Today is Jan. 26, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

More than a dozen Republicans seeking the nomination in two of Colorado’s most competitive congressional primaries faced off for the first time Thursday night in Fort Lupton.

House Republicans on Thursday chose Assistant Minority Leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs as the caucus’ next minority leader.

She will immediately assume the post.

Pugliese was chosen via a secret ballot, winning 11 out of 19 votes on the second round.

Rep. Don Wilson of Monument made the nomination for Pugliese, with Rep. Rick Taggart of Grand Junction providing the second.

Two initiatives seeking diametrically opposed outcomes on abortion rights in Colorado may be appearing on the election ballot in November.

One measure wants to ask voters to identify a fertilized egg as human at the moment of conception. Another measure seeks to put the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

The proposal, which carries the title “Protections for a Living Child,” defines a “living human child” as a human from the moment of conception, rendering all abortion illegal. The ban does not include exceptions for cases of rape, incest or risks to a mother.

“It is not necessary to intentionally cause the death of a child,” the ballot measure states. “Medical personnel shall not purposefully destroy lives. Living children must not be dismembered, scalded, poisoned, or caused fatal harm through inhumane treatment.”

In 2022, a similar initiative did not make the official ballot after failing to meet state signature requirements.

A Senate bill that would have defined nuclear energy as clean energy died along party lines in committee Thursday.

Introduced by Sen. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, SB24-039 would have included nuclear energy in the statutory definition of clean energy sources, thus rendering it eligible for clean energy project funding. During discussion, opponents said such a designation would have a negative impact on the environment, while proponents listed the benefits of using nuclear energy.

After length discussion, the Senate Committee of Transportation and Energy voted 4-3 to kill the measure.

Colorado’s second-highest court addressed for the first time earlier this month how judges should determine if an incarcerated plaintiff has shown he is in “imminent danger,” which would allow him to proceed with his lawsuit without paying the upfront fees typically required.

Under state law, prisoners are not prohibited from pursuing civil lawsuits if they are too poor to pay the initial filing fee. Instead, they may seek to proceed with partial payments, unless they have previously brought three or more frivolous or meritless lawsuits complaining about their prison conditions. That prohibition is known as the “three strikes rule.”

In an exception to the three strikes rule, however, a plaintiff may nonetheless proceed without the upfront fees if a judge determines the lawsuit warns of “imminent danger of serious physical injury.” No court cases in Colorado had previously answered how judges are supposed to gauge when an allegation crosses the threshold of “imminent danger.”