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Lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal Open Meetings Law shield for General Assembly
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Law Week Colorado, State

Lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal Open Meetings Law shield for General Assembly

By Law Week Colorado Last week, two Republican lawmakers in the Colorado House of Representatives introduced a bill aimed at government transparency laws. The measure would repeal a portion of Senate Bill 24-157, which was passed last year amid opposition from transparency advocates and organizations.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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Hundreds rally in support of Ukraine outside of Colorado capitol
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denvergazette.com, State

Hundreds rally in support of Ukraine outside of Colorado capitol

By Noah Festenstein | Denver Gazette Hundreds gathered outside the Colorado state Capitol on Sunday in support of Ukraine and to mark three years since Russian forces started their invasion. “Today we came here just to raise our voices, to raise awareness that the war is still active. The war has not ended,” Marina Dubrova, president of the organizing nonprofit Ukrainians of Colorado, said outside the Capitol. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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The fight over fentanyl is back on tap in Colorado’s General Assembly
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coloradopolitics.com, State

The fight over fentanyl is back on tap in Colorado’s General Assembly

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The fentanyl epidemic, which produced intense fights two years ago over how to confront the soaring deaths from the synthetic opioid, has returned to the Colorado state Capitol this year. In the past several weeks, lawmakers have already turned down one bill that would make possession of small amounts of fentanyl a felony. And efforts are afoot to put the subject on the ballot. Used legitimately as a medical anesthetic, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has become a dominant player in the illicit market and is increasingly being mixed into other substances. It's cheaper and produces a more potent, more fleeting "high," according to experts. But its potency in small quantities makes it unlike any other substance that preceded it. READ T...
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SB 70, taking aim at online selling of stolen goods, advances to House
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

SB 70, taking aim at online selling of stolen goods, advances to House

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice An inconceivable quantity of goods are bought and sold daily by Coloradans online, and a measure passed out of the Colorado Senate on Monday aims to protect Coloradans from purchasing any goods which may be stolen. Senate Bill 25-070, by El Paso County Republican Sen. Larry Liston and Eagle County Democrat Sen. Dylan Roberts, cleared a 28-3 vote on final reading in the upper chamber. It would require the disclosure, to consumers, of product listings of a high-volume nature by sellers, and require development of a reporting mechanism to the online marketplace. It lost the support of at least one Republican lawmaker after that. "This is one of those bills where I wish I could split my vote," said Sen. Mark Baisley. "The first part, I like im...
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New effort to ban ‘junk fees’, HB 1090, shifts focus to different industry
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State, The Sum & Substance

New effort to ban ‘junk fees’, HB 1090, shifts focus to different industry

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado Democrats once again are seeking to ban “junk fees” that get added without option onto the advertised prices of goods and services, but their focus this year has shifted largely from hotels and ticket sellers to landlords. Following a four-hour hearing Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee advanced House Bill 1090, which seeks to define the kinds of fees that are deceptive pricing practices and offer protection to consumers through a new private right of action. HB 1090, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Emily Sirota of Denver and Naquetta Ricks of Aurora, passed on a party-line vote and may be debated by the full House as soon as next week. Ricks first brought the bill last year, saying she wanted to stop add-on bill charges l...
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Shutting down the Colorado Youth Advisory Council would save about $50k a year
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State, The Colorado Sun

Shutting down the Colorado Youth Advisory Council would save about $50k a year

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun The Colorado legislature, as part of its efforts to close a budget hole of more than $1 billion, is planning to axe a nearly two-decade program that enlists teenagers from across the state to help draft and offer input on bills. Shutting down the Colorado Youth Advisory Council would save about $50,000 a year. That’s a relatively paltry amount, but it’s meant to send a message that costs must be trimmed wherever possible.  The cut foreshadows the big, and often painful, line-item reductions the legislature will have to make in the coming weeks. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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There are mixed reviews on state bill that would reset wages in service industry
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CBS Colorado, State

There are mixed reviews on state bill that would reset wages in service industry

By Ashley Portillo | CBS Colorado Legislation was proposed at the Colorado State Capitol on Thursday that could change how the tipped employees like servers and bartenders are paid. Struggling restaurant owners are hopeful the bill will not only close the pay gap between back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house workers, but that it will keep their establishments open. But there are concerns among some in the industry that tipped employees could see immediate wage cuts -- as much as $4 per hour. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Bill alleging landlord collusion in rigging of rental market pricing advances in House
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bill alleging landlord collusion in rigging of rental market pricing advances in House

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice The average residential property rental in Denver is $2,050, a decrease of $117 in a year from a peak in August 2024, according to Zillow.com. In Colorado Springs the rental market has seen almost no change in a year, while in other cities like Pueblo and Grand Junction rents have increased, Zillow.com says. The rise of rents, or potentially the decline, is all a product of supply of rentals and demand by renters, some industry experts say, but two Colorado Democrat representatives have written a bill to try and prevent landlord price fixing. They say multiple online companies offer algorithms that allow landlords to collude to set rental price points. House Bill 25-1004, by Denver County Reps. Steven Woodrow and Javier Mabrey, aims to cor...
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‘We have to fight with everything that we have’: House Minority Whip Ryan Armagost is leading GOP opposition
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘We have to fight with everything that we have’: House Minority Whip Ryan Armagost is leading GOP opposition

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Ryan Armagost has a background of serving as a U.S. Marine, deputy sheriff and firefighter, making him no stranger to challenging situations. Yet, none of those roles, he says, compare to being a state legislator. Armagost is a Republican serving in Colorado House District 64, which lies in Larimer and Weld counties. "This is definitely the most challenging job I've had," Armagost said. "The constant level of negotiation, bargaining and compromising — and everything that we have to do is equivalent to a bad marriage." 'Whip'ing the GOP members With the departure of Rep. Richard Holtorf from the Golden Dome, Armagost became the minority party's whip in the 75th Colorado Legislature. He had previously been the unof...
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Colorado’s budget hole is now $1.2 billion, as Medicaid costs continue to climb
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado’s budget hole is now $1.2 billion, as Medicaid costs continue to climb

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun Colorado’s looming budget shortfall just keeps getting worse. In a letter to the Joint Budget Committee this week, state officials said Colorado will need to spend an additional $73 million on Medicaid this budget year, which ends June 30, as demand for health services continues to surge beyond the administration’s expectations. Costs are expected to continue to rise next budget year, when the state now expects to spend $86 million more than previous estimates. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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