Author: By Marianne Goodland ColoradoPolitics.com
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Colorado House panel rejects what some called an Amendment 2 repeat
A bill many feared would take Colorado back to its 1992 reputation as the “hate state” failed in a state House of Representatives committee Tuesday night on a party-line vote. House Bill 1206 would have allowed those with “sincerely-held religious beliefs” to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals, according to witnesses who testified on the measure. The…
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Colorado water plan loses out as severance tax funds decline
DENVER – Colorado lawmakers are being forced to get creative when it comes to funding activities that rely on severance tax dollars, which have fallen by hundreds of millions over the last few years. This year there just wasn’t enough money in the coffers to fund the state water plan at $10 million, which it…
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Report on sexual harassment allegations against Baumgardner raises questions of credibility
DENVER – The Jan. 18 report on a series of sexual harassment allegations against Colorado state Sen. Randy Baumgardner of Hot Sulphur Springs shows an investigator conflicted over the “he said, she said” nature of the allegations and a lack of witnesses to back up the complainant’s side of the events. As a result, the…
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Bill to improve broadband in rural Colorado goes to governor
The Colorado Senate Tuesday morning agreed to House amendments on Senate Bill 2, the bill to finance the buildout of rural broadband. With that resolved, the bill now heads to Gov. John Hickenlooper and a hoped-for signing. House amendments last week resolved several lingering issues. That included a lawsuit from Viaero Wireless that the company…
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Colorado’s venerable Civil Rights Commission on shoals of bitter political divide
It was founded nearly 70 years ago, before the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and has its roots in an early state anti-discrimination law that dates back to 1895. But now the state’s Civil Rights Commission is potentially facing major changes to its mandate and authority – thanks in large part to the Lakewood…
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El Paso County’s Statehouse delegation votes 7-1 to expel Steve Lebsock
El Paso County’s eight state House members were nearly unanimous in expelling Rep. Steve Lebsock, with only one voting against expulsion of the Thornton Democrat. The “no” vote came from the county’s newest House member, Colorado Springs Republican Shane Sandridge, who was appointed in December to replace Rep. Dan Nordberg, also of Colorado Springs. Friday,…
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Bill giving PPCC 4-year nursing program needs only Colorado governor’s signature
A bill that will let Pikes Peak and other community colleges offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing won final approval Tuesday in the Statehouse. The measure now heads to Gov. John Hickenlooper for his signature. House Bill 1086 would let community colleges offer the bachelor’s degree in addition to the two-year associate’s degree they…
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Expelled Lebsock’s joining GOP likely also expels him from Colorado treasurer’s race
When former state Rep. Steve Lebsock of Thornton changed his party affiliation Friday, the switch from Democrat to Republican also appears to have disqualified his candidacy for the state treasurer’s race, several officials say. Lebsock changed parties less than an hour before the House voted to expel him for multiple sexual harassment accusations that were…
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First Colorado House expulsion vote in 103 years set Friday for Rep. Steve Lebsock
The final chapters of the investigation into 11 allegations of sexual misconduct against Democratic Rep. Steve Lebsock of Thornton consumed the Colorado House of Representatives Thursday, with the first House expulsion vote in 103 years scheduled for Friday morning. If he loses, Lebsock becomes the first representative to be booted since 1915. If he wins,…