Rick Palacio, the former chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, violated the state’s ethics law when he became a consultant for Gov. Jared Polis in late 2020 because he had too recently served as the governor’s chief of staff, the state’s Independent Ethics Commission ruled. Former Colorado Democratic Party chairman Rick Palacio. (Handout) The commission … Read more
Gov. Jared Polis took a buzzsaw to hundreds of outdated and obsolete executive orders on Thursday — literally. Polis sawed through more than 200 executive orders, which stretched back decades and through multiple administrations, before issuing a new formal executive order to rescind them. He joked that it was the first time in state history … Read more
Gov. Jared Polis struck down a half-dozen bills to close this year’s legislative session. But a revived proposal to fight wage theft — potentially with his backing — shows that the defeats aren’t necessarily permanent. House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, was one of the prime sponsors of House Bill 1008. The … Read more
ATLANTA — Already reeling from their November defeats, Democrats now are grappling with President Joe Biden’s pardoning of his son for federal crimes after the party spent years slamming Donald Trump as a threat to democracy who disregarded the law. The president pardoned Hunter Biden late Sunday evening, reversing his previous pledges with a grant … Read more
State Sen. Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat, announced Thursday that she plans to resign at the start of the legislative session in January. Buckner is the second senator to announce their resignation in the weeks following their reelection. She was unopposed in her Nov. 5 reelection. Buckner has served in the legislature since 2015, when … Read more
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is proposing a year of “belt-tightening” to make up for softening inflation and higher Medicaid costs. He presented his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year on Friday afternoon. It doesn’t account for Tuesday’s elections, which include some potentially costly measures on the state ballot. The next legislature, which is also … Read more
Coloradans will soon be able to file their federal income taxes directly online for free under a program created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Beginning with tax year 2025 — filing for which happens in early 2026 — Coloradans will be able to use the IRS’ free Direct File program to submit their state and … Read more
Greenhouse farmers will be able to write off their agricultural equipment from their personal property taxes permanently under a law signed Friday by Gov. Jared Polis. Passed as House Bill 1003 during the legislature’s special session last month, the law extends in perpetuity an exemption that was set to expire in tax year 2027. Personal … Read more
Seven Colorado counties filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing the state of illegally taking tax money generated from oil and gas extraction and set aside for local governments. The suit, which names Gov. Jared Polis and state Treasurer Dave Young, was filed in Denver District Court by several mostly rural counties on the Western Slope, plus … Read more
Colorado’s grand bargain on property taxes concluded Wednesday as Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that further cuts commercial and residential rates, while a conservative group withdrew two contentious initiatives from the November ballot. The legislature passed House Bill 1001 last week during its second property tax-focused special session in the past year. Polis called … Read more
