Tag: judy amabile
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EDITORIAL: Guv finally gets it on prisons — but will lawmakers?
For a change, Gov. Jared Polis is all in on making room for more inmates in Colorado’s correctional institutions. It’s an encouraging turnabout following his years of support for “decarceration.” That unwieldy word sounds like some kind of disease — and might as well be — though it refers to systematically emptying prisons to the…
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Democrats eye new taxes on alcohol, marijuana to fund Colorado mental health spending
Facing hundreds of millions in budget shortfall, Colorado lawmakers are searching for ways to fund mental health services in a state that, advocates say, has consistently ranked among the worst in the nation for mental health outcomes. Several proposals this session aim to generate new revenue for treatment and hospital beds. The ideas — including…
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Colorado lawmakers hear from chief justice about security needs, new judges
Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez asked members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday to stay the course and fund the 10 new trial judgeships that Colorado lawmakers approved last year, and also explained her vision for enhancing judicial branch security. Responding to questions generated by committee members after a hearing last month on…
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Judicial fees, furniture under scrutiny as Colorado lawmakers consider budget request
Members of the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee expressed concerns last week about aspects of the judiciary’s requested $845 million budget for courts and probation, while also hearing about the Judicial Department’s relatively restrained spending over time. “If you adjust for inflation, spending has actually gone down” for the trial courts, said staff analyst Amanda Bickel.…
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Federal judge blocks Colorado law requiring social media platforms to provide warnings to children
A federal judge on Thursday blocked Colorado from implementing a requirement that social media companies notify users younger than 18 of the effects to their mental and physical health from using the platforms. Lawmakers enacted House Bill 1136 by wide margins in 2024, with a goal of providing “research-based education and interventions” about minors’ use…
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Colorado Senate passes bill to create 15 new judgeships
The Colorado Senate approved legislation on Wednesday that would add 15 new judgeships over the next two years, a scaled-back version of the original proposal for 29 additional judge seats across the state. Senate Bill 24 passed by a vote of 26-7, with all Democrats who were present voting in favor and all no votes coming from…
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Senator criticizes Judicial Department for seeking budget increase and offering no cuts
A member of the powerful Joint Budget Committee criticized Colorado’s Judicial Department on Tuesday for seeking an increase to its budget without offering suggestions for cuts. “I think some people are misinformed or just don’t truly understand the situation that we’re in,” said Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, at a joint hearing of the House and…
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Colorado lawmakers suggest chief justice’s request for new judges may be nonstarter
Some members of the legislature’s powerful budget committee cautioned Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez on Tuesday that it would be difficult to justify a spending increase for new judgeships in light of substantial cuts to be made elsewhere. Márquez appeared before the Joint Budget Committee to field questions about the Judicial Department’s $813.2 million budget request for the…
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Divided appeals court takes no issue with lack of child welfare services to incarcerated father
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that even if a child welfare caseworker could have rehabilitated a father by facilitating visitation time and drug treatment while he was incarcerated, the lack of services was excusable because the man likely would not have taken advantage of them anyway. By 2-1, a three-judge panel of the Court…
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Colorado lawmakers begin to tackle major housing bills, including occupancy limitations
Major measures on housing are starting to move at the state Capitol this week, which saw the first hearings on some of the roughly 260 bills introduced in this session so far. Colorado faces an acute housing shortage. One study puts the deficit in metro Denver region alone at 45,025 to 115,012 housing units. As…