staging.rockymountainvoice.com

State

SB3 would ban manufacture, sale of semiauto guns that accept detachable magazines
State, The Colorado Sun

SB3 would ban manufacture, sale of semiauto guns that accept detachable magazines

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The purchase, sale and manufacture of semiautomatic guns that accept detachable ammunition magazines would be banned in Colorado under a bill introduced Wednesday by Democrats on the first day of the state legislature’s 2025 lawmaking term.  Senate Bill 3 would affect many pistols and rifles, whose manufacturers don’t appear to make versions of the weapons without removable magazines. The legislation also would outlaw rapid-fire trigger activators and bump stocks, which can make a semiautomatic firearm fire at a rate similar to that of an automatic weapon. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
CPW Commission denies petition to pause wolf introduction on 10-1 vote
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

CPW Commission denies petition to pause wolf introduction on 10-1 vote

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice In a highly-emotional hearing that lasted more than six hours, Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners took testimony from nearly 100 people concerning whether or not the Commission should vote to approve or deny a petition to pause the wolf introduction program, until all of the mitigation tools were in place and funded. The petition was submitted by groups in 63 of the 64 Colorado counties, and included organizations such as the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20 and Colorado Wool Growers Association, as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers' associations. Although Commission Chairman Dallas May, from Southeastern Colorado, warned the atte...
Colorado’s large city mayors urge governor, lawmakers not to take away local control to combat crime
coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado’s large city mayors urge governor, lawmakers not to take away local control to combat crime

By Luige Del Puerto | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The mayors of Colorado's three largest cities on Thursday urged Gov. Jared Polis and lawmakers to focus on housing, the economy, and public safety. They notably urged state policymakers to ensure that municipalities retain the flexibility to combat crime. Mayors Mike Johnston of Denver, Mike Coffman of Aurora and Yemi Mobolade of Colorado Springs urged cooperation between the state and cities, implicitly saying legislators should avoid passing policies that would curtail their ability to adopt additional criminal penalties. "Cities must retain the ability to implement solutions that are responsive to community concerns and assign appropriate sentences when crimes are committed," the mayors said in a joint opinion piece. "It ...
House Republicans launch 23 policy positions in 25-second video to open session
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House Republicans launch 23 policy positions in 25-second video to open session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice If Republican House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese did not make it clear enough Wednesday in her address to the Colorado House upon the opening of the 75th General Assembly, the caucus simplified her words. In a 25-second video also released Wednesday, the caucus shared 23 items which it pledges to address during the session. The first item was the topic of the day on Wednesday: affordability. “This session, the House Republicans remain steadfast in addressing the issues of importance to Coloradans,” she said. “Affordability remains at the forefront of our discussions. You will see that in our legislation.” https://twitter.com/COHouseGOP/status/1877394769120235677 The caucus is further expected to focus on lowering crime, defend TAB...
Opening-day bills tackle unionization, wage theft, price gouging, Ozempic and more
State, The Sum & Substance

Opening-day bills tackle unionization, wage theft, price gouging, Ozempic and more

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado legislative Democrats stormed out of the gate Wednesday by introducing two major pro-labor efforts as well as several cost-of-living bills that are likely to generate significant debate because of the methods they use to bring down costs. Meanwhile, legislators from both parties revived previously killed bills on the first day of the 2025 session, including a proposed limit on grocery-store liquor sales, a proposed study of a single-payer health-care system and a now-bipartisan effort to boost nuclear energy. Plus, a pair of Democrats introduced a bill calling for state regulators to consider the impact on workforce of potential new air-quality regulations. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE SUM & SUBSTANCE
Aurora School Board president Anne Keke to seek vacated House District 41 seat
coloradopolitics.com, State

Aurora School Board president Anne Keke to seek vacated House District 41 seat

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Dr. Anne Keke, president of the Aurora School Board, told Colorado Politics Tuesday that she intends to run for the House District 41 seat in Aurora left vacant by Democratic Rep. Iman Jodeh, who was chosen to represent Senate District 29 on Monday. The Arapahoe County Democratic Party's HD41 vacancy committee will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 22, to choose Jodeh's successor. Jodeh replaced Sen. Janet Buckner, who resigned in December, just weeks after winning an unopposed race for a second term. She cited a rough 2024 and deaths in her family for resigning. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
Mail delivery suspended today in observance of National Day of Mourning for President Carter
Fox21, State

Mail delivery suspended today in observance of National Day of Mourning for President Carter

By Heather Willard | Fox 21 News The United States Postal Service is closing its offices on Thursday, Jan. 9, and no mail will be delivered to Colorado residents that day, the agency announced Tuesday. The USPS is suspending its regular mail delivery, retail services and office activity on Thursday in recognition of the national day of observance to honor former President Jimmy Carter, whose state funeral will be held at the National Cathedral on Thursday. Carter, who served as America’s 39th president, died at age 100 on Dec. 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21 NEWS
‘We need our roads fixed’: ‘Peltonia’ Sen. Byron Pelton opens 75th session with reminder for Gov. Polis
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We need our roads fixed’: ‘Peltonia’ Sen. Byron Pelton opens 75th session with reminder for Gov. Polis

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling, claims to have already been at work for his constituency as the 75th General Assembly opened Wednesday. Luckily, for Pelton, he ran into Gov. Jared Polis, and offered a gentle nudge, as Pelton — who claims to be from a place called "Peltonia" — is apt to do. "The governor was talking to his transportation team and I reminded him that, in rural Colorado, where most of the money is generated in this state — $47 billion of agriculture money — that we need our roads fixed, especially in Senate District 1," Pelton said. It should not be a foreign subject to the governor. Pelton's predecessor in District 1, Jerry Sonnenberg, once famously said: "We have potholes so big you better be wearing your spurs to hang on." ...
Minority Leader Pugliese pledges Republicans will find solutions for all Coloradans in 75th session
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Minority Leader Pugliese pledges Republicans will find solutions for all Coloradans in 75th session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When Rose Pugliese left behind her children to begin the 75th General Assembly in Denver, as children will do she was asked why she did the job of Colorado House minority leader. "Because the people trusted me to be there, to be their voice," she answered. "They didn't just do that for me, but for everyone there." The 75th legislative session officially opened at 10:09 a.m. Wednesday in the Colorado House. Pugliese addressed the House as the minority leader following the Speaker's election. "This session, the House Republicans remain steadfast in addressing the issues of importance to Coloradans," she said. "Affordability remains at the forefront of our discussions. You will see that in our legislation." Among the areas where the Republ...
One early moment in 75th Legislature demonstrates unity of House Republican caucus
Rocky Mountain Voice, State

One early moment in 75th Legislature demonstrates unity of House Republican caucus

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice What's the difference between the Republican caucus in the Colorado House of Representatives and the U.S. House? Unity. On Wednesday, as the Colorado House opened the 75th General Assembly, Republicans displayed unity by unanimously supporting Minority Leader Rose Pugliese to become the Colorado House Speaker. Although her nomination might simply be viewed as symbolic, with Republicans in the minority and Democrat Julie McCluskie later elected on a party-line vote, it showed the caucus to have unified under Pugliese. "It is important to have people on both sides of the aisle for [members] to vote on," said Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-El Paso County, in his nomination of Pugliese. "When we take back the House in a few years, I expect Democrats to...