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Tag: Jared Polis

Old Divides Return as Colorado Lawmakers Brace for Contentious 2026 Session
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Old Divides Return as Colorado Lawmakers Brace for Contentious 2026 Session

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Grab your popcorn, it’s going to be an interesting 2026 legislative session in Colorado. There’s not much you can count on these days, but if you’ve been around the Capitol long enough, you’ve probably seen your fair share of disagreements, both friendly and unfriendly — and you can be sure you’ll see even more when the session is gavelled in on Jan. 14. Here are a few of the biggest battles already brewing amongst lawmakers ahead of the session. The urban-rural divide Nearly 80% of Colorado’s land is considered rural or frontier, but about 86% of the state’s population resides in urban areas, according to Census data. The rural minority has long felt excluded from major policy decisions, as many rural legislators ...
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Colorado to Enforce New Gun Purchase and Ammunition Restrictions in 2026
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KKTV 11, Approved, State

Colorado to Enforce New Gun Purchase and Ammunition Restrictions in 2026

By: Rachel Ramsey | KKTV 11 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Some of the new gun laws set to take effect in Colorado this summer have gotten mixed reactions. Those who support the new laws say they will improve public safety. Those against them say they infringe on Second Amendment rights. Senate Bill 25-003 has seen the most controversy. The law is set to take effect August 1, and will ban the purchase of certain semi-automatic firearms unless certain requirements are met. Those requirements include applying for a permit through your local sheriff’s office, then, if approved, taking gun courses. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KKTV 11
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Colorado Taxpayers Miss Out on TABOR Refunds Under Polis Budget Plan
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Taxpayers Miss Out on TABOR Refunds Under Polis Budget Plan

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Friday submitted revised budget requests for the next two fiscal years, calling for new public safety spending, changes to Medicaid growth, and renewed efforts to privatize Pinnacol Assurance. Notably, the governor said Colorado residents won’t get refunds from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). “We are focused on protecting the issues that Coloradans care most about – education, access to health care and safety — while delivering a balanced budget for Colorado,” he said. “In this difficult budget environment, we are doing everything we can to deliver the best possible results for Colorado and know that the Joint Budget Committee will have challenging decisions to make in the months ahead. We look forwar...
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Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s Quiet Shift From Elections to Appointments

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Remember during COVID, when the people screaming the loudest for government-mandated jabs were the very same people chanting “my body, my choice” when it came to abortion — I mean, “women’s health care”? They’re also the folks who insist a 12-year-old is far too young to get a tattoo, but perfectly mature enough to make irreversible “gender-affirming” medical decisions. The technical term for this is cognitive dissonance. In Colorado, we just call it public policy. Fighting tyranny by ending elections Now, as the new year dawns and another legislative session lurches to life, prepare yourself for the mother of all contradictions: “I will fight Trump’s assault on democracy,” followed immediately by, “and on an...
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The RMV stories readers didn’t scroll past in 2025
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The RMV stories readers didn’t scroll past in 2025

By RMV Editorial Board This list wasn’t built in a meeting. It formed over time, story by story, as readers decided what was worth stopping for. What follows are the 25 RMV stories that held attention in 2025—and didn’t let go. Looking across the year’s top 25 stories revealed patterns, which we reflect on at the end. 1. School unions gave $11K to Jeffco candidate who admitted to a sealed juvenile sexual offense RMV reported that a Jefferson County school board candidate privately acknowledged a sealed juvenile sexual offense while receiving financial support from education unions. The story documented information voters did not have before ballots were cast and raised questions about disclosure, trust, and institutional accountability in school leade...
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Grand County Demands Answers After State Returns Problem Wolf
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Grand County Demands Answers After State Returns Problem Wolf

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado In a letter to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Grand County commissioners demanded answers after a gray wolf that recently wandered into New Mexico was returned. They accused the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife of violating the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan by returning the wolf to the area, citing a history of depredation. The letter accused the department of ignoring the problem this causes for local ranchers: "Wolf 2403 is a known depredator whose pack's actions have resulted in nearly $450,000 in compensation to Grand County ranchers alone. By re-releasing 2403 back into the county where its pack had previously been removed due to chronic depredation, the state is effectively "translocating the problem" for a ...
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Judicial outcomes are shaped long before cases reach the courtroom
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Judicial outcomes are shaped long before cases reach the courtroom

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project A leopard doesn’t change its spots, Polis’ judicial board stuffing shows he doesn’t either. I thought a follow up on an older Sun article (see the first link below) would be in order. Let’s go back before going forward. The 2023 Sun article details how Polis has stuffed judicial appointing boards with Democrats and Unaffiliateds that (in a startling coincidence) donate to Democrats. I wanted to share an update on the Sun’s numbers from 2023, now that we’ve had about 2 1/2 years more of Polis under our belts. I also wanted to look beyond simply the State Supreme Court nominating commission that the Sun examined. The second link below is to the state’s website for Judicial Nominating C...
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Colorado Congressman Accuses Polis Administration Of Mismanaging Road Funds
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Congressman Accuses Polis Administration Of Mismanaging Road Funds

By: Hanna Powers | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado congressman is accusing the state of mismanaging transportation dollars, arguing that despite record funding, roads across Colorado are in worse shape than ever. Rep. Gabe Evans, who represents Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, shared an exclusive letter with FOX31 that he is sending directly to Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew. In the letter, Evans raises concerns about roadway safety, crumbling infrastructure, and what he describes as a failure to prioritize basic road maintenance over mass transit and climate-focused projects. “This stretch of I-25 is one of the busiest highways in the state,” Evans told FOX31, pointing to the corridor that ...
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Teachers Union Pushes Polis To Block Federal Scholarship Option For Families
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Teachers Union Pushes Polis To Block Federal Scholarship Option For Families

By Ari Armstrong | Complete Colorado Will the Colorado teachers’ union be so spiteful toward private education options that they will deny Colorado families money from privately funded scholarships promoted by federal tax credits? We soon will find out. I first learned of the program in question when the Colorado Sun published Jay Stooksberry’s op-ed on the matter on August 19. As Stooksberry explains, buried within the One Big Beautiful Bill was the Education Choice for Children Act, which allows individuals to “make tax-deductible donations up to $1,700 to scholarship organizations.” Before a state’s families can take advantage, Stooksberry adds, the governor must opt in and “approve a list of qualifying scholarship organizations the year before the donations can ...
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Polis opts Colorado into federal scholarship program as education spending swells
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis opts Colorado into federal scholarship program as education spending swells

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado With Christmas right around the corner, we are all shopping in earnest. This flurry of activity makes us focus on our budget and how much we can spend on all that Christmas cheer. We are carefully counting our pennies, while the State of Colorado’s Budget continues to spend more each year. Governor Polis’ budget request for 2026 is over $50 billion. Education spending is no exception. Colorado’s per-pupil spending is $18,130, an increase of 7.4% since 2020, according to the Reason Foundation. As enrollment in public schools continues to decline, funding is going in the opposite direction. Coloradans are asking, “Where is all the money going?” Staffing levels are up, even with a 4.6% drop in public...
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