‘Colorado Politicking’ tells you all you need to know about statehouse doings, and more
Colorado Politics has launched a weekly conversation on the top news coming from the #COpolitics universe, and this week’s installment features legislative reporters Pat Poblete and Marianne Goodland along with senior writer Joey Bunch.
This week, the policy mavens inform on the latest about Colorado’s public option bill and the state budget. Goodland gives us the issues from both ends of the aisle, while Bunch provides an “I told you so” moment that you don’t want to miss.
Watch the discussion below:
And here’s where you can find more background on these stories:
PUBLIC OPTION PREVIEW | Possible changes in the proposed bill, and where it stands now
Senate approves 2021-22 state budget on preliminary vote
Caldara overlooked facts in slamming utilities | FEEDBACK
Colorado Politics
colorado-politics@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
Normally, I appreciate the variety of perspectives published on Colorado Politics. But regarding Jon Caldara’s recent column on Xcel, he irresponsibly neglects key facts to the point of annihilating credibility (“Are our overlords normalizing power outages?” March 15). He neglects...
Fix the process before reauthorizing state PUC | OPINION
Sara Blackhurst
sara-blackhurst@gazette.com
Updated 8 hours ago
What needs to be fixed before reauthorizing the Public Utilities Commission? The answer is simple: the process. The last time the commission was reauthorized in 2021, lawmakers expanded its role in meaningful ways — particularly as Colorado accelerated its clean...
Colorado justices agree to review insurance question that has divided federal judges
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
The Colorado Supreme Court granted a federal judge’s request on Friday to address an issue that has produced conflicting answers in policyholders’ lawsuits against insurance companies over unpaid benefits. “Parties (and judges) regularly spend undue time and money fighting in...
Farmworker overtime bill advances after lengthy debate in Colorado Senate
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 15 hours ago
The Colorado Senate on Tuesday narrowly advanced a bill to raise the overtime threshold for agricultural workers, defeating more than a dozen amendments from its leading opponent aimed at rewriting the measure. As introduced, Senate Bill 121 would raise the threshold for...
Colorado Agriculture Day: A feast for the ears, eyes and stomachs
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 14 hours ago
Gov. Jared Polis, legislators and friends of agriculture gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to celebrate Colorado Agriculture Day. The annual recognition of the contributions of Colorado farmers, ranchers and agribusiness drew hundreds to the Capitol’s west foyer, where...
Pueblo man held in Afghanistan for more than a year released, Taliban says
The Associated Press
the-associated-press@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 13 hours ago
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Tuesday released American academic Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year, with the foreign ministry saying the release came on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the...
Mortgage rates rise in defiance of Trump’s $200 billion push, hurting GOP on affordability
Zach Halaschak, Washington Examiner
zach.halaschak.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 17 hours ago
After months of a gradual decline, mortgage rates are trending back up because of the war with Iran, defying President Donald Trump’s efforts to lower them and undercutting Republicans on the key issue of affordability. As of Monday, the average rate on a 30-year...
PlatteForum’s new director has 20-plus years of nonprofit experience | NONPROFIT REGISTER
Joanne Davidson Special to Colorado Politics
joanne-davidson-special-to-colorado-politics@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 17 hours ago
PLATTEFORUM Denver News: Mellissa Monforti is the new executive director of PlatteForum, succeeding interim director Kendall Kultgen, who will continue with the organization as operations director. Monforti stepped into her new role on March 16. “Melissa’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the organization,...
Federal judge dismisses background screeners’ challenge to Colorado law
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 18 hours ago
A federal judge dismissed a challenge on Friday to a portion of Colorado law that prohibits certain information from being included in consumer reports, in what seemed to be a conflict with federal law. Congress originally enacted the Fair Credit...
Wildlife agency asks for $450,000 to bring more wolves to Colorado
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 11 hours ago
The panel of legislators charged with crafting the budget on Monday rejected a proposal that proponents said would increase transparency around how much Colorado Parks and Wildlife spends to bring additional wolves into the state. At the same time, the...