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Debate over proposals tackling drug use, treatment illustrates ideological divide in Colorado
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Debate over proposals tackling drug use, treatment illustrates ideological divide in Colorado

By Marissa Ventrelli  | Colorado Politics Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday tackled two proposals that offer convergent — and divergent — approaches to combatting drug abuse during a discussion that starkly illuminated on ideological disagreements at the state Capitol.       Both bills emerged out of ad hoc panel, which met over the summer as a response to soaring addiction rates nationwide and in Colorado. Colorado ranks in the Top 10 states in the nation for drug use, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Advocates and policymakers agree that addressing such a complex issue requires a multifaceted response, but they often clash in their preferred solutions. "Harm reduction" advocates argue that tougher penalties hav...
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Colorado lawmakers vote to give themselves a pay raise beginning in 2025
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers vote to give themselves a pay raise beginning in 2025

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado House Democrats on Thursday voted to boost the pay of General Assembly lawmakers beginning in the 2025-26 fiscal year, with those living in the Denver metro area getting substantially more in actual dollars and rate increase than policymakers who reside outside.  The cost to taxpayers for the higher per diems is just shy of $300,000 in 2025-26. Metro-area legislators' per diem has not increased for more than three decades.  Under House Bill 1059, the per diem rate claimed by lawmakers who reside in the Denver metro area will increase to 25% of the federal per diem rate set for the city and county of Denver by the U.S. General Services Administration. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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GOP candidate Nikki Haley to host Front Range rally in Colorado and you can go if you register
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coloradopolitics.com, National

GOP candidate Nikki Haley to host Front Range rally in Colorado and you can go if you register

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Republican candidate Nikki Haley, who has vowed to keep fighting presumptive nominee Donald Trump, is hosting a rally in Colorado next week. Colorado voters began receiving presidential primary ballots last week.   Haley, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, will host a rally at Wings over the Rockies Exploration of Flight at 13005 Wings Way in Centennial on Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. The two-hour event is free and open to the public but requires a reservation. READ THE FUL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Q&A with Heather Graham | Pueblo’s new mayor aims to set narrative for Colorado city
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coloradopolitics.com, Local, Southern Colorado

Q&A with Heather Graham | Pueblo’s new mayor aims to set narrative for Colorado city

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Heather Graham was sworn in as only the second mayor of Pueblo in more than a century on Feb. 1, following the first-term, at-large city council member's nearly 25-point win in a runoff against the incumbent mayor, Nick Gradisar. A Pueblo native and registered Republican, Graham traces her political awakening to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when she organized protests over city policies that restricted operations at her three restaurants — Ruby's Wine Bar and two Graham's Grills. Known for its namesake Pueblo chile and as the Home of Heroes — it's the hometown of four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients — Pueblo is Colorado's ninth-largest city, with a current estimated population of just over 110,000 putting it behind Westminster an...
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Colorado lawmakers decide to hold proposal exempting legislature from open meetings law’s provisions
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers decide to hold proposal exempting legislature from open meetings law’s provisions

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A panel of lawmakers decided to hold a proposal that seeks to carve out the General Assembly from some of the provisions of the state's open meetings law after the sponsor indicated it may not be ready for prime time. Senate Bill 157 attempts to deal with one of the stickiest unanswered questions around the state's open meetings law — what exactly is an open meeting? The law, as it applies to the General Assembly, says that occurs whenever two or more lawmakers are together discussing public business. But over the law's 50-plus year history, lawmakers have held daily conversations on legislation on the floor of the House or Senate or in offices at the Capitol — all outside the public view. It's a conflict between what the ...
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Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Ex-staffers say Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship is in crisis, ask Polis to replace leaders

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Colorado office tasked with taking care of some of the state's most vulnerable citizens is once more facing questions about its management, notably after resignations have left it with just a few staffers to care for more than 80 clients. The Office of Public Guardianship is down to two remote guardians, who may live four to six hours away from their wards and who aren't tasked with in-person visits, and it has no in-person guardian for its Denver-based district, Colorado Politics has learned. The remote guardians are responsible for the office's 82 clients, who are primarily based in mental health facilities in Denver and Pueblo. "We can no longer sit back and watch this office be set up to fail," seven former guardians who have ...
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First Amendment expert: Proposal from Democratic leaders ‘completely’ exempts lawmakers from open meeting laws
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coloradopolitics.com, State

First Amendment expert: Proposal from Democratic leaders ‘completely’ exempts lawmakers from open meeting laws

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics Leaders of the Colorado General Assembly, along with several Democratic members, are seeking sweeping exemptions for lawmakers from the state's open meetings law, which contains guarantees of transparency when officials craft policies. The exemptions only apply to the legislature, not to other policymaking bodies such as a city council or county commission.   It's not immediately clear if the proposal is a direct response to a lawsuit filed in July against leaders of both House caucuses. That lawsuit from two Democratic legislators claimed the Democratic and GOP caucuses each held mandatory secret meetings at least weekly during the 2023 legislative session, directing legislative aides to omit or disguise the meetings on legislators' calenda...
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State legislature is closed for President’s Day, will resume business Tuesday
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coloradopolitics.com, State

State legislature is closed for President’s Day, will resume business Tuesday

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Here are legislative committee hearings and other events of note for the week ahead for the Colorado General Assembly. Committee schedules are subject to change. Schedules for both the House and Senate can change at any time. This website is the best resource for keeping up with daily activities.  Options for public testimony during committee hearings can be found here.  Regulations for remote testimony by the public can be found here. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado lawmakers scramble to find funds for schools, communities grappling with immigration crisis
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers scramble to find funds for schools, communities grappling with immigration crisis

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado's policymakers are looking for ways to help communities grappling with the costs of accommodating roughly 40,000 immigrants who arrived in Colorado in the past year. The Department of Public Safety is requesting nearly $10 million in supplemental funding for organizations that offer services and assistance to immigrant families.  More specifically, the money will go toward housing and legal aid for the immigrants who came to Colorado after illegally crossing America's southern border.  "Colorado is committed to providing the resources we can for the communities and organizations working on the frontlines to support new arrivals during this crisis, and we are grateful for their work," a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis...
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Colorado county clerks are divided over bill to require voting service centers in jails
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado county clerks are divided over bill to require voting service centers in jails

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The state Senate Judiciary Committee is expected in the coming weeks to take its first look at a bill that has divided the usually united county clerks in Colorado over allowing people in jail to vote on election day. This could cost the state between $200,000 and $1 million. If passed, Senate Bill 72 would require county clerks to set up voting service centers in jails and detention facilities to allow eligible prisoners to vote. Clerks in the state's smaller counties are calling it an unfunded mandate, while sheriffs are taking issues with the bill's language regarding possible penalties for jail facilities not in compliance. The bill's fiscal note shows a state cost of $200,000, but opponents claim the real cost could be clo...
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