Tag: legislature
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Colorado governor signs bill requiring pollution controls, cost reporting for extended coal operations
Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a bill in reaction to orders from the U.S. Department of Energy to keep older coal units online. The federal government’s instructions applied to Craig Unit 1 in Colorado, one of five coal units affected nationwide. The state legislation requires installation of modern pollution controls and cost reporting for…
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Perspective: Colorado’s crumbling right to arms
Colorado did not become one of the country’s most restrictive states for gun ownership overnight. The transformation happened incrementally, one bill at a time, often under the banner of “common sense” reform, with each new regulation layered atop the last. Taken individually, many of these laws were presented to the public as modest or technical adjustments. Viewed…
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EDITORIAL: Robbing TABOR to pay pols
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, has served as a wise and workable limit on government growth in Colorado ever since the policy was amended into the state constitution by voters in 1992. Which of course means politicians and special interests have toiled tirelessly for decades to outflank TABOR — sometimes cleverly, other times…
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Colorado counties cannot challenge state law restricting immigration contracts, appeals court says
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that counties lack standing to challenge a 2023 state law that restricts their ability to contract with the federal government or private entities for immigration detention. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed with a trial judge that the Colorado Constitution provides the legislature with broad power to enact…
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Colorado Medicaid spending doubled over the past decade, study finds
Spending by Colorado’s Department of Health Care Policy and Financing reached $16 billion in 2025 — a 101% increase from 2015 — while Medicaid enrollment has returned to nearly its 2015 level, according to an analysis by a think tank. Pointing to 182 health care bills Colorado lawmakers enacted since 2019, the report from the…
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Colorado senators initially push for — then drop ‘identity’ factor in parenting time decisions
The sponsors of a proposal that would require suppression of records in name-change petitions for minors removed a provision that would have mandated the courts to factor in the issue of “identity” when allocating parenting time. In its original form, Senate Bill 018, included a requirement that family courts consider whether parents recognize their child’s…
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GUEST COLUMN: Our Democrat-led legislature ignores fiscal reality
News reports on recent testimony before the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee revealed how Colorado’s expenditure of billions in one-time federal funds has directly contributed to today’s state budget shortfall. According to the JBC, a series of decisions made since 2021 has steadily built a structural deficit that is now coming due. One-time federal funds were…
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LETTERS: Expect more regulation; acceleration lanes
Expect more regulation The start of the legislature is a scary time for all of us. Whenever our legislators meet, expect everything to become more expensive when they finish. Whether it is natural gas mandates or delivery fees, expect more regulation that will cost people and business owners more money. Neal Cully Colorado Springs Dropping…
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PERSPECTIVE: They’re trying — again — to take away our TABOR
Surprising no one, they’re back at it again. Democrats in the state legislature have announced they’ll be running a bill to place a referendum on the 2026 ballot to take away our TABOR refunds. It’s not like this hasn’t been tried before. Voters’ preferences are clear, but the liberals seem to purposely misunderstand. What’s more,…
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Colorado governor pats himself on the back in final state address to lawmakers
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday took an 82-minute victory lap in his eighth — and final — State of the State address. He touted his work in the areas of early childhood development, education, health care, housing and public safety, pointing to major initiatives he has launched. He sought to paint a picture of a…