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Colorado’s assault on families: TABOR, parental rights and the bills lawmakers killed
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s assault on families: TABOR, parental rights and the bills lawmakers killed

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado In the United States of America, we cherish our freedoms. We have the freedom to protect our families, to practice our faith, to educate our children, and to live in safe communities. Coloradans want to experience those freedoms in our state, too, not just as an ideal in our country. We want truth, justice, and the American way. The American way of limited government and keeping our own money is at risk with the constant attack against the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). Homeschool families' ability to educate their own children becomes increasingly difficult as the state of Colorado takes additional resources away from us. SB26-135, State Public K-12 Education Funding, wants to circumvent TABOR restrictions and proposes k...
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Abortion Coverage Mandates in 13 Democrat-Led States Face Federal Civil Rights Review
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Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Abortion Coverage Mandates in 13 Democrat-Led States Face Federal Civil Rights Review

By Gabrielle M. Etzel | Washington Examiner The Trump administration is launching civil rights investigations into the 13 Democrat-led states that require private health insurance plans to pay for abortions, arguing that state mandates for abortion insurance coverage violate religious and conscience rights protections. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights sent 13 states letters late Wednesday evening, opening investigations into whether their requirements violate conscience protections under federal rules prohibiting state and local governments from discriminating against healthcare entities that refuse to facilitate abortions.  Paula Stannard, Director for HHS’ OCR, said in a press release that th...
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Colorado law allows probation for child sex assault: A third attempt to require prison time
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado law allows probation for child sex assault: A third attempt to require prison time

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Correction: This story originally identified Sen. Marc Snyder by the wrong first name. His name is Marc, not Chris. We regret the error. Editor’s update: The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take up SB26-111 today at 1:30 p.m. Coloradans can watch live here. Seventy percent of people convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Colorado walk out of court on probation. Not prison—probation. Current law allows judges to impose probation for some child sexual assault convictions, and in certain cases prison is not required unless there are repeat offenses. SB26-111 would require prison time for anyone convicted. The bill has failed twice. A third attempt this year Reps. Brandi Bradley and Regina English have b...
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The Capitol flagpole is not a friendship bracelet
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

The Capitol flagpole is not a friendship bracelet

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s State Capitol is not a festival stage. It is a civic altar of sorts, the place where law is made, rights are protected, and citizens who disagree about nearly everything are still supposed to recognize one another as equals under the same authority. That is why a flagpole on Capitol grounds is never “just symbolic.” It is government speech, rendered in cloth and wind. Governor Jared Polis’ decision to hoist Canada’s flag over the Colorado State Capitol for the second-annual “Colorado-Canada Friendship Day” was therefore not appropriate, even if Canada is a friendly neighbor and a major trading partner. The problem is not Canada. The problem is the office. In March of last year, the Governor’s office framed t...
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Colorado agriculture manager faces discipline after dispute over federal grant report and DEI training
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado agriculture manager faces discipline after dispute over federal grant report and DEI training

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice A Colorado Department of Agriculture manager who challenged training language in a federally tied pest survey report now faces possible discipline after an internal investigation concluded he “more likely than not” misrepresented the document. The dispute follows earlier RMV reporting that raised questions about DEI-related training references appearing in a report tied to a USDA cooperative agreement. The issue grew out of a 2025 CAPS Infrastructure Accomplishment Report tied to a USDA cooperative agreement. In one section, the document lists training entries including “Equity and Diversity” and “Inclusive Leadership.” CDA says Rich Guggenheim shared a screenshot of what it describes as a draft report and wrongly portrayed...
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Food Shaming Concerns Delay Colorado Plan to Ban Soda Purchases With Food Stamps
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Food Shaming Concerns Delay Colorado Plan to Ban Soda Purchases With Food Stamps

By: Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun The SNAP rule change was delayed by a state board after a 7-hour hearing including fierce opposition from the governor’s fellow Democrats, Hunger Free Colorado and Save the Children. A plan to prohibit Coloradans from using food-assistance benefits to buy soda and sugary fruit juices was stalled Friday by a state board after opponents argued it was an overreach that could harm the dignity and autonomy of low-income families. The rule would ban the use of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called SNAP, to buy soda as well as juices with added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Gov. Jared Polis won approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the “healthy choice” rule in August, but needed...
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Federal Audit Finds Colorado Misspent $78 Million On Autism Therapy
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Federal Audit Finds Colorado Misspent $78 Million On Autism Therapy

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun The state must repay the federal government $42.6 million after “questionable billing patterns.” Colorado made at least $77.8 million in improper payments for Medicaid services for children with autism and must refund the federal government $42.6 million, federal officials said Monday.  Auditors at the federal Office of the Inspector General found the state Medicaid program has been improperly covering care by uncredentialed behavioral technicians for children with autism, among other billing discrepancies.  The audit released Monday comes as the state is already dealing with a $1 billion budget shortfall and cuts to Medicaid benefits that have affected multiple programs for people with low incomes and disabi...
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State bill creates new path for school discrimination complaints, sparks debate over harassment standard
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

State bill creates new path for school discrimination complaints, sparks debate over harassment standard

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 26-1141 cleared the House Education Committee last week on a 9–3 vote and now moves to the Appropriations Committee before it can reach the House floor. The proposal would create a state-level process for handling discrimination complaints in K–12 schools and higher education. Complaints would go through the Colorado Civil Rights Division. The agency could investigate, try to resolve cases through mediation, and, if necessary, allow a case to move into court. The proposal covers claims tied to legally protected characteristics — or even the perception that someone belongs to one of those groups. The categories aren’t new. They’re the same ones already written into Colorado’s civil rights law — race, ...
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“Apologize to the Constitution”: House rejects amendment on 3D gun bill
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“Apologize to the Constitution”: House rejects amendment on 3D gun bill

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The debate over 3D-printed firearms took an unexpected turn Friday when Rep. Scott Bottoms stepped forward with a constitutional warning. House Bill 26-1144 would ban the 3D printing of firearms and certain gun parts. Bottoms said if it violates the Constitution, it should fall. His amendment would have required the entire measure to rise or fall as one. The amendment failed after a standing division vote. “I would like to apologize to the Constitution for what we just did to it,” Bottoms said. The vote marked the most dramatic moment in a lengthy second reading debate over a bill that would make it illegal to 3D print firearms and certain gun parts, and restrict the sharing of digital files used to produce th...
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