A bill in the Colorado legislature, filed in response to reports that patients were confused when a company they’d never heard of sued them over medical debts, would limit how collection agencies can pursue payment. HB-1380, which passed the state House on Wednesday, would require debt collectors operating in the state to disclose who initially … Read more
Gov. Jared Polis signed “for-cause” eviction protections into law Friday, making Colorado the sixth U.S. state to enact the policy that’s aimed at blunting displacement of vulnerable tenants. The law, passed by the legislature late last month, effectively gives tenants a right of first refusal to renew their leases. That protection, supporters say, will insulate … Read more
Colorado will distribute $24 million in one-time funding to public school districts and charter schools impacted by the unprecedented influx of immigrant students who arrived after the annual October headcount that determines districts’ state funding. Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed the bipartisan bill, HB24-1389, authorizing that money to be distributed this fiscal year from … Read more
Colorado legislators are working to launch two commissions that will help shape criminal justice policy statewide into the near future, an effort that’s drawn the praise of policymakers while reigniting the same simmering tensions that helped sink a predecessor last year. Under recommendations issued last month by a working group convened by Gov. Jared Polis, … Read more
Politicians and news outlets expressed outrage Monday over the expulsion from a Republican gathering of an experienced politics reporter who was told the state party chairman believed her reporting was “very unfair.” Journalists and elected officials, including the former chair of the Colorado Republican Party, came to the defense of Colorado Sun reporter Sandra Fish. … Read more
Margaret Osburn spends eight hours a day with a classroom full of preschool students. She knows their birthdays. She’s on a first-name basis with their parents. She remembers the kids’ favorite foods, songs and colors. She cares for them when they’re sick and changes their diapers. “I know these kids and I love them,” Osburn … Read more
Nearly 27% fewer aspiring Colorado college students have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid this year compared to 2023 amid a federal financial aid fiasco. That drop has state higher education leaders worried the ongoing delays and confusion surrounding the revamped financial aid application — known as FAFSA — will deter students from … Read more
Colorado legislators will work through Budget Madness Part 2 this week, as the state’s spending plan for next year is set to pass the House on Monday before crossing over and restarting the process in the Senate. The House worked all day and into the night Thursday (before taking Good Friday off) to give initial … Read more
Transgender and nonbinary people would receive more explicit protections in Colorado’s anti-bias and harassment law if a newly introduced bill becomes law. Advocates characterize the bill as a simple legislative fix to ensure gender identity and expression are protected across state law, while also sending a message about Colorado’s values. “(The bill) ensures nonbinary and … Read more
A proposal to limit where people can carry firearms in Colorado, openly or with concealed carry permits, was narrowed substantially Wednesday as sponsors fought to win a key committee vote in the state Senate. The bill as introduced would have banned firearms from being carried at a slew of places, including stadiums, protests at public locations, … Read more
