Author: Tim Hoover
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Colo. lawmakers reach tentative budget deal
Colorado lawmakers – in both houses – appear to have reached a tentative agreement on the state budget, a deal that involves restoring tax exemptions for certain agricultural products and for downloaded software. However, the agreement does not include any condition that school district employees and local government employees contribute more of their salaries to…
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Accounting glitch means state has an extra $75 million
An accounting glitch in the March revenue forecast from the governor’s budget office means the state has another $75.5 million more in the current 2010-11 fiscal year than previously thought. “We had an incorrect formula in a section of our revenue forecast,” said Henry Sobanet, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s director of the Office of State Planning…
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Hickenlooper catches flak for changes in low-alcohol beer sales
Convenience-store owners are accusing Gov. John Hickenlooper of meddling in a battle over who gets to sell low-strength beer in Colorado. Hickenlooper, a Democrat and a former restaurateur and micro- brewer, on Friday confirmed that his office had been involved in altering a rules process originally aimed at preventing bars and liquor stores from selling…
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Wis. labor fight brings competing rallies to Colorado Capitol
Hundreds of union workers in Colorado took aim today at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, rallying on the steps of the state Capitol as anti-union counter-protesters gathered nearby. The labor rally in support of public employees in Wisconsin came despite the fact that state workers in Colorado, unlike those in Wisconsin, do not enjoy true collective…
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Dems giving Hickenlooper the stink eye over budget
Gov. John Hickenlooper’s plans to slash education funding, keep a larger portion of the state’s general fund in reserve and drain more from state workers’ paychecks may hit a snag: his own political party. Democrats in the legislature say several of the governor’s key proposals for the 2011-12 budget, announced Tuesday, are unlikely to fly…
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Good chance of passage for bill allowing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
A bill that would allow illegal immigrants to attend college at the in-state tuition rate stands a good chance of passing the Colorado Senate, and supporters say the measure could even pass the Republican-controlled House. The conventional wisdom this session had the bill unable to clear the Democrat-led Senate, where a similar measure died in…
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Colorado GOP lawmakers relent on school meals
Two Republicans on the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee signaled Monday that they were open to reversing their votes against additional funding for a school breakfast program, while Democrats promised legislation to provide the money. And the former budget director for Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter’s office confirmed Monday that months earlier he had also denied the…
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New year flush with new laws for Coloradans
Starting Saturday, Coloradans building new homes will have to be offered water-saving options like low-flow toilets and landscaping that goes easy on the H2O. The requirement that builders offer the option of “water-smart homes” is just one of 19 new laws taking full or partial effect in the new year. Most new laws typically go…
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After Bruce’s court evasion, lawmaker looks to change subpoena processes
A Denver legislator wants to make it easier to haul possible campaign-finance-law violators into state court, an idea spurred by the case of anti-tax crusader Douglas Bruce, who for months successfully evaded attempts to force him to testify about the funding behind three initiatives. “It’s really more of the process of how to deal with…
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Ritter urges lawmakers to stop ‘posturing’ when to comes to budget
A mostly inexperienced group of lawmakers gathered Wednesday to start considering Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed $19.1 billion budget, and the exiting Democratic governor urged the evenly split Joint Budget Committee to not be guided by partisanship. “There was a lot of rhetoric during the recent campaigns, but when it comes to budgeting, everything must be…