Today is Oct. 18, 2023, and here’s what you need to know:

Nearly six months after letting the case go dormant so a trio of regulatory bodies could evaluate the practice, a federal judge heard arguments on Tuesday over whether to block Colorado from enforcing an effective ban on “abortion reversal” treatment against a Catholic health clinic.

Bella Health and Wellness, a faith-based healthcare provider with locations in Englewood and Denver, is claiming a recent state law violates its First Amendment right to religious exercise. Either its providers must refrain from acting on their Christian beliefs and no longer facilitate treatment to reverse the effects of medication abortion, or else they will continue to treat patients and risk professional discipline, Bella Health argued.

Lawyers for Bella Health pointed out the law, Senate Bill 190, came amid a national fight over reproductive rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturning longstanding federal protections for abortion. They argued the Democratic sponsors of SB 190 denigrated faith-based clinics, calling them “fake” and “deceptive,” and the law should receive the highest degree of scrutiny from the courts.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico observed the law against abortion reversal treatment might be neutral toward religion and broadly within the regulatory powers of the state. However, evidence also suggested the sponsors intended to target faith-based providers in particular.

“I don’t necessarily think a majority or even very many of the supporters of this law thought, ‘We dislike Catholics and let us ban something that Catholics want to do’,” he said. “But they saw something that was engaged in by members of a religious group … and banned that.”

Colorado U.S. Rep. Ken Buck was among 20 House Republicans who refused to back U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan as House speaker on Tuesday amid increasing calls from Democrats to reach a bipartisan deal so the chamber can conduct business.

The state’s two other Republican House members, U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs and Lauren Boebert of Garfield County, voted for Jordan, while all five Colorado Democrats voted for their party’s leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Jordan received 200 votes to Jeffries’ 212, with 20 votes going to an assortment of other Republicans, leaving no one with the 217-vote majority required to secure the House’s top job.

The result means the House is heading into a third week without a speaker, following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Oct. 3 ouster from the position.

Buck was the only Republican to vote both to fire McCarthy and to prevent Jordan from taking the job.

With ballots now out for the November general election, the fundraising by groups competing for votes on the measure that seeks to offer property tax relief using state refund dollars has narrowed.

While the the major issue committee in favor of Proposition HH, Property Tax Relief Now, still lags behind those who oppose it, a big check from a New York-based “dark money” group has closed the gap.

Education Reform Now Advocacy, which is tied to Democrats for Education Reform, kicked in another $250,000 in the most recent reporting period that ended on Oct. 11. That brought the organization’s total contribution to the “yes” campaign to $550,000, the most by any group on the pro Prop HH side.

Both founded by New York hedge fund managers who advocate for charter schools and against teachers unions, Education Reform Now Advocacy and DFER don’t disclose their funders; hence, the label “dark money.” 

Property Tax Relief Now has now raised $1.652 million, according to TRACER, the Secretary of State’s campaign finance database.

On the anti-HH side, Advance Colorado Action, also a dark money group, has contribution $1 million to the No on HH issue committee, which has raised a total of $1.652 million. In fact, just $190 separates the two groups’ fundraising efforts, with the “no” side ever slightly ahead.

The Denver City Council public comment section slipped into chaos on Monday when the 30-minute session was supposed to end, but an organized homeless advocate group pleaded for everyone – including some homeless people – to have a chance to speak to council.

Protocol led all but three councilmembers to leave the council chambers, delaying the meeting for more than an hour.

The weekly public comment section limits 10 speakers to three minutes each, requiring people to pre-register to speak and be called out when their time comes.

Each speaker on Monday talked about homelessness after the council voted to extend Mayor Mike Johnston’s homeless emergency declaration to Nov. 13. The council also voted to add $3,666,000 on a contract with The Salvation Army for additional programming at New Directions, the former Best Western on Quebec Street that is now a city-owned non-congregate shelter.

On Monday, U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet introduced a bill to change the name to Mount Blue Sky Wilderness. U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen also support the legislation.  

Only Congress can authorize a change to a wilderness area name, according to their joint statement. 

The legislation is scheduled to receive a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining on Oct. 25. Hickenlooper is a member of that committee.

“Renaming Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky helped to honor and recognize the Tribes and advocates who worked hard to create change,” Hickenlooper said. “Now, renaming the wilderness area the peak overlooks is the logical next step-one we’re honored to spearhead.”

Added Bennet: “Tribes and local communities led the process to rename Mount Blue Sky – an important step to address the atrocities committed against the Cheyenne & Arapaho people. This legislation to rename the surrounding wilderness area is an important next step to reaffirm our commitment to Tribes and honor their legacy.”

Neguse said he is proud to join Hickenlooper and Bennet in introducing the legislation. That, he said, takes “another step forward in our work to honor the histories of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The Mount Blue Sky Wilderness Act is a reflection of our dedication to remembrance, honor, and healing.” 

“Communities and tribes across Colorado have been working for years to get Mount Evans renamed to Mount Blue Sky,” added Pettersen.