a controlling elite deciding your fate, debt, class envy and teacher unions, it was just another victory in a decade’s long win streak. I’m curious how multi-billionaire nannyist Michael Bloomberg felt about his out-of-state investment. He put $5 million toward convincing Denver voters adults must stop buying Swisher Sweets cigars (which contains flavored tobacco, the new fentanyl). As adults drive by marijuana shops selling flavored edibles, liquor stores selling peach-inf...
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Progressive tax push could cripple Colorado’s economy
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, State

Progressive tax push could cripple Colorado’s economy

By Robert G. Natelson | Commentary, Complete Colorado At a time when most states are cutting income taxes, some influential Colorado leftists want to jack up the state’s top income tax rate to one of the highest in the nation. They are hawking a “graduated” (or “progressive”) tax—that is, one that discriminates based on income. They promote this scheme with their usual demagogy, including the fraudulent claim that higher taxes will harm only “the rich.” In truth, it will harm almost everyone but the rich. Much of the Left’s demagogy is harmless, and some of it is even amusing. But this irresponsible scheme is positively dangerous. As explained below, it’s a revolver in a game of Russian Roulette aimed against the livelihood of Colorado families. A revolver with every chamber loade...
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Voters face a $56 million question: Should “free lunch for all” come from your refund?
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Independence Institute, Approved, State

Voters face a $56 million question: Should “free lunch for all” come from your refund?

By Nash Herman and Jake Fogleman | Independence Institute Executive Summary In 2022, Proposition FF created Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All (HSMA) program, offering free school lunches to all students regardless of family income, funded by capping state income tax deductions for households earning over $300,000.  The program’s costs far exceeded expectations in its first year, creating a $56 million shortfall despite earlier warnings that it was likely to be unsustainable.  Proposition LL would let the state permanently retain and spend excess revenue from Prop FF, exempting it from TABOR refund limits going forward.  Proposition MM would institute another income tax hike by further lowering deduction caps, while also diverting some new revenue to fun...
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Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake

By Jake Fogleman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would overturn nearly four decades of sensible tax policy by abandoning Colorado’s flat-rate income tax and adopting a graduated tax system. Under their proposals, Colorado taxpayers would be forced to confront a new five-bracket tax system with marginal rates up to 9.5 percent, among the highest in the country. The proponents claim it’s about fairness, equity, and making t...
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Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Worried about what your child is reading at school? You’re not alone

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Substack Worried about your school requiring books that might conflict with your values? I am signed on to the Independence Institute’s newsletter. One installment last week had the following blurb written by Pam Benigno of their education policy center, quoted here at length and with links left intact:“Last week, I spoke at a women’s club about how Colorado’s Social Studies Academic Standards have been hijacked by those trying to shape young children’s hearts and minds by exposing young children to literature intended to “disrupt” their understanding of gender identity. Bringing some good news, I explained how Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, requires elementary schools to provide n...
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