Housing, housing, and more housing will dominate Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ agenda this legislative session as state leaders aim to encourage more building across the state. The governor, entering his sixth year in office, previewed his priorities Thursday in his annual State of the State address to a packed Colorado House chamber. Roughly the first … Read more
The return of Colorado’s legislature to the Capitol this week brought lofty talk from legislative leaders about the need for civility. It also came with a harsh reality: the acrimony and vitriol that marred last year’s proceedings have done anything but fade away. Simmering tensions have built up for several years, lawmakers on both sides … Read more
From the moment the Colorado General Assembly’s leaders gaveled their chambers into session Wednesday, they acknowledged the undercurrent of acrimony that’s seeped ever more deeply into state politics. The Capitol’s two top Democrats touted past achievements and pledged to do more this year, but they also made repeated references to social media eroding civility. They … Read more
Colorado construction contractors could face civil liability for wage theft under a bill previewed by Democratic lawmakers Friday. Details of the proposal are still being finalized ahead of the legislative session that begins Wednesday. House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, said it is one of the bills she plans to introduce on … Read more
Chad Clifford, a lobbyist and police officer, was selected by a Democratic vacancy committee Wednesday night to represent Greenwood Village and nearby Arapahoe County in the Colorado House this year, replacing a first-term legislator who resigned late last year. Clifford will replace Ruby Dickson, House District 37’s first-term legislator who resigned in early December, just … Read more
Colorado regulators recommended the state once again license funeral home workers in light of recent egregious abuses in the industry. In a 51-page report sent to the state legislature last week, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies said, “It is clear that the public is harmed by the general lack of regulation of funeral service … Read more
A Colorado Republican lawmaker is asking a state judge to block a new tax credit increase from taking effect because, he alleges, the state House’s speaker violated constitutional procedure during last month’s special session on property taxes and other relief. Rep. Scott Bottoms, of Colorado Springs, filed the suit in Denver District Court Thursday against … Read more
An influx of Venezuelan migrants to Carbondale that received national attention has prompted state legislators to authorize $5 million in emergency funding to support local efforts across the state to aid migrants. Local nonprofit Voces Unidas de las Montañas in early November discovered about 80 adult migrants living under a bridge in the mountain town … Read more
More than 50 current and former elected officials, community leaders, religious leaders and representatives of nonprofit groups called Thursday for Colorado’s congressional delegation to push more forcefully for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas to stop the killing of civilians. “We must demand a cease-fire,” State Rep. Iman Jodeh said on the west steps of … Read more
