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Rep. Bottoms’ HB 1145, prohibiting trafficking of minors into state for reproductive services, killed in committee
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Bottoms’ HB 1145, prohibiting trafficking of minors into state for reproductive services, killed in committee

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Rep. Scott Bottoms may have learned Tuesday that perception is indeed reality. Despite multiple attempts to position his House Bill 25-1145 as another attempt to hold accountable child traffickers he has witnessed operating over two decades, his bill was shredded in the House's Judiciary Committee for surface concerns it was rather an anti-abortion, anti-transgender bill. "This is a bill trying to stop trafficking and the abuse of our children," said Bottoms, a Colorado Springs pastor. "This is another shot at just trying to put these people in jail." The bill would prohibit the taking, or trafficking, of a minor across state lines into Colorado for the purpose of reproductive health-care services. It was postponed indefinitely by a 7-4 pa...
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HB 1098, the crime victim alert system bill, advances, but without Republican committee support. Here’s why.
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1098, the crime victim alert system bill, advances, but without Republican committee support. Here’s why.

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It would be difficult to say what turned Republican support against a bipartisan bill Tuesday in the House's Judiciary Committee — the considerable expenditure required in a down fiscal year or the potential raised of harm to gun owners. House Bill 25-1098, by Delta Republican Rep. Matt Soper and Democrat Rep. Rebekah Stewart, aimed at establishing an automated system to alert crime victims to changes in their cases, lost all but Soper's support from the minority caucus. "I'm a huge advocate for victim's rights," said Republican Rep. Rebecca Keltie, a member of the committee. "The fiscal note is a concern." Implementation and maintenance of a notification system by a third-party vendor would require a $500,000 investment this fiscal year a...
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Ganahl: Parents speak up about rash of alleged sex crimes by staff in Jefferson County schools
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Ganahl: Parents speak up about rash of alleged sex crimes by staff in Jefferson County schools

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice A letter sent by parent-led organization Jeffco Kids First (JKF) to the superintendent of Jefferson County schools and its board of education on Feb. 7, urges them to acknowledge shocking and dangerous issues in the district. Lindsday Datko, leader of JKF, asks that the district publicly implement immediate triage operations to address risks, and ensure accountability and adherence to sound processes, policies and laws. It ends with a call for a public update on these matters.  There is a board meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, at 5 p.m. at the Ed Center in Golden. Here is the link to participate virtually or live: https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/about/board-of-education/board-meetings.  Some examples referenced in the c...
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Rep. Evans, the grandson of immigrants, joins U.S. House’s Hispanic Conference
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Evans, the grandson of immigrants, joins U.S. House’s Hispanic Conference

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, has joined the U.S. House's Congressional Hispanic Conference, his office announced Wednesday. The first-term congressman represents Colorado's 8th District, including most of Adams and Weld Counties. “I'm proud to celebrate the values and contributions of Hispanic Americans and their stories — like my Abuelito Chavez who earned his citizenship fighting for our country in World War II," Evans said in a statement for the announcement by the conference's chairman Tony Gonzales. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to lower inflation, strengthen public safety and make the American Dream more attainable." Evans spent 12 years in the U.S Army, rising to the rank of captain, and ...
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It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a déjà vu moment in the Colorado Senate. Senate Bill 25-003 will be up for a second reading Thursday, Feb. 13, for the third time in three weeks. The bill, which some have said would make Colorado the most anti-gun state in the country, has been laid over twice — in a Democrat-controlled Senate — almost assuredly because the majority party does not have the votes to pass the measure. Without a second reading the bill is frozen in the Senate and may not be taken up by the Colorado House. The Senate convenes at 9 a.m. Thursday. SB 3 is a wildly unpopular bill among conservatives and among vulnerable Democrats, many of whom believe it is unconstitutional. If passed, the bill, led by Democrat Sens. Tom Sullivan and Julie Gonzales and spon...
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Bipartisan bill to help inmates clear warrants before release sails through committee
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bipartisan bill to help inmates clear warrants before release sails through committee

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Occasionally, there is a concept with such merit that it transcends party lines in Colorado's General Assembly. House Bill 25-1116 is one of those, Denver Democrat Rep. Jennifer Bacon says. "It is such a good idea that Rep. Ryan Armagost and Jennifer Bacon would be on the same bill," Bacon noted. She is the assistant majority leader in the Colorado House for the Democrats. Armagost, a Republican representing Larimer and conservative Weld County, is the minority party's whip. Together, they are the House sponsors of the bill that would help Department of Corrections inmates have a more successful reintegration into society. "When an inmate is getting released, they are notified [of release] just prior to their release," Armagost said, ex...
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Senate Bill 63, which would set parameters for removal of books in school libraries, advances
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Senate Bill 63, which would set parameters for removal of books in school libraries, advances

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Should state officials weigh in on how books are selected in your child's school library? That's the core question behind Colorado's Senate Bill 25-063, the 'Freedom to Read' bill, which was discussed this week in a Senate Education Committee hearing. The bill, sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, requires school districts to set written policies for selecting, reconsidering and removing library materials.  It prohibits books from being removed based on the author’s identity, political objections or sexual content, unless they meet the Supreme Court’s obscenity standard under Miller v. California.  Only parents of current students would be allowed to challenge books, and a title could not ...
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Rick Dunlap, a Montrose Co. commissioner and longtime sheriff, mourned by Western Colorado
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Rick Dunlap, a Montrose Co. commissioner and longtime sheriff, mourned by Western Colorado

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Newly-elected Montrose County Commissioner, Rick Dunlap, died suddenly Feb. 8, 2025, leaving the Montrose community in grief and shock. Dunlap, who also served as sheriff for Montrose County for three terms before he retired in 2018, was well known and beloved by the community he served.  In total, Dunlap served 28 years in law enforcement, as well as serving the U.S. Army for 21 years. “Rick lived his life with unwavering commitment to the values he cherished most: faith, family, country, community and his friends and neighbors," Montrose County wrote in a statement upon his death. "His kindness, strength and dedication touched the lives of many, and his presence in our community will be sorely missed.”  Commissione...
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Bill would give candidates a choice to assign their watcher of preference in recounts
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bill would give candidates a choice to assign their watcher of preference in recounts

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When the smoke began to clear in El Paso County's House District 16 election in mid-November, Republican Rebecca Keltie had won election to the seat by seven votes. Or, so it might have appeared. The margin was not beyond the state's requirement for a mandatory recount, so Keltie was forced to sweat it out until Dec. 5 to be certified the winner, following a recount. House Bill 25-1155, by Republican Rep. Mary Bradfield and Democrat Rep. Cecelia Espenoza, would give candidates like Keltie an added opportunity, should they become a candidate in a runoff. "This is a simple bill," Bradfield said. "In a recount, the candidates have an option of having their own watcher present." The bill was supported on second reading in the Colorado House...
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Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a stunning display of hypocrisy, the Democratic Party once again proved that their loyalty lies not with the American people but with their own desperate grip on power. Kamala Harris campaigned on the promise of “No Tax on Tips,” a policy first proposed by President Donald Trump, yet when given the opportunity to support it, nearly every Democrat in Congress voted against it. Why? Because Republicans brought it forward. That’s it. No rational argument, no policy dispute — just petty, reflexive opposition rooted in pure political spite. This is not an isolated incident; it is a defining characteristic of today’s Democratic Party. They do not govern; they obstruct, steal, and lie. They will champion a cause when they b...
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