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Sen. Lisa Frizell, announcing she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, pledges to fight for her health and district
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Sen. Lisa Frizell, announcing she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, pledges to fight for her health and district

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Douglas County Republican Sen. Lisa Frizell has joined the ranks of the more than 5,000 Coloradans who annually receive a breast cancer diagnosis, she told members of the Colorado Senate on Wednesday. "I'm a really, really private person, and I don't share this information lightly," Frizell said. Her cancer was caught through a routine screening, she said. "I have a heart of gratitude that my cancer has been caught early," Frizell said, encouraging those in the chamber and others throughout Colorado to "get a mammogram every year. Do it even though it is inconvenient and intrusive. Do it because it can save your life." The decision to publicly announce her diagnosis stemmed from a desire for transparency with her constituents in Colorad...
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In 75th Legislative Session of extreme anti-gun bills, there are a few bills gun owners can get behind
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In 75th Legislative Session of extreme anti-gun bills, there are a few bills gun owners can get behind

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice A swing for the fence by Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg to affirm the Second Amendment rights of Coloradans in law was killed this week in committee, but even Mickey Mantle struck out once in every five at-bats. House Bill 25-1164, the constitutional carry bill by Weinberg, was killed by the House's State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee on a party-line, 8-3, vote Monday. It was supported by Republican Reps. Scott Bottoms, Brandi Bradley and Stephanie Luck. There are 29 states with constitutional carry laws. The bill would have simply allowed anyone who can legally possess a firearm to be unrestricted from doing so by the state, or at least as unrestricted as anyone with a concealed-carry permit. The measure would have repealed...
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In plea to free-spending lawmakers, Minority Leader Lundeen advises of ‘clear and present danger’
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In plea to free-spending lawmakers, Minority Leader Lundeen advises of ‘clear and present danger’

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice In his William B. Travis moment Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen symbolically drew a line in the sand and asked members of both legislative chambers to join him in a cessation of out-of-control spending. "We have a clear and present danger," Lundeen said. The state faces a budget deficit of more than $1 billion, but bills continue to flow through both chambers with tens and hundreds of thousands in spending requests, and more. One of those is Senate Bill 25-024, which he identified as a worthwhile cause, but one he could not support. The bill asks for an estimated $3.9 million in first-year spending and the addition of 24.9 full-time equivalent employees in the state's judiciary and public defender offices. In the second year...
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SB 33 is protectionist measure favoring liquor stores over grocers, Sen. Liston says
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

SB 33 is protectionist measure favoring liquor stores over grocers, Sen. Liston says

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice A measure to restrict state-issued licensing of liquor-licensed drugstores to the 36 which already have one has been passed out of the Colorado Senate and is on its way to the House. Senate Bill 25-033, by Democrat Sens. Judy Amabile and Dylan Roberts, is essentially a protectionist bill, El Paso Republican Sen. Larry Liston said, preventing the future sale of a locally-owned store to large grocers. "Should this bill pass, there will be no more buyouts," he predicts. "Their ability to have a King Soopers or a Safeway come in and say, 'here's a million for your business,' that will no longer happen." Liston was joined by three Republicans and a Democrat in opposition to the bill, which was also run with some differences last session. It pas...
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In switcheroo called out by RMGO, Rep. Mauro cast anti-2A vote to get HB 1133 to floor before she voted against it
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In switcheroo called out by RMGO, Rep. Mauro cast anti-2A vote to get HB 1133 to floor before she voted against it

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice In a matter of 12 days, Pueblo County Democrat Rep. Tisha Mauro cast a vote to place an ammunition ban on the Colorado House floor, and then voted against it on the floor in a switcheroo being criticized by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. House Bill 1133, by Democrat Reps. Monica Duran and Lindsay Gilchrist, prohibits the sale of ammunition to anyone under the age of 21. It passed out of the House on final reading, 38-27, with five Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. https://twitter.com/RyanGonzalezCO/status/1894454630165463276 The bill would have died in the House's Business Affairs & Labor Committee if Mauro had been a pro-Second Amendment vote on Feb. 13, but by Feb. 25 she had supposedly become one. https://twitter.com/ia...
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Colorado moves forward with expansion of K-12 Black history education
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The Center Square, State

Colorado moves forward with expansion of K-12 Black history education

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square Colorado is looking to expand its requirements for teaching Black history in the state's public elementary and secondary schools, including charter schools. Last week, House Bill 25-1149 passed its first hurdle of the Colorado General Assembly by advancing from the House Education Committee to the House Appropriations Committee. The bill, titled “Comprehensive Black History and Culture Education in K-12,” will require the Colorado Board of Education to adopt standards “related to Black historical and cultural studies.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
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Democrat Boulder DA Michael Dougherty launches bid for Colorado attorney general
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Democrat Boulder DA Michael Dougherty launches bid for Colorado attorney general

By Ernest Luning | Colorado Politics Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty on Tuesday became the first candidate to launch a campaign to replace term-limited Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in next year's election. "I know what it takes to lead, what it means to fight for what's right, and the important role the justice system can play when it is being guided by the rule of law and not by politics," said Dougherty, a Democrat, in a video released by his campaign. "I will use my decades of experience in the courtroom and leading offices to protect our values and defend our rights against Donald Trump and anyone who endangers Colorado." Dougherty told Colorado Politics that his 27-year career as a prosecutor — including prosecuting sex crimes in New York, heading th...
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Federal judge blocks Colorado from withholding funding from Christian preschools
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Courthouse News Service, State

Federal judge blocks Colorado from withholding funding from Christian preschools

By Amanda Pampuro  | Courthouse News A federal judge on Monday granted summary judgment preventing Colorado from withholding universal preschool funding from a rural Christian preschool based on its religious beliefs relating to gender and sexual orientation that violate the state’s anti-discrimination requirement. "I do not doubt the harm that discrimination may cause to the precocious preschoolers who understand the concept, or that religious parents with gay or transgender children may suffer if plaintiff is permitted to exclude them from its preschool. But the state’s effort to prevent that harm does not permit it to abridge plaintiff’s First Amendment rights,” wrote U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico in a 15-page opinion. READ THE FULL STORY AT COURTHOUSE NEWS...
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HB 1170 would create new non-profit lobbyist category without financial disclosures
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1170 would create new non-profit lobbyist category without financial disclosures

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Whether those advocating for non-profits in the Colorado capitol or back home in legislative districts should be held to the same disclosure standards as other lobbyists was a discussion Monday of the House's State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee. At issue in House Bill 25-1170, by Democrat Reps. Eliza Hamrick and Andrew Boesenecker, is whether a third category of lobbyist for non-profit organizations should be established. Currently, lobbyists are required to register with the secretary of state as either a professional or volunteer lobbyist. The bill would also ask lawmakers to support a disclosure exemption related to payments non-profit lobbyists may receive from the organization for which they are advocating. HB 1170 wa...
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Do just 2 in 5 Colorado fourth graders meet expectations in math?
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State, The Colorado Sun

Do just 2 in 5 Colorado fourth graders meet expectations in math?

By Por Jaijongkit | The Colorado Sun Around 42% of fourth graders in public schools tested at or above their grade level in math in standardized testing. Results come from the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress, administered to fourth and eighth graders once every two years.  The NAEP measures whether students can demonstrate grade-level proficiency and apply their knowledge to real-world situations.  Colorado’s average fourth grade math score was 239 out of 500, compared with the national average of 237. The percentage of students scoring at or above grade level rose to 42% from 36% in 2022.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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