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Keith King, a titan of school choice in Colorado education, dies at 75
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Keith King, a titan of school choice in Colorado education, dies at 75

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Keith King, a businessman, education leader and former legislator who served in the state House and Senate, as well as on the Colorado Springs council, has died after a long illness. He was 75. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Gov. Jared Polis, who, like King, has been an advocate for charter schools, on Saturday ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff until the day of King's memorial. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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The Replacements: 28 lawmakers appointed to 29 seats by small groups of party insiders
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coloradopolitics.com, State

The Replacements: 28 lawmakers appointed to 29 seats by small groups of party insiders

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics With close to a third of lawmakers being appointed to office instead of elected by voters, the Colorado General Assembly likely holds a record that few state legislatures would want.  A Colorado Politics analysis showed that of 24 out of the 28 current state lawmakers appointed by vacancy committees, fewer than 40 party insiders on average picked the individuals who would represent the people at the state Capitol, instead of the 89,000 residents of a House district or the 165,000 people who live in a Senate's political boundary.  The 28 lawmakers who gained their positions — one legislator was picked twice to two different seats for a total of 29 appointments — through a vacancy go back all the way to 2010, when now-Sen....
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U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race
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coloradopolitics.com, Denver Metro, Local, National

U.S. Department of Education investigates Denver Public Schools over use of race

By Nicole C. Brambila | Colorado Politics The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened two discrimination complaints filed against Denver Public Schools’ use of race in selecting committee members to evaluate the district’s "discipline matrix" and in deciding which students can take math extension courses. The complaints, filed by the Mountain States Legal Foundation in November and September, respectively, alleged that the district gives preferential treatment to persons of color and inferred that its use of the word "diverse" is a veiled reference to considering race and people's gender identity. Will Trachman, general counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, said the district cannot discriminate against White students or individuals who identify wi...
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Doug Bruce, author of TABOR, will seek GOP nomination in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Doug Bruce, author of TABOR, will seek GOP nomination in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Doug Bruce, the author of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, is considering joining the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn. "I am strongly leaning toward becoming a candidate," Bruce, a former state lawmaker from Colorado Springs and El Paso County commissioner, told Colorado Politics. The anti-tax advocate said he plans to decide within weeks whether to jump in a primary field that has swelled since Lamborn's surprising announcement last month that he would not seek a 10th term in Congress. "I think if I ran, I would be the best candidate," Bruce said. "I was a big fan of Doug Lamborn, and I think one Doug deserves another." READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Rep. Lynch: ‘I’m sorry and embarassed’
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Rep. Lynch: ‘I’m sorry and embarassed’

By Marianne Goodland | COLORADO POLITICS "I'm sorry." Rep. Mike Lynch of Wellington, the former minority leader of the state House, did not offer an apology to his colleagues or his constituents when he announced on Jan. 23 he would step down as minority leader. He had faced pressure from some Republicans to resign his post following his DUI arrest in 2022. But, on Thursday, Lynch unequivocally made an apology. "I'm sorry and embarrassed" to the core, Lynch told Colorado Politics. "As a body we fight to have a good impression and I'm very sorry I put a stain on that." READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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Bill to make to-go alcohol law permanent passes committee
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Bill to make to-go alcohol law permanent passes committee

By Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADOPOLITICS.COM When restaurants were shutdown during the 2020 pandemic, a law allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages for takeout and delivery helped ease financial burdens for many business owners. With the temporary law set to expire in 2025, some lawmakers this year aim to keep it permanent.  SB 020, a bipartisan initiative, would remove the scheduled repeal of existing legislation allowing licensed businesses to continue selling alcoholic beverages for delivery or takeout permanently. The measure on Thursday cleared the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee.  To address concerns about drinking and driving, the bill requires all beverages to be sealed in tamper-proof containers and delivered by an employee over th...
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Bill requiring Colorado employers to display suicide prevention education passes through committee
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Bill requiring Colorado employers to display suicide prevention education passes through committee

By Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADO POLITICS A bill that would require Colorado employers to display posters and provide suicide prevention information in the workplace passed through the House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor this week.  HB 1015 would require workplaces to display posters created by the Division of Labor and Statistics that would provide information on suicide prevention training programs and educational materials. The posters will also include a QR code that links to a website to be created by the Office of Suicide Prevention. Employees will also be required to sign a handbook or manual that includes a notice about suicide prevention. All of these resources will be provided to employers for free. Ronald Dietz, a Littleton resident and survivor of...
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Colorado could be first to protect biological data from Big Tech
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado could be first to protect biological data from Big Tech

By Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADO POLITICS A panel of lawmakers approved legislation that would make Colorado the first in the nation to protect people's biological data from technology companies, raising worries that new machines could be come so powerful they could read thoughts.  The House Judiciary Committee advanced House Bill 1058, which expands upon the Colorado Privacy Act's definition of "sensitive data" to include biological and neural data.  Under the measure, biological data means information that provides a "characterization of the biological, genetic, biochemical, or physiological properties, compositions, or activities of an individual's body or bodily functions." It includes neural data, which the bill defines as "information that c...
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El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads
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coloradopolitics.com, Downtown Denver, El Paso County, Local

El Paso official to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep asking for federal funds | Border Crossroads

By Nicole C. Brambila | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS Editor's note: Welcome to Border Crossroads, a series of dispatches from America's southern border, where reporter Nico Brambila and multimedia producer Tom Hellauer are chronicling the crisis that is spilling over into Denver and other interior cities.     EL PASO, TEXAS — El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino offered some advice to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: Keep pushing for federal money to address the crisis brought on by surges of immigrants crossing the border. El Paso Deputy City Manager, Mario D'Agostino, discusses how his city obtained federal funds to address the immigration surges in recent yearsPlay Video “Don’t give up on the funding requests,” D’Agostino said. "Continuing to push for the fund...
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Gov. Polis signs first 2024 bill into law, increasing earned income tax credit
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Gov. Polis signs first 2024 bill into law, increasing earned income tax credit

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday signed the first law of the 2024 session — a throwback to a measure from the 2023 session that got tangled up in a lawsuit from a Republican lawmaker. House Bill 1084 would double the size of the earned income tax credit for low income Coloradans.  The measure, a do-over from last year, intends to repeal and replace House Bill 23B-1002, which is now the subject of a lawsuit from Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs. Bottoms alleged he was denied an opportunity to have the bill read at length during the special session, and he sued the governor and House Speaker Julie McCluskie of Dillon. No hearing has yet been set for that lawsuit. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADOPOLITICS.COM
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