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Where did the road money go?: Examining Colorado transportation claims
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Approved, Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary, State

Where did the road money go?: Examining Colorado transportation claims

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project HB26-1430 (see the first link below for some earlier context) is the Colorado Democrats’ measure to kneecap Initiative 175, the measure that would enforce that road dollars actually go to building roads. The measure passed the legislature with some last-minute fussing, and included some new amendments. The Sum and Substance article linked second below details how things went down in the last days of the legislative session. The purpose of this post is not to look at HB26-1430 in its final form or how that will affect (or not) Initiative 175. There’s more coming in the saga and I’ll hold off on updates til something concrete pops up. No, I wanted to share a couple of quotes from Democrat politicians appearing in the Su...
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Where did your TABOR refund go? Follow the spending
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Where did your TABOR refund go? Follow the spending

By Jarvis Caldwell and Gabe Evans | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice TABOR, otherwise known as the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, was created to protect Coloradans from bloated government spending, prevent politicians from overtaxing working families, and ensure extra revenue is returned to the people who earned it. But under Governor Polis' fiscal mismanagement and runaway spending, Coloradans are paying the price — through dramatically reduced TABOR refunds this year and no refunds at all next year.  TABOR is a provision in the Colorado Constitution passed by voters in 1992 that puts strict limits on how much the government can tax, spend, and grow unless otherwise voted on and approved. It ensures government spending increases only by inflation and population growth and...
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RTD Leadership Shift Ahead As CEO Johnson Announces Departure Timeline
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

RTD Leadership Shift Ahead As CEO Johnson Announces Departure Timeline

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette Debra Johnson, the CEO and general manager of the Regional Transportation District, announced Wednesday that she will step down from her role at the end of her contract, the transit agency told The Denver Gazette. Johnson sent an email to employees saying she had declined an offer from RTD’s board to extend her contract beyond its May 8, 2027, expiration, citing “personal and professional reasons” and noting her years of service, according to the email provided by RTD. “With this information in mind, please know that I will continue to steadfastly lead this organization with purpose and intentionality, as I have been doing since Nov. 9, 2020, until my contract sunsets next year,” Johnson wrote. RTD Board Chairman Patrick O...
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Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Advance Felony Option For Deadly Negligent Driving

By Colette Bordelon | Denver7 Senate Bill 26-072 passed unanimously out of its first committee hearing, but only after a sweeping amendment removed a portion that would have made vehicular homicide or assault a crime of violence. DENVER — Over the years, Denver7 has listened to countless families who have lost loved ones on Colorado roads and believe the penalties for vehicular homicide and other related charges are too lenient. On Monday, state lawmakers voted unanimously to advance a bill that would give district attorneys the option to charge negligent drivers who kill someone with a Class 5 felony — a step above the misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in death, and a step below vehicular homicide. Supporters argued Senate Bill 26-072 ...
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Colorado Budget Shortfall Sparks Questions Over Spending Priorities
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Shortfall Sparks Questions Over Spending Priorities

By Rep. Scott Bottoms | Commentary, Complete Colorado The Colorado House of Representatives recently received the unwelcome news that the state faces a $1.5 billion shortfall as they craft the state’s budget for fiscal year 2026-27. This troubling development comes on top of last year’s $750 million deficit. The shortfalls are odd because overall government spending has increased dramatically: since 2019 (the year Democrats took over the House, Senate, and governor’s office), Colorado’s population has increased by 4.4%, while at the same time, the state’s annual budget has increased by 43.6% (roughly 10 times the rate of population growth). Think about that. Fiscal malpractice In the midst of these fiscal straits, you’d think legislators...
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Interim Committees On The Chopping Block As Colorado Faces Lean Budget Year
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Interim Committees On The Chopping Block As Colorado Faces Lean Budget Year

By: Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics In a tight-budget year, the work of interim committees — those off-session groups that look at transportation, agriculture, water, healthcare, wildfires, pensions, and anything else lawmakers want to look at — is on the chopping block. And this year, no committee is considered sacrosanct. A bill introduced Thursday by the legislative leadership from both parties and both chambers wipes out just about all interim committees this year, including some year-round groups. It’s expected to save about $396,000 in the 2026-27 budget, according to legislative council staff. It would prohibit meetings, field trips, and legislative recommendations and reports from the year-round Capital Development Committee, which play...
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Colorado’s forgotten Noble Bill: The fight to keep road money on the road
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s forgotten Noble Bill: The fight to keep road money on the road

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com This Fall Colorado voters may see a ballot measure to change the way highway funding is spent, always a source of controversy and heated debate. For all but the most inner-city urban voters, though, the issue is a no-brainer if ever there was such a thing. Building, fixing, and maintaining the roads was the founding issue – 76 years ago – of Club 20, the voice of the Western Slope ever since. It remains a major reason that organization still holds together the diverse communities west of the Continental Divide, and it’s an issue that continues to unite people in all the rural parts of the state and most of the suburbs. Regional and state leaders have devoted their careers to making sure rural roads are not ignored by a sta...
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New Federal Rule Requires English CDL Testing For Commercial Drivers Nationwide
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kdvr.com, Approved, National

New Federal Rule Requires English CDL Testing For Commercial Drivers Nationwide

By Josh Funk | KDVR All truckers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver’s license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers meet the federal requirements to understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida already started administering its tests in English. Currently, many states allow drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. California offered tests in 20 other languages. Duffy said that a number of states have hir...
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Denver Urbanism Push Part Of Progressive Agenda to Discourage Automobile Use
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, Local

Denver Urbanism Push Part Of Progressive Agenda to Discourage Automobile Use

By Mike Rosen | Commentary, Complete Colorado Bicycle lanes in Denver are much more than just a nuisance for motorists, they’re a small but glaring symptom of the radical progressive mentality of Democrats that have grossly mismanaged Denver government in recent years. This is a sad reflection on Denver voters, who have brought this on themselves. Worse than useless and ridiculously underused, they obstruct traffic and pose a safety hazard for bicyclists and pedestrians. The lanes on Broadway north of Speer Blvd. are positively laughable, repositioning cars that were parked at the curb now out into a former traffic lane and inserting the bicycle lane in its place.  Vehicles making a left turn crossing that bicycle lane do so at the peril of cyclists, which can also be sa...
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Rural Colorado Road Concerns Gain Ground As Bipartisan Resolution Moves to full Senate
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Rural Colorado Road Concerns Gain Ground As Bipartisan Resolution Moves to full Senate

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette A Republican legislator said he was pleasantly surprised on Wednesday when the state Senate’s transportation panel advanced a resolution brought to him by county commissioners urging the Colorado Department of Transportation to invest more money to fix roads. Road maintenance is “probably the No. 1 issue” in his seven-county district, said Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling. Morgan County’s transportation infrastructure is the worst, he added. According to a 2023 CDOT assessment, 70% of the roads in the county are in the “red” for maintenance, meaning they’ll soon be undrivable. A Reason Foundation report ranked Colorado 47th in the nation for rural road conditions. Pelton mentioned a 2021 funding legislation, Sen...
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