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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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HOA foreclosure bill that would add homeowner protections is back in front of lawmakers
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CBS Colorado, State

HOA foreclosure bill that would add homeowner protections is back in front of lawmakers

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado A new bill being considered by Colorado lawmakers would protect homeowners from losing everything should they end up in foreclosure with their HOA. Colorado resident Holly Crystal is among those testifying in support. For nearly 10 years, Crystal has been in and out of court. "I will say this has absolutely changed my life," she said. She says it was the only way to fight a property dispute with her homeowner's association. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Senate committee questions Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis’ response to ethics complaint
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Senate committee questions Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis’ response to ethics complaint

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The Senate Ethics Committee began its discussion on the ethics complaint against Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont, on Tuesday but appeared to take a dim view of how she responded to the complaints. Last week, the committee released dozens of documents about the complaints against Jaquez Lewis, who was re-elected to her second and final term last November. Included in that release: a 14-page response filed by the senator, who has been accused of abusive behavior against five legislative aides dating back to at least 2022. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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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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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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Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle
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Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado’s public schools would be required to have policies governing school library book challenges, and only parents with students at a school would be allowed to challenge a book in that school’s library. These are some of the provisions of a school library bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday evening, advancing out of the Senate Education Committee in a 5-2 vote. The bill represents the second attempt by Democratic lawmakers to curb school library book removals and protect school librarians from retaliation for doing their jobs. A similar school library bill died during the 2024 legislative session, though a separate one focused on public libraries passed. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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$71M project to address ice buildup in Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels
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kdvr.com, State

$71M project to address ice buildup in Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels

By Rachel Saurer | KDVR-TV Fox 31 News The iconic Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on the Interstate 70 corridor might soon be getting a facelift after the Colorado Department of Transportation noticed more ice buildup over the past several years.  “With any structure, especially one as complex as this tunnel, there’s going to be some aging, there’s going to be some maintenance needed on the tunnel,” said Stacia Sellers, a spokesperson for CDOT. The Eisenhower Tunnel was built in 1973 and the Johnson Tunnel was built in 1979, so both have seen their share of wear and tear. When they were built, the two held their title as the highest tunnel in the world, and now they are still considered the longest mountain tunnel in the United States. READ THE FULL STORY AT ...
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Senate committee halts SB 44, the bill to increase fentanyl criminal penalties
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DENVER7, State

Senate committee halts SB 44, the bill to increase fentanyl criminal penalties

By Ryan Fish | Denver 7 News With a 4-3 vote, a bill that proposed harsher criminal penalties related to fentanyl was postponed indefinitely Monday night inside the Colorado Capitol after a lengthy hearing inside the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 25-044 was introduced on Jan. 8, and its prime sponsors are Sen. Byron Pelton and Rep. Ryan Armagost. The bill aimed to increase the penalties for people accused of manufacturing, selling or distributing — or possession with intent to do so — anything that contained fentanyl, carfentanil or benzimidazole opiate. If passed, people accused of those crimes will face a Level 1 drug felony. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS
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U.S. Rep. Boebert asks Energy Sec. Wright to ‘stop land grab’ of 325K acres in Southeast Colorado
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State, thefencepost.com

U.S. Rep. Boebert asks Energy Sec. Wright to ‘stop land grab’ of 325K acres in Southeast Colorado

By Rachel Gabel | The Fence Post Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is the first member of the Colorado Congressional delegation to send a letter to newly minted Secretary of Energy — and fellow Coloradoan — Chris Wright asking Secretary Wright to recognize the lack of transparency and inability of landowners to provide comments about the department’s proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor or NIETC (Pronounced nit-see) designation. Boebert said the disregard for the public comment period is typical of the Biden administration and in this case, the public comment period ends Feb. 14, leaving little time for landowners to oppose to what she calls a massive land grab. Baca, Kiowa and Prowers counties combined contribute $504 million in ag sales annually, an important par...
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HB 1131 is free-market solution to increase access to veterinarians, bill sponsor says
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1131 is free-market solution to increase access to veterinarians, bill sponsor says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 1131, described by a bill sponsor as a free-market solution to the state's growing veterinary shortage, appears to be fast-tracked to the Senate. On second reading Tuesday in the House, the bill by Democrat Rep. Andrew Boesenecker and Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson passed on an overwhelming voice vote. It was introduced Jan. 28. "We have seen a real need for veterinarians across the state, for both small [animals] and livestock," Johnson said. "[HB 1131] really does eliminate government overreach by removing caps for free-market students." The bill eliminates the cap on the number of students who may enroll in the Colorado State veterinary program and, as the bill's fiscal note points out, removes other financial limitations on t...
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