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Colorado lawmakers give green light to bill prohibiting adult use of cellphones while driving
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado lawmakers give green light to bill prohibiting adult use of cellphones while driving

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A Senate committee Monday gave approval to a measure that will require adults to use hands-free cellphone devices or face harsher penalties for talking on a cellphone while driving. Senate Bill 65 is the latest incarnation of efforts by lawmakers who have been trying for at least 15 years to require adult drivers to keep their eyes on the road, instead of on their cellphones.  Current state law already imposes restrictions around cellphones on drivers under 18. But it's been a much bigger hurdle to impose those same restrictions on adult drivers. The laws affecting adults permit regular cell phone use for voice calls, although they are prohibited from sending text messages or browsing the internet while behind the wheel. ...
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Colorado Democrats push for ban on new oil and gas drilling in Colorado
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State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado Democrats push for ban on new oil and gas drilling in Colorado

By Michael Booth | Colorado Sun Colorado Democratic senators say they will introduce a bill banning new oil and gas drilling in Colorado by 2030 and demanding companies pay more to seal up old wells, bringing into the Capitol a fight that has previously played out in statewide ballot petitions and fall elections.  Environmental groups have been moving to get a similar ban on the November 2024 ballot, but are strongly backing the legislative effort by Sens. Sonya Jaquez Lewis of Boulder County and Kevin Priola of Henderson. They say the ban on new drilling would be phased in to first protect minority and lower-income residents in disproportionately impacted communities, before becoming complete in 2030.  The ban would allow for continued pumping from existing we...
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Colorado Senate considers bill to track ‘suspicious’ gun and ammo purchases
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado Senate considers bill to track ‘suspicious’ gun and ammo purchases

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A bill being proposed in the state Senate would allow credit card companies to assign codes to the purchase of firearms and ammunition. Sponsors of the bill say such tracking would allow law enforcement to track "suspicious activity" that could lead to crime.  Senate Bill 066 was discussed last week by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee. If it passes, the bill would require payment networks, such as credit card companies, to provide processors with a newly developed merchant category code, or MCC, that will specifically be assigned to firearms and ammunition. This code, which was established by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, in 2022, must be assigned by processors to each firearms merchan...
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Medical college to be added as state expands health care programs at four schools to combat worker shortage
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State, The Colorado Sun

Medical college to be added as state expands health care programs at four schools to combat worker shortage

By Erica Breunlin | Colorado Sun Gov. Jared Polis and a bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers plan to dramatically expand health care education programs at higher education institutions across the state to combat persistent workforce shortages in health care fields, including by creating a new medical college at the University of Northern Colorado that will graduate about 150 medical professionals a year. Polis joined lawmakers and leaders from higher education schools Monday afternoon at Denver’s Auraria campus to announce plans to boost opportunities for students wanting to pursue careers in health care fields.  Along with a new medical college at UNC in Greeley, the state will build on health care programming at Metro State University in Denver, Colorado State University ...
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In barber shop chat, Rep. Holtorf finds more reason to call for Republican unity
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In barber shop chat, Rep. Holtorf finds more reason to call for Republican unity

When he removed his cowboy hat and sat down in the barber’s chair in a shop in Denver, Eastern Colorado rancher Richard Holtorf could not have known he was about to have a meaningful discussion on the present state of Colorado. The House District 63 representative had visited the barber shop before – preferring it as a traditional barber shop, replete with a barber pole – but this time was different. “The barber, she asked me where I was from, originally,” Holtorf recalls. “I told her Akron, on the Eastern Plains.” He works a 4,000-head family cattle ranch there, residing in a house overlooking his mother’s home on the property. Holtorf was likely poised for a quiz on how he got from Akron to Denver, and just what he was doing in that moment sitting in a Denver barber shop. Ins...
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The week ahead at the Colorado Capitol: A glance at hearings and events of note
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coloradopolitics.com, State

The week ahead at the Colorado Capitol: A glance at hearings and events of note

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Here are legislative committee hearings and other events of note for the week ahead for the Colorado General Assembly. Committee schedules are subject to change. Schedules for both the House and Senate can change at any time. This website is the best resource for keeping up with daily activities.  Options for public testimony during committee hearings can be found here.  Regulations for remote testimony by the public can be found here. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Colorado House gives final approval to bills on occupancy limits, foster youth ‘bill of rights’
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House gives final approval to bills on occupancy limits, foster youth ‘bill of rights’

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The Colorado House on Friday gave final approval to two major proposals dealing with housing and youth in the foster care system with a few defections among Democrats. House Bill 1007 would block local governments from imposing residential occupancy limits except for public health and safety reasons.  The House had debated HB 1007 on Feb. 2 but waited a full week for its final vote, a signal that the measure might encounter some opposition among Democrats. As it turns out, it did — from leadership. Rep. Shannon Bird of Westminster, who chairs the Joint Budget Committee, and House Majority Leader Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge, who both joined the Republican members in voting against it. READ FULL ARTICLE AT COLORADOPOLITICS.COM...
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Colorado House bill takes on ‘predatory towing’ practices
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado House bill takes on ‘predatory towing’ practices

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Towing companies are on notice to change their towing practices under a bill approved Tuesday by the state House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee. House Bill 1051 is the work of the Transportation Legislative Review Committee from last fall and the result of attention to what some described as predatory towing that lawmakers thought they fixed a year ago. Small business owners, apartment owners and homeowners' association representatives are raising concerns that the bill's intent to put the onus on property owners to pay for most tows will result in "towing anarchy" and could drive up the costs of affordable and low-income housing. The issue caught fire last summer when Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, found her...
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‘Sensitive spaces’ bill aims to ban guns in 19 locations in Colorado
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State, thelobby-co.com

‘Sensitive spaces’ bill aims to ban guns in 19 locations in Colorado

By The Lobby Colorado's liberal Democrat-controlled legislature is once again targeting the Second Amendment rights of Coloradans. These lawmakers, many of whom were appointed rather than elected, seem determined to disarm law-abiding citizens while allowing criminals and migrants access to firearms. The latest assault on the Second Amendment comes in the form of Senate Bill 24-131, introduced by Democrat Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis. The bill aims to ban firearms from 19 locations deemed "sensitive" spaces. These include public parks, community recreation centers, hospitals, sporting venues, bars, libraries, universities, voting centers, and government buildings. Additionally, the bill seeks to prohibit individuals from carrying guns at events such as protests and rallies. ...
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Coloradans agree social media is bad for youth mental health. Now lawmakers want to do something about it.
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State, The Colorado Sun

Coloradans agree social media is bad for youth mental health. Now lawmakers want to do something about it.

A bill introduced in the state legislature would put regulations on social media platforms to help limit how much time teens spend scrolling By John Ingold | Colorado Sun As a senior at East High School in Denver, Melina Collier is fluent in social media. TikTok most frequently. Snapchat to message with friends. Instagram for idle scrolling. But while she and her friends definitely know what they are doing on the apps, that doesn’t mean they always feel in control of them — or that they think the platforms are good for them. Collier gave the example of content on the apps specifically targeted at teenage girls that purports to promote health and fitness but in reality sends a message of body-shaming. “It’s supposed to be body positivity,” Collier said, “but it ends up being ...
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