Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Democrat Lawmakers

Lawmakers pitch new insurance fee for wildlife and bike lanes, rural Coloradans cry foul
No Comments
Approved, State, The Post Independent

Lawmakers pitch new insurance fee for wildlife and bike lanes, rural Coloradans cry foul

By Ali Longwell | The Post Independent Colorado lawmakers are looking to add a fee to car insurance policies that would raise funds for road infrastructure aimed at reducing vehicle collisions with wildlife, pedestrians and cyclists.  The idea is being floated as part of a bill co-sponsored by Reps. Andrew Boesenecker, a Larimer County Democrat, and Meghan Lukens, a Steamboat Springs Democrat, and Sens. Faith Winter, a Front Range Democrat, and Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat.  “This bill creates a sustainable solution to a serious public safety problem,” Lukens said. “This bill will save lives, prevent injuries, reduce insurance costs, and protect the wildlife that defines our state. It’s a responsible investment that pays for itself many times over.”  The “Mot...
Read More
Democrat Rep. Zokaie compares concerned parents to KKK during hearing on HB25-1312
No Comments
Approved, Fox News, State

Democrat Rep. Zokaie compares concerned parents to KKK during hearing on HB25-1312

By Jamie Joseph | Fox News A Colorado Democrat likened parent groups to "the KKK" during an hours-long committee hearing for a controversial bill that could see parents accused of "coercive control" in custody fights for using a trans child's "deadname." "I really am curious about how much stakeholdering went on both sides of the issue, and not just one side," Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell said during the hearing, which began Monday night and ran into early Tuesday. "I'm curious with if the businesses in the community were included in these and if parent groups that are not part of the LGBT community if they were involved." Later during the House Judiciary hearing, Democrat state Rep. Yara Zokaie said the committee that night had "heard a lot about stak...
Read More
Second scandal, same party: staff mistreatment allegations mount for Colorado Democrats
No Comments
Approved, COLORADO PEAK POLITICS, State

Second scandal, same party: staff mistreatment allegations mount for Colorado Democrats

By Colorado Peak Politics It’s only been a few weeks since Sonya Jaquez Lewis resigned from the Colorado Senate amidst accusations that she mistreated her young employees. Now we learn that House Democrats were also investigating state Rep. Regina English for some bizarre treatment of her aides but kept that unfolding scandal hush hush. Surprisingly, it was the Democrat Mothership that broke the story: A Colorado lawmaker has been accused of retaliating against and mistreating her aides, including documented allegations that she ignored an aide’s complaint of sexual harassment by a relative of the lawmaker last year, The Denver Post has confirmed. Regina English is accused of many things. She is said to have used slurs against LGBTQ+ people, and required her aide...
Read More
Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?
No Comments
Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Democrats launch legal assault on TABOR: Will the courts undo the will of Colorado voters?

By Marianne Goodland | Denver Gazette In 2011, a coalition of 33 individuals and groups, including current and former lawmakers, county commission and other elected officials and school districts, sued the state of Colorado, challenging the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. A decade later, the lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality: the lawsuit, the federal courts indicated, had the wrong plaintiffs. A state Democratic lawmaker who was part of the legal team in Kerr v. Hickenlooper (later Kerr v. Polis) is now sponsoring a resolution to try again, but with some important differences. Rep. Sean Camacho, D-Denver, sponsored House Joint Resolution 1023, which would require the General Assembly to sue over TABOR's constitutionality in state district court. The...
Read More
Hancock: SB25-086 tramples the Constitution in the name of control
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Hancock: SB25-086 tramples the Constitution in the name of control

By Michael A. Hancock | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice How SB25-086 tramples the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments in the name of “user protection” In our political age where virtue signaling often masquerades as policymaking, Colorado Senate Bill 25-086, charmingly titled Protections for Users of Social Media, stands as a masterclass in misdirection. Behind its disarming language and so-called concern for user safety lies a deeply troubling expansion of government power—one that threatens to obliterate the digital boundary between individual freedom and state surveillance. Let me be frank: SB25-086 is not about protection—it’s about control. At the heart of the bill is a brazen and unconstitutional attempt to enlist private companies into a pseudo-judicial surveillan...
Read More
Cole: Colorado’s gender bills sideline parents and rush kids into harm
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Cole: Colorado’s gender bills sideline parents and rush kids into harm

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice On Friday, March 28, Colorado legislators introduced House Bill 25-1309 and House Bill 25-1312, proposals crafted to safeguard transgender youth. Their aims are well-meaning: one mandates insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries, while the other anchors gender identity within custody law to protect vulnerable children.  Yet, beneath these noble intentions lies a troubling prospect—lasting harm to the very youth they seek to shield, coupled with an alarming shift of authority from parents to the state. Consider HB 25-1309, which compels insurance providers to fund gender-affirming care when deemed medically necessary. The goal is clear: ensure access for transgender youth. H...
Read More
A shepherd in the trenches: Rep. Scott Bottoms answers the call to fight for Colorado
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A shepherd in the trenches: Rep. Scott Bottoms answers the call to fight for Colorado

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice El Paso County Republican Rep. Scott Bottoms walked the quiet State Capitol halls with his wife, prayers filling the empty space. They spent hours there—no fanfare, just a pastor seeking God’s will on a new path after years of preaching in Colorado Springs.  Several lawmakers asked him to run for office. “I’m a pastor,” he told them. One replied, “Pray about it.” That stuck. “I almost said no,” Bottoms said. “I was scared God might say yes.”  “I didn’t choose this,” Bottoms said. “I felt God say, ‘This is your battlefield.’” He said what no one else would Bottoms caught the attention of millions across the country with a speech that went viral on X last fall. “Our state is running rampant with pedophilia,”...
Read More
Cole: Colorado lawmakers scrolled while your safety was debated
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Cole: Colorado lawmakers scrolled while your safety was debated

By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a state where crime surges and citizens rely on their Second Amendment rights for protection, you’d hope lawmakers would take their duties seriously. Yet, during debates on Senate Bill 25-003—a measure slashing Coloradans’ ability to defend themselves—several representatives checked out.  Rep. Meghan Lukens (D) played Tetris, Rep. Sheila Stewart (D) and Rep. Javier Mauro (D) scrolled TikTok, Rep. Tisha Mauro (D) browsed Instagram, and Rep. Matthew Clifford (D) surfed Facebook—all while colleagues argued over a bill that could leave Coloradans defenseless.  Their minds seemed made up, uninterested in the arguments put forth by their colleagues.  And on March 24, 2025, with Lukens casting the deciding vote,...
Read More
RMV Contributor: When public office becomes a family business on the taxpayer’s dime
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

RMV Contributor: When public office becomes a family business on the taxpayer’s dime

By RMV Contributor | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Elon Musk has exposed the grift of the politically-connected who abuse their access and offices to convert public dollars to private gain using tax-funded, non-governmental organizations (NGOs, typically non-profits). We have uncovered a local politician here in Colorado who appears to be doing this – and both she and several family members are benefitting financially. The politician in question is Lorena Garcia, the state house lawmaker for District 35, representing parts of Adams and Jefferson Counties.  Garcia was appointed to the Colorado legislature in early January 2023 after Adrienne Benavidez resigned for unspecified reasons (the mess created by questionable resignations and vacancy appointments in Colorado i...
Read More
Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem

By Rep. Ryan Gonzalez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In the state of Colorado, we are facing over a $1.2 BILLION dollar shortfall. As we are now halfway through the 2025 legislative session, we have seen little progress from the lawmaking majority on making hard and significant cuts to our budget.  Rather than admit the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars, the majority uses this predicament to go after and attack our Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).  Our state budget this year is over 43 BILLION. In the last 6 years they have gone from a budget surplus to a very progressive spending spree at the expense of taxpayers.  More offices, tax credits, and programs that require funding and eat away at TABOR refunds have been – and continue to be –  the...
Read More