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House bill to add protections for victims of sexual assault signed into law
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House bill to add protections for victims of sexual assault signed into law

By Rocky Mountain Voice Staff A bipartisan bill offering increased protection for victims of sexual crime offenses has been signed into law by Lt. Gov. Diana Primavera, in the absence of Gov. Jared Polis. House Bill 1072, by Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, adds protections in law for victims of sexual assault. The bill passed the House by a rare 63-2 vote, with only Democrat Reps. Judy Amabile and Elisabeth Epps opposed. “I am proud to be a part of this expansion to broaden protections for victims of sexual assault,” Frizell said in a statement. “This is a crucial step in promoting a fair and just legal system for victims and ensuring the blame is placed on the perpetrator, not the victim." Under current law, criminal rape shield laws ar...
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Rep. Armagost complains House Bill 1460 is ‘blatantly punitive for officers’
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Armagost complains House Bill 1460 is ‘blatantly punitive for officers’

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Ryan Armagost, formerly a law enforcement officer, was critical Wednesday of a rushed process and lack of stakeholder involvement in House Bill 1460, titled "addressing measures to strengthen responses to law enforcement misconduct." The bill advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday and to the House floor by a 6-5 vote. "This bill was pretty blatantly designed to be punitive for officers," he said. "It is littered with punitive action without due process." The bill requires law enforcement agencies to respond to allegations of officer misconduct with an investigation, and officers are required to report allegations of misconduct by their peers. Should an officer fail to report, a Class 2 misdemeanor penalty could be a...
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Democrats advance first-in-the-nation gun bill, one mandating gun owners to purchase insurance
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Democrats advance first-in-the-nation gun bill, one mandating gun owners to purchase insurance

RMGO threatens to sue State of Colorado, others term it unconstitutional By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice The punishment Democrats will assess on Coloradans wishing to pursue their Constitutional right of gun ownership will be either the costs of an insurance policy or fines beginning at $500 for a first offense of not having firearm liability insurance, if House Bill 1270 passes. The bill was heard Wednesday in the Senate's State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. "We need to make sure Coloradans have adequate insurance to carry firearms," said Denver Democrat Chris Hansen, the sponsor of the bill in the Senate. As with other gun-restricting laws presented this session by Democrats in the House and Senate, this one had substantially more opposition to the...
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Overbeck: Transgender fans try to kill parent’s rights and girls-only sports ballot initiatives 
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Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Overbeck: Transgender fans try to kill parent’s rights and girls-only sports ballot initiatives 

By Joy Overbeck | Guest Commentary The transgender craze infecting our schools and dumping many gender-confused young children headfirst into a bewildering pipeline of puberty-blocking drugs, hormone injections and eventually gender-mutilating surgery, is making progress in Colorado thanks to the legislature’s ruling Democrat majority.  A bill allowing children as young as kindergarten to change their names to an opposite-sex name without the school telling parents (HB24-1039) is awaiting the governor’s signature. The epic lie that children can reject their own bodies and instead “choose their preferred gender” can lead to tragedy as young people who have regretted their transitions are increasingly telling us.  But now concerned parents, grandparents and ordinary citize...
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What words can’t Colorado Republicans say in immigration debate? House Democratic leaders gave them list.
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

What words can’t Colorado Republicans say in immigration debate? House Democratic leaders gave them list.

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado Republicans are accusing Democratic leaders of censorship, saying the latter have provided them with a list of words they are prohibited from using during floor debates. The list comes from a memo issued by the Biden Administration to the Executive Office for Immigration Review. According to the memo, the Library of Congress stopped using the term "illegal alien" in 2016 because it is was deemed pejorative, and several US Supreme Court cases have adopted the term "noncitizen" instead of "alien" because the latter term is associated with hate groups. The list provided to House Republicans includes terms such as "illegal," "alien," "invader(s)," "interloper," "squatter," and "fresh off the boat," and recommends using terms like "migrant...
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The votes are in and here’s what Colorado lawmakers want to spend money on
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

The votes are in and here’s what Colorado lawmakers want to spend money on

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette The votes are in following House Democrats' new process for determining which bills would pass, assuming the money is there. The new process, as outlined by House and Senate Democrats in early April, replaces the "quadratic" voting system that a Denver District Court ruled in January is illegal.  Once the 2024-25 state budget headed back to the Joint Budget Committee, which came with a compromise version approved by both the House and Senate, lawmakers got to work voting on their priorities for the scant amount of money, relatively speaking, that they have to spend on new programs. The "set-aside" from the Joint Budget Committee, the panel of lawmakers that drafts the state's annual spending plan, is around $22 million, but some of tha...
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Democrats are set to unveil their Colorado property tax relief plan this week. Here’s what’s in it.
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Democrats are set to unveil their Colorado property tax relief plan this week. Here’s what’s in it.

By Jesse Paul and Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Democrats in the Colorado legislature are preparing this week to introduce a measure that would overhaul the state’s property tax system to limit future spikes in businesses’ and homeowners’ tax bills, with an eye toward providing more relief to people who own lower-value homes.  The legislation would let people exempt 10% of their primary residence’s value from taxation, up to $75,000. In most communities, that would represent a maximum savings of around $450 a year, though tax bills can vary greatly depending on local mill levy rates. Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat and main sponsor of the measure, said the new homestead exemption would effectively lower the property assessment rate for most homeowners to 6.4% for taxes ...
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Colorado House advances measures on concealed carry, gun licensing and liability
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House advances measures on concealed carry, gun licensing and liability

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics House Democrats voted to pass three gun bills late on Saturday night, including one that would require gun owners to obtain a liability insurance policy for their firearms. The bills all drew criticism from Republicans, who claimed they would violate the Second Amendment, while supporters argued they would enhance public safety. For a brief overview of each bill and some of the debate that took place during the final votes on Saturday, follow the link below. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Voters may get to decide on cost-saving shortening of Colorado legislative session
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Approved, completecolorado.com, State

Voters may get to decide on cost-saving shortening of Colorado legislative session

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — Independence Institute President Jon Caldara has become well known for his willingness to take issues directly to the voters, and one topic has catapulted to the top of his “must do” list. Caldara is hoping to take what is currently known as Initiative 183 to the 2024 ballot, asking voters to reduce the annual Colorado legislative session from its current 120 days down to just 90 days. The initiative is now in the petition approval phase, after which Caldara will need to collect 124,238 valid signatures of registered voters (5 percent of the total votes cast for secretary of state in 2022). Additionally, because the initiative amends the Colorado Constitution he will need to collect at least 2 percent of that number from insid...
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‘We should cease reintroduction now’: Republican legislators sound off on wolves killing more livestock
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We should cease reintroduction now’: Republican legislators sound off on wolves killing more livestock

By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice The results of reintroduction of gray wolves into western areas of Colorado is drawing the ire of many Republican members of the State Legislature, several of whom earn a living from livestock. Like other livestock raisers, they term the reintroduction ill-conceived and poorly implemented. This week, Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials announced four more head of cattle were killed in Grand County, where previous depredation has occurred. “These are the days that Western Slopers feared with wolf reintroduction,” said Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta. “Wolves are serial killers and will devastate the West Slope ranching, hunting and outdoor recreation economies. We should cease reintroduction now before the damages are irreparable." Colo...
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