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Colorado’s wolves make their way across the western part of the state
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Colorado’s wolves make their way across the western part of the state

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As seen in the newest map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), "newcomers" from the north are making their way across the entire Western Slope. This might excite CPW officials and wolf advocate groups, but not everyone.      Josh Wambolt wrote the members of the Colorado Wildlife Commission in an open letter that reads, “If you have not noticed, the ranchers and outfitters are pretty upset with the CPW commission, Director Davis, and the senior staff calling the shots.," wrote Josh Wamboltin a letter to the members of the Colorado Wildlife Commission. "If you haven’t noticed the exasperation from the general public, and those being affected by these wolves, and the unkept promises you made to people, I hig...
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Colorado’s hands-free driving law appears to be working, early data shows
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado’s hands-free driving law appears to be working, early data shows

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A month and some change after it went into effect, Colorado's hands-free driving law appears to be showing early success at curbing distracted driving, according to research from Cambridge Mobile Telematics.  According to CMT's data, cellphone motion distraction has decreased 3.3% statewide, an improvement the company estimates has prevented 88 crashes, 49 injuries, and $3.5 million in economic damages.  The law, which took effect on January 1, prohibits drivers from using handheld mobile devices while driving, with exemptions for emergencies. Colorado is the 30th state in the country to ban sending texts and making phone calls while driving. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Dave Williams will not seek second term as Colorado GOP chairman

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Dave Williams will become the fifth straight one-term chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, announcing the decision in an email to members Friday not to seek re-election. "After much prayerful consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election as chairman of the Colorado Republican Party," he announced. Williams was elected in 2023 to succeed Kristi Burton Brown as chairwoman, bringing in what he had described as a "grassroots majority" era of the party. He was the fifth in a string of one-term party leaders, including before Burton Brown: Ken Buck, preceded by Jeff Hays, preceded by Steve House. Ryan Call, who preceded House, was the last two-term party leader. A chairman's term is two years, with elections in odd calendar years. ...
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Sen. Michael Bennet is ‘very, very seriously’ considering Democratic run for governor, senior aides say
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State, The Colorado Sun

Sen. Michael Bennet is ‘very, very seriously’ considering Democratic run for governor, senior aides say

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is “very, very seriously” considering a run for Colorado governor in 2026, according to two senior aides, as he contemplates how to most effectively push back against the Trump administration.  The aides spoke Friday to The Colorado Sun on the condition of anonymity to relay personal conversations they’ve had with Bennet. The staffers said Bennet has been making phone calls to Colorado political and civic leaders as he mulls his decision.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Bill to provide ranchers confidentiality in reporting of wolf depredation losses sailing through legislature
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bill to provide ranchers confidentiality in reporting of wolf depredation losses sailing through legislature

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Relief from a state reporting requirement on ranchers most impacted by the reintroduction of wolves could soon be on its way. Senate Bill 25-038, introduced in the Senate by Western Slope Sens. Marc Catlin and Dylan Roberts, requires the confidentiality of personal information for anyone filing a claim related to wolf depredation or other damages. It sailed out of the House's Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee this week on a 13-0 vote and passed second reading on the House floor by voice vote. The bill earned a rare 35-0 vote of support in the Senate, before advancing to the House. When a new batch of wolves were released in the state earlier this year, it was done so with secrecy, Republican Rep. Ty Winter notes. "We thi...
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs first law of 2025 session, a bipartisan cleanup measure
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs first law of 2025 session, a bipartisan cleanup measure

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis has signed his first law of the 2025 legislative session, a bipartisan cleanup measure that affects the state's nursing homes. House Bill 1022, sponsored by Reps. Cecelia Espenoza, D-Denver, and Karen McCormick, D-Hygiene, and Sens. Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction, and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, allows individuals who passed a competency evaluation administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on or before July 1, 2017, to be included in the state's definition of "qualified medication administration personnel". Not only is the bill the first measure the governor has signed into law this session, but it is also Espenoza's first bill to become law since being elected in November. READ...
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What would Colorado’s tipped minimum wage bill do? And why does it impact Denver so much?
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Denverite, State

What would Colorado’s tipped minimum wage bill do? And why does it impact Denver so much?

By Andrew Kenney | Denverite A proposal to cut wages for some restaurant employees is dividing Colorado Democrats and the restaurant industry. Many restaurant owners say that high labor costs are driving restaurants out of business, and they need a fix to what they say is a flawed law. Meanwhile, many workers and their allies say that HB25-1208 is going to punish hard-working restaurant workers who already can scarcely afford life in the city. At the heart of it all: the rules for how servers and other tipped employees are paid. Here’s what you need to know. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVERITE
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Old laws impede energy transition efforts on public lands
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Law Week Colorado, State

Old laws impede energy transition efforts on public lands

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado The transition to renewable energy is a major focus of the state of Colorado and a number of states across the country, but as Tommy Beaudreau explained to a full classroom at the University of Colorado Law School and around 150 online attendees, the work to complete it isn’t completely straightforward.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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Appeals court says state campaign finance enforcement framework is constitutional
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Appeals court says state campaign finance enforcement framework is constitutional

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Colorado's second-highest court agreed last week that the state's current method of adjudicating campaign finance complaints is constitutional and is not the "very definition of tyranny." For several years, state law has allowed any person to file a complaint alleging a campaign finance violation, which the Colorado Secretary of State's Office then screens, decides whether to dismiss or investigate, and potentially imposes a penalty. Legislators enacted the process after a federal judge decided in 2018 that the prior system unconstitutionally "outsourced" enforcement to individual, inexperienced complainants. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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‘Jurassic Park’ alarm systems debated in HB 1060 reading on House floor
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘Jurassic Park’ alarm systems debated in HB 1060 reading on House floor

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Some private property owners are turning back the clock to install 19th century alarms, and a bill in the state legislature aims to define the practice. House Bill 25-1060, by Delta County Republican Rep. Matt Soper and Arapahoe County Democrat Rep. Chad Clifford, seeks a uniform definition of an electronic fence detection system which can cause an alarm to signal a property owner or others, a flashback to the ADT of yesteryear. "These things look like Jurassic Park," Clifford said. "It is an alarm system that goes all the way back to the 1800s." But some find the bill to be an overreach, like Republican Rep. Dan Woog, who was among the opposition in the House's Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee. The measure advanced...
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