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Tag: Jared Polis

State income tax credit for college tuition will cost Colorado $38M annually
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Approved, State, The Center Square

State income tax credit for college tuition will cost Colorado $38M annually

By Joe Mueller | The Center Square A refundable state income tax credit, estimated at reducing Colorado's tax revenue by approximately $38 million, can now be used to pay for tuition and fees at Colorado’s higher education institutions. House Bill 24-1430, signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday, creates the tax credit to encourage Colorado high school graduates to enroll in the state’s higher education institutions. A student enrolled in a public state institution of higher education, community college, technical school or occupational educational school can receive the tax credit for income tax years 2025 through 2032. The bill with amendments passed unanimously in the House on May 8, the last day of the 2024 legislative session, after passing 28-5 in the Senate earlier ...
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If voters adopt statewide ranked choice voting, Colorado may prevent it from taking effect
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

If voters adopt statewide ranked choice voting, Colorado may prevent it from taking effect

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun If Colorado voters decide in November to pass a ballot measure making big changes to the way the state’s elections are conducted, it may be years before they go into effect — if ever. That’s because of a last-minute amendment added to a broad bipartisan election bill awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature. The provisions would create a major barrier to a proposal to alter Colorado’s primaries so candidates of all parties run against each other, with the top four vote-getters advancing to a ranked choice general election.  Now, proponents of the election overhaul, who were unaware of the big hurdles created by Senate Bill 210 until they were contacted this week by The Colorado Sun, are demanding that Polis veto the legislation...
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The next grey wolf? Gov. Polis signs bill to reintroduce wolverines in Colorado
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

The next grey wolf? Gov. Polis signs bill to reintroduce wolverines in Colorado

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis traveled across the Western Slope on Monday to sign several bills, ranging from issues like highway safety, wildfire mitigation and species conservation. In particular, Polis signed the proposal to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado and the state's wildlife division is to bring 45 of them over three years.  Colorado Parks and Wildlife will introduce 30 female and 15 male wolverines over a three-year period in hopes of boosting the species' population, as only about 300 wolverines remain in the contiguous United States.  READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Transition to reformulated gas in nine Front Range counties will result in price increase there. How high will it go?
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Transition to reformulated gas in nine Front Range counties will result in price increase there. How high will it go?

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun Keep an eye on gas prices in the next few weeks, Colorado, and you can watch a major policy battle play out between an extremely irritated Gov. Jared Polis and officials enforcing the federal Clean Air Act.  Colorado has a big problem with toxic ground-level ozone in the nine-county northern Front Range area that the Environmental Protection Agency has declared in “severe” violation of Clean Air Act ozone limits. When an area hits “severe,” the Clean Air Act requires all gas stations in that area to begin selling “reformulated” gas during the summer ozone season, beginning June 1.  Reformulated gas, according to the EPA, can cut back on ozone-causing emissions because it’s denser and doesn’t evaporate as quickly in hot weather. Po...
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Gov. Polis vetoes 6 bills dealing with variety of subjects, 300 more awaiting his penstroke
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Gov. Polis vetoes 6 bills dealing with variety of subjects, 300 more awaiting his penstroke

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis’ office announced late Friday evening that the governor has rejected six bills, including measures that deal with employee discipline, construction wages and the treatment of energy derived from burning solid waste.  It's the governor's first vetoes of bills passed in this year's legislative session, when lawmakers sent more than 500 bills of the 705 introduced to Polis' desk. As for Friday night, Polis was still working through more than 300 bills that needed his action. One of the bills vetoed involved wage claims in the construction industry. House Bill 1008 would have made a general contractor liable for wage claims by workers for salaries allegedly owed by a subcontractor. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO ...
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Property tax bill on track to reach governor’s desk by final day of session
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Property tax bill on track to reach governor’s desk by final day of session

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics With just one day left in the legislative session, an eleventh-hour property tax deal has unanimously cleared two House committees and secured approval at its second reading on the floor.  The bipartisan Senate Bill 233, announced the day before, marks the culmination of months of conversations between the governor, legislators and groups like Colorado Concern, Colorado Counties Inc. and the Bell Policy Center.  This bill gradually decreases commercial property assessment rates from 29% to 25% over three years and introduces two reductions in residential property valuations: from 6.8% to 6.7% for multifamily units and from 7.06% to 6.7% for all other residential properties. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Gov. Polis signs Democrats’ $40.6 billion state budget containing $2 billion more in spending
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Gov. Polis signs Democrats’ $40.6 billion state budget containing $2 billion more in spending

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed the state's $40.6 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which includes $2 billion more in spending. "This bipartisan budget builds a stronger, brighter, and safe future for Colorado where we invest in students, have housing people can afford near work and transportation options, and live in safer communities," the governor said in a statement. There was less money available for this budget than in previous years, noted Joint Budget Committee Chair Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster. "But the hallmark of a good budget, is that no matter how much you have, you're listening to your constituents ... prioritizing the funds you have to meet the moment," Bird said.  READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Douglas, El Paso counties name Gov. Polis as defendant in ‘sanctuary state’ suit
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Douglas, El Paso counties name Gov. Polis as defendant in ‘sanctuary state’ suit

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Elected commissioners and sheriffs in two central Colorado counties announced today they are suing Gov. Jared Polis and the State of Colorado related to Democrat-supported sanctuary state policies, which law enforcement has complained leaves it powerless to address illegal immigration. “There is an illegal immigration crisis in America,” Douglas County Commissioner George Teal said in a statement. “We have been proactive, taking steps to mitigate the crisis here in Douglas County. What has been missing is the ability of our local law enforcement agencies to work with immigration officials. This is what we seek to solve through this legal action.” In fact, Douglas County claims it is the seventh step taken "to protect health and safety ami...
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Colorado Senate compromises to strengthen human trafficking laws, proposal heads to governor’s desk
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Senate compromises to strengthen human trafficking laws, proposal heads to governor’s desk

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Human trafficking, particularly of children, has been a hot and divisive topic at the state Capitol this year. But a bipartisan group of lawmakers has found a way of putting more teeth into the state's laws by agreeing to a compromise that meant giving up a major provision but ultimately securing a proposal's passage.     On Tuesday, the Senate decided to withdraw their objections to changes the House made to Senate Bill 35 and send it on to the governor for signing, despite misgivings from some over changes made by the House to the measure.  But that vote came with strong words directed at the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, including a claim that the organization is hurting victims in Colorado. READ THE ...
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Stacking the deck: Polis appointment cancels out election for District Attorney
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Approved, coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, State

Stacking the deck: Polis appointment cancels out election for District Attorney

Source: Colorado Peak Politics It’s not just the state legislature that Democrats are packing with candidates selected by party insiders instead of voters. Now it looks like Gov. Polis is trying to stack the judiciary in the same manner — by filling a sudden vacancy with his own appointee and scaring off candidates who don’t have the money to run against a pseudo incumbent just a few months later. District Attorney Christian Champagne of the 6th Judicial District that serves La Plata, Archuleta, and San Juan Counties, bailed on his job one year before his term-limited seat left him unemployed and landed a job with the Democrat state attorney’s general office. That gave Polis the authority to fill Champagne’s term in the middle of a campaign between Jason Eley and Sean Murray to...
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