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When the people vote, the majority should not pre-load a workaround
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

When the people vote, the majority should not pre-load a workaround

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado is supposed to be a representative government, not a manager class that “handles” voters the way an accountant handles a problem line item. Yet that is exactly what HB26-1430 represents: a legislature preparing a conditional “counterpunch” that activates only if voters approve Initiative 175 this November. Reasonable people can disagree about Initiative 175. That is not the point. The point is this: the majority is building an escape hatch before the people have even spoken. That posture is a warning sign in any republic, because it reveals what leadership thinks about consent. What HB26-1430 is, in plain English Initiative 175 would amend the Colorado Constitution to redirect certain transportation-rela...
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Senate Bill 135 Raises New Questions About TABOR Limits And Taxpayer Protections
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Senate Bill 135 Raises New Questions About TABOR Limits And Taxpayer Protections

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Claims that Senate Bill 26-135 could permanently eliminate the refund of overcollected revenue under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) amendment may at first blush sound hyperbolic, but they are not. Let me explain.  Beyond handing progressive legislators a blank check to cover up their own overspending, the new TABOR revenue limit creates a perverse incentive to limit both fiscal transparency and voter consent.  TABOR working just fine  TABOR’s existing formula limits annual growth of a portion of the state budget to a combination of population growth plus inflation.  This formula allows government to reasonably grow and accounts for factors not directly wit...
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Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits
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Approved, Complete Colorado, State

Colorado Progressive Tax Plan Advances Seeking End to Flat Tax and TABOR Limits

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado DENVER — After years of voter-approved measures scaling back Colorado’s income tax rate, proponents of significantly higher government spending have cleared a major hurdle at the state Title Board towards raising taxes by $4.1 billion annually.   Proposed Initiative #181 would replace Colorado’s flat income tax with a so-called “progressive” tax where taxpayers are charged higher rates based on their income.   The initiative is being put forth by the Bell Policy Center, a progressive nonprofit led by former Colorado state rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, who while in office advocated multiple times for such things as reducing refunds under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) and universal healthcare. The Title Board gave the green light to move forw...
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Citizen rights at risk as noncitizen voting spreads in U.S. cities
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Washington Examiner, Approved, Commentary, National

Citizen rights at risk as noncitizen voting spreads in U.S. cities

By Charlie Kolean | Commentary, Washington Examiner It may be an off-year election cycle, but the November ballot initiatives are heating up. One particular fight is fundamental to our democracy: citizen-only voting. Most people assume that to vote in the United States, one must be a U.S. citizen. But this is not the case: Only 20 state constitutions include language explicitly confirming that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in elections. Every other state is vulnerable to cities allowing noncitizens to vote. It is more common than people think. In Chicago, noncitizens can vote in local school council elections. In San Francisco, noncitizens can not only vote in school board elections, but also serve on City Council-appointed commissions. In Wa...
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Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, Local

Littleton proves citizen power still matters in Polis’ Colorado

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Littleton voters get a say because they wouldn't have it any other way. The City of Littleton tried to stuff a Polis-inspired density mandate down the throats of their residents late last year. Residents did exactly what they should have: they went to the city council meeting in numbers and told them their thoughts on the measure. The city council wisely decided to postpone the measure pending a group of residents putting gathering signatures and putting it up on the November ballot. There is more detail in the Complete article linked at bottom, but the part I want to focus on here is the Littleton voters and what their actions mean for you (and not just with regard to density). Pay attention to what your lo...
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Colorado Kicks Off Regulatory Surge with 200+ New Laws
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State, Approved, DENVER7

Colorado Kicks Off Regulatory Surge with 200+ New Laws

By Stephanie Butzer | Denver7 More than 200 new laws go into effect in Colorado on Wednesday, and they touch on subjects ranging from domestic violence to wildfires, and tax incentives to education. Denver7 has compiled a list of all of these laws below. A few more laws passed in 2025 will go into effect this September and October, followed by more in January and February 2026. Click on any of the links below to explore more details about each bill, including who sponsored it, when it was passed and what the vote was, and the fiscal impacts. You can explore the "2025 Digest of Bills," prepared by the Office of Legislative Legal Services, here. Below is a list of all of the Colorado laws that go into effect on Aug. 6, 2025: H.B. 25-1005 Tax Incentive for Film Festivals ...
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TABOR Undermined as Almost Half of Colorado Budget Now Exempt
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State, Approved, coloradopolitics.com

TABOR Undermined as Almost Half of Colorado Budget Now Exempt

By Hannah Metzger | Colorado Politics State spending that is exempt from Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights has increased by nearly 30% over the past 30 years, according to a report by the public policy think tank Common Sense Institute.  While TABOR places a limit on how much revenue the state can retain each fiscal year, certain sources — such as voter-approved changes, federal funds, and state enterprises — are exempt. According to the Bell Policy Center, enterprise funds are state-owned "businesses" that provide goods or services in exchange for revenue. Examples include the state lottery and the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE). According to the Common Sense Institute report, 46% of total state spending — ab...
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