Today is Jan. 19, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

A Democratic House District 31 vacancy committee on Thursday selected Julia Marvin of Thornton to replace former Democratic Rep. Said Sharbini.

Two candidates competed for the HD31 seat: Julia Marvin and Jacqueline Phillips. Both have filed to run for the seat for the 2024 election.

Marvin won on the first ballot with 9 votes.

Phillips and Marvin are both from Thornton and both have served on the Thornton City Council. Marvin won a seat on the council in 2019 and ran for mayor, unsuccessfully, last year. She earned a degree in news broadcasting and political science from the University of Colorado Boulder and has worked as a legislative aide at the state Capitol.

She currently works in marketing and public outreach.

The Colorado Supreme Court temporarily suspended longtime Denver Juvenile Court Presiding Judge D. Brett Woods last month pending a disciplinary investigation, and few details have emerged about the nature of the inquiry.

In a Dec. 21 order, the Supreme Court gave Woods 21 days to explain why he should be allowed to remain on the bench while the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline completes its work. On Thursday, the court issued another order reiterating that Woods remains on paid suspension until further notice.

Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright did not participate in issuing either order, while Justice Monica M. Márquez recused herself only from the December order. The clerk of the Supreme Court did not know the reason for Márquez’s partial participation.

A program aimed at helping immigrants in the state obtain health coverage cost the state $73 million in 2023, a taxpayer-funded spending that’s occurring amid a surge in illegal immigration in Colorado.

And officials anticipate the same spending this year.

More than 11,000 immigrants obtained health insurance through the program known as OmniSalud, the program designed – the state said – to provide “undocumented Coloradans with a safe way to compare affordable health insurance plans and enroll on a secure online platform.”

About 12,485 people enrolled in Colorado Connect, the insurance marketplace’s public benefit corporation and online platform. Of those 12,485 individuals, 11,000 enrolled in OmniSalud, according to state data.

In 2024, state officials expect the program to cost another $73 million, bringing the two-year total to $146 million, which equals about $6,600 per immigrant. The spending is happening against the backdrop of waves of immigrants arriving in Denver – more than 37,000 so far – within the past year. The surge has cost the city $38 million.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado’s Democratic Congressional delegation called on Congress Thursday to take urgent action to support Colorado communities struggling under the weight of a growing humanitarian crisis caused by surges of immigrants, many fleeing brutal regimes and crossing the U.S. border illegally.

As of Thursday morning, Denver has welcomed an unprecedented 37,604 immigrants. More than 4,300 are being temporarily fed and sheltered by city taxpayers. The expense has been tremendous: $38 million, and counting.

“Denver, like many cities in America, is a vibrant, thriving city full of generous folks who want to see everyone succeed,” Johnston said. “We are also a city right now that is facing a humanitarian crisis and a fiscal crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 25 years.

“And that is the result of what we know is the ongoing influx of migrant arrivals who are seeking asylum in America and the system that is not adequately helping them to succeed.”

The Colorado Supreme Court considered this week whether Jefferson County prosecutors actually had enough evidence to convict a man of a child sex crime, based on a one-minute, sexually suggestive conversation for which he is serving six years to life in prison.

Previously, the state’s Court of Appeals concluded James Clayton Johnson’s alleged comments toward a 10-year-old girl, while inappropriate, did not support the jury’s guilty verdict for the crime of enticement. During oral arguments on Tuesday, some members of the Supreme Court were sympathetic to that view, but noted they have an obligation to look at the evidence in a way that supports the prosecution’s case.

“Some people might look at that language and say that it’s not necessarily making any kind of sexual overture,” observed Justice William W. Hood III. But through the eyes of the prosecution, “it seems that is a reasonable inference.”

The House passed its latest temporary spending measure, narrowly avoiding a scheduled government shutdown and punting its budget deadlines for fiscal 2024 for a third time.

Lawmakers voted 314-108 on the continuing resolution, extending the current spending deadlines set for Friday and Feb. 2 to March 1 and 8, respectively. The resolution now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

The new agreement gives lawmakers an additional six weeks to finalize their must-pass spending legislation and fund the government for the 2024 fiscal year. Senate and House leaders finalized an agreement earlier this month establishing a $1.66 trillion top-line number, which dictates how lawmakers can allocate money in the federal budget.