Colorado property tax commission recommends changes amid ballot battle

A bipartisan group of Colorado policymakers approved nearly a dozen recommendations to soften the pinch of property tax increases Friday, including an “adjustable cap” on future hikes and mechanisms to spread out hefty tax bills. State Sen. Chris Hansen is chairman of the state Property Tax Commission, which issued its recommendations Friday. (Photo by AAron … Read more

Jared Polis signs open-meetings bill that exempts lawmakers from parts

Colorado lawmakers are now exempt from parts of the state’s open-meetings law after Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that legalizes longstanding practices challenged by transparency advocates. Polis signed SB24-157 into law with immediate effect on Tuesday, a day after the bill cleared the House and a month after the measure was first introduced by … Read more

Kamala Harris touts progress in Denver, promises to fight on abortion

Vice President Kamala Harris told supporters in Denver on Tuesday that she would fight to ban “assault” weapons, raise the federal minimum wage and protect abortion rights if she and President Joe Biden win reelection in November. “In memory of Columbine, Aurora, Uvalde and Club Q, we continue — and we all continue — to … Read more

Westminster’s housing crisis faces local opposition, state demands

Jodi Lovejoy can look out the window of her Westminster apartment and see the mountains of the Front Range. She can track the rolling clouds and watch the weather change over the peaks, something she used to do with her children. The neighborhood is quiet, dotted by mature trees. She doesn’t own the two bedrooms … Read more

Colorado lawmakers target another $5 million for Denver Health

A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers is again moving to direct a special $5 million infusion to Denver Health amid rising concerns about the hospital’s financial security and fears of a potential descent into a “death spiral.” Members of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, which gave initial approval to the allocation Wednesday night, acknowledged that … Read more

Colorado lawmakers target HOAs, metro districts with more regulation

Homeowners associations’ foreclosure filings on thousands of Coloradans’ houses over unpaid fines and fees have spurred fresh attempts by lawmakers to better regulate HOAs and metropolitan districts with the hope of preventing more people from losing their homes. Lawmakers have introduced several reform bills that would restrict foreclosures from delinquent fees and require HOAs and … Read more

Bills in Colorado legislature take aim at poor Front Range air quality

Democratic state legislators on Thursday rolled out an ambitious suite of bills aimed at improving the Front Range’s air quality — among the worst in the nation — by taking specific aim at the oil and gas industry. The three bills will focus on curbing toxic emissions from oil and gas drilling sites by changing … Read more

Colorado lawmakers eye regulation to reduce youth social media use

Annie Valentina Castanon knows the endless scroll of social media well — one short video on an app like Instagram or TikTok turns into another, she said, and soon a minute turns into hours. The quick rush from flashy entertainment gives way to anxiety as she worries about losing time that should have been spent … Read more

Democrats eye Colorado TABOR surplus for child tax credits, other uses

Colorado Democrats are eying a large portion of the state’s $1.8 billion-plus surplus this year to provide child tax credits targeted to help lower-income families — along with another slice devoted to helping people working in health- and child-care fields. The proposals are costly policy moves that could put state lawmakers on a path for … Read more

Colorado assault weapons ban proposed in revived bill

Colorado would ban the sale, transfer and importation of so-called assault weapons under a bill introduced Tuesday in the state House. The measure, HB24-1292, is similar to legislation that a House committee killed last spring in its first hearing, but this year’s version may have better chances. The new bill would define assault weapons as … Read more