Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Jared Polis

Polis signs AI bill he admits could crush innovation
Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis signs AI bill he admits could crush innovation

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Colorado Politics Disclosure: Gov. Jared Polis wrote much of this column. The epitaph on Jared Polis’ gubernatorial gravestone will simply read, “He knew better, but would not stand up to his own party.” For seven years, our hyper-progressive legislature has sent him one industry-killing bill after another. And he kept signing them, even when he knows they are bad policy, economically devastating, and even if they go against his strongest-held convictions. One such strongly held conviction is his faith in technology. In the tech world, the man’s no slouch. As much as I’d like to tease Jared for just being a rich kid who got richer putting his momma’s greeting-card company online, the fact is he made fortunes many times over in varied tech ventur...
Colorado governor pressures local leaders to ease rules and build more homes
The Center Square, Approved, State

Colorado governor pressures local leaders to ease rules and build more homes

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis updated an executive action to push more affordable housing for Colorado. This comes just months after he first issued the initial executive order. “We are building more housing now and breaking down government barriers to new homes. It is more important than ever to lower the cost of living,” Polis, a Democrat, said. “This action will lead to more housing that people can afford.” The amended executive order directed state agencies to prioritize grant funding to local communities that are “leading on the effort to create more housing that Coloradans can afford.”(The Center Square) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis updated an executive action to push more affordable housing for Colora...
Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws
Approved, DENVER7, National

Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 Attorney General Pam Bondi says in letter Colorado “engages in sanctuary policies that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States”. DENVER — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday threatened Gov. Jared Polis with legal action and the pulling of federal funds if he fails to eliminate state laws the Trump administration believes impede with the president’s plans for mass deportations. The demand letter, which was also addressed to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, identified Colorado as a jurisdiction that “engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.” It requests that Gov. Polis submit a ...
Appliance Group Challenges Colorado Gas Stove Warning Labels In Court
State, Approved, The Gazette

Appliance Group Challenges Colorado Gas Stove Warning Labels In Court

By Scott Weiser | The Gazette A trade organization representing gas stove manufacturers filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the state over a requirement that gas stoves sold at retail have a yellow sticker warning buyers of the purported health risks of using natural gas for cooking. The complaint, filed by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, asserted a First Amendment violation over government-compelled speech and sought an injunction against the law. The trade association alleged HB25-1161’s labeling requirement unconstitutionally compels its members to convey a message they disagree with. The law went into effect Aug. 1. It requires the yellow label read: "Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove" and include ...
Polis threatens to withhold $280M from cities defying housing laws in new executive order
DENVER7, Approved, State

Polis threatens to withhold $280M from cities defying housing laws in new executive order

By Brandon Richard | Denver7 In a new executive order, Gov. Jared Polis identified more than 30 funding sources the state could withhold from cities. DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is turning up the heat on cities that aren’t following new state housing laws. He issued a new executive order on Wednesday that identifies $280 million in funding that could be withheld from them. It’s the latest development in a dispute between the governor and leaders of several cities over state housing laws, including laws to increase housing density near transit and another to ban certain cities from enacting or enforcing minimum parking requirements. “I hope that communities across the state do more on housing, but there's got to be some state minimum that you can't actively be part of ...
Six cities sue Colorado over zoning and parking laws as state stays silent
State, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Six cities sue Colorado over zoning and parking laws as state stays silent

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice “As of this writing we have not heard back from the State.” That’s how Greenwood Village Mayor George Lantz summed up the status of a lawsuit the six Front Range cities filed in May against the state of Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis, the Department of Local Affairs and its executive director, Maria De Cambra. The case targets two 2024 laws—HB 24-1313 and HB 24-1304—that, according to the cities, trample Colorado’s constitutional guarantee of Home Rule. The mayors say the fight is about constitutional rights, not political turf wars. “Contrary to some criticisms, the current fight is not based on party politics… Our residents deserve to have a voice about land use in their own communities and neighborhoods,” they wrote in a joint open July 14 let...
Colorado Faces $800 Million Budget Gap With No Deal In Sight
State, Approved, denvergazette.com

Colorado Faces $800 Million Budget Gap With No Deal In Sight

By: Luige Del Puerto | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators will convene at the state Capitol in about two weeks without first having secured a deal — with the governor or among themselves — outlining how to plug an $800 million budget deficit, which means the upcoming special session could be more open-ended and the fiscal prescriptions, whatever they may be, less defined. An agreement might materialize between now and the special session later this month, as policymakers scramble to line up ideas on how or where to cut the state budget. Gov. Jared Polis said his proclamation a few days ago set the parameters of what the legislators will discuss — but it will be up to the latter to decide the details of the fiscal remedy. "The legislators decide what bills to pass...
Strict Colorado Firearm Laws Coincide with Record Homicide Increase
State, Approved, Breitbart

Strict Colorado Firearm Laws Coincide with Record Homicide Increase

By Awr Hawkins | Breitbart News Data from Ammoland News indicates Colorado witnessed an exponential increase in firearm homicides after embracing a state-level gun control agenda in 2013. On February 10, 2013, less than two months after the heinous attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Breitbart News noted that Colorado Democrats were declaring war on the Second Amendment. That war included bans on “high capacity” magazines, requirements for universal background checks, fees for existing background checks, and allowing victims of gun violence to sue firearm manufacturers for the misuse of weapons. Since then, Colorado Democrats’ push for gun control has continued unabated. Most recently, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a semiautomatic ban that repres...
Colorado Lawmakers Sound Alarm on Budget Crisis and AI Regulation Vacuum
State, Approved, denvergazette.com

Colorado Lawmakers Sound Alarm on Budget Crisis and AI Regulation Vacuum

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette Will there be a special session this month? Multiple sources have told Colorado Politics that on Wednesday the governor will call the General Assembly back to Denver on Aug. 21. Members of the Joint Budget Committee showed signs Tuesday that they're ready to go — and need only the word from the governor to get started. Policymakers' main challenge will be cuts totaling $955 million in general funds, the result, according to Democrats, of federal tax policy changes that came out the budget adopted by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on July 4 but which Republicans argued is a problem of the state's own making. Secondarily, the call could include a request to fix Senate Bill 24-205, the artificial intelligence regulation that ...