State

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

19Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

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

Beef, quality-stamped by an in-person grader, may soon be graded by someone looking at a picture

19Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

State, The Colorado Sun

Beef, quality-stamped by an in-person grader, may soon be graded by someone looking at a picture

By Tracy Ross | Colorado Sun In the old days, if a small or midsize beef processor wanted to get the most out of their highest-quality meat, they had to do as the big processors do: pay a living, breathing human sometimes upward of $114 an hour to travel to their plant, often out in the boonies, and grade the meat ranchers sold them after seeing it in person. Beef comes in “Prime,” “Choice,” “Select,” “Standard” and “Commercial” grades, according to the USDA’s tutorial on the subject, with prices corresponding to those grades. Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle, has slightly abundant marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), and is generally sold in upscale restaurants, according to the USDA. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORA...

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

18Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

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...

HD 63 candidates Johnson, Urdiales speak at Logan County dinner

18Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

Eastern Plains, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HD 63 candidates Johnson, Urdiales speak at Logan County dinner

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice STERLING – Two candidates are vying to become the next Colorado House District 63 representative, following Minority Whip Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, in the position. “I’m running to protect our way of life,” said Dusty Johnson, formerly the chairwoman of the Morgan County Republican Party and an aide in the past decade to several state and federal officials. “Colorado legislation should not be one size, fits all,” said Brian Urdiales, formerly elected as a Fort Morgan City Councilman and operator of Urdiales Group real estate. They both addressed those attending the Logan County Republican’s Lincoln Dinner audience Saturday, Feb. 17. There have been two representatives to hold the seat in the Colorado House since a Morgan County res...

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

16Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

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...

New $30 million Colorado rental assistance program launches this week

16Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

State, The Colorado Sun

New $30 million Colorado rental assistance program launches this week

By Tatiana Flowers | Colorado Sun State leaders opened a new temporary rental assistance grant program this week that will use $30 million approved by the Colorado legislature in November to try to keep people in their homes after eviction filings reached record high numbers in pockets of the state last year. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs launched the first pre-application process through the Temporary Rental Assistance Grant program Thursday. The first round of pre-applications will remain open until 5 p.m. Tuesday. Coloradans who aren’t selected to move forward in the process to receive funds, and others who miss the deadline, will have another chance to apply when grant program leaders reopen the process again on the 15th day of each mon...

Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes

16Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House committee kills bill to increase punishment in child sex crimes

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Democratic-controlled House committee killed legislation that supporters said would put more teeth into Colorado law following hours of testimony, in which victims who were bought and sold as children for purposes of sexual exploitation sought to persuade lawmakers to advance the measure. House Bill 1092 would have mandated minimum sentences for those who buy children for sexual exploitation. The bill was heard in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, which is also known as the "kill committee." On Thursday, the panel lived up to its nickname, killing the bill on an 8-3 party-line vote. Advocates said they aren't giving up and promised to be back next year. More than 50 witnesses packed ...

Gov. Polis busted for cooking on gas stove in his home

16Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

coloradopeakpolitics.com, Commentary, State

Gov. Polis busted for cooking on gas stove in his home

By Colorado Peak Politics Did our glassy-eyed governor just expose his hypocrisy and ownership of a (Gasp!) gas stove in sharing a picture of his Valentine’s Day meal with the masses? Governor Polis doesn't want us to have gas stoves or gas water heaters, or anything gas... yet HE has a gas stove?! #copolitics https://t.co/ZV4EWeyV1l— Joshua T. Hosler (@JoshuaHosler) February 15, 2024 The folks on X sure seem to think so. And yet, it’s a little hard to tell, because the photo was cropped so suspiciously close. So we overexposed the shot just a smidgen to take a closer look at the blacked out burner in the bottom right corner to see if that was a gas top grate, or a glass top for an electric stove. Lo and behold, that ain’t no flat top glass burning electric...

The Results Are In: Parents Favor School Choice

15Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

Commentary, Real Clear Education, State

The Results Are In: Parents Favor School Choice

By Hanna Skandera | Real Clear Education Parents want a choice when it comes to their children’s education. A new report published by The National School Choice Awareness Foundation reveals that 72% of parents considered new schools for their children in 2023 — a massive 35% increase from 2022. Additionally, more than 70% of parents in nearly every state support the implementation of school choice policies. This momentum has caught the attention of state legislatures across the country. Led by a growing coalition of parents, a total of 14 states established or expanded school choice programs last year, and six of these states passed universal school choice legislation. In October, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be awarding ...

Colorado could become the first state to require in-person voting in jails

15Feb

By nadiaNo Comments

State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado could become the first state to require in-person voting in jails

By Olivia Prentzel | Colorado Sun Colorado could become the first state to require county jails to set up in-person voting stations for incarcerated voters under a Democratic-backed bill that has sparked criticism that it would pose financial and logistical hurdles to already-strapped sheriff’s offices. Advocates of Senate Bill 72 say placing polling stations inside jails would reduce barriers to a fundamental right for those eligible to vote. Opponents say the current system is working and the new law would be an “unfunded mandate” that would cause disruptions. In Colorado, incarcerated people awaiting trial or serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction are eligible to vote. If passed, it could impact nearly 6,000 people who are confined waiting for a trial...