Today is March 22, 2024, and here’s what you need to know:

Bill aimed at increasing Colorado condo construction advances to full Senate

The bill, whose sponsors hope to spur more construction of affordable condos by reducing insurance costs, cleared its first hurdle Thursday.

Senate Bill 106 won a 4-3 vote from the Senate Local Government and Housing Committee. Testimony on the bill took place two weeks ago, and the bill’s sponsors — Sens. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and James Coleman, D-Denver — have been working on amendments to move the measure forward.

It wasn’t easy. Three of the committee’s four Democrats, who hold a majority on the panel, voted against the measure along with some of the amendments proposed by sponsors.

But SB 106 got support of the committee’s three Republicans, along with committee chair Sen. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs. Exum, who joked his life has been consumed by the bill, worked with the sponsors on amendments that won approval Thursday.

Colorado businesses responsible for funding statewide recycling program left in the dark, advocates say

As Colorado initiates the rollout of a statewide recycling program, business advocates are warning lawmakers that companies are facing hefty fees they may not be aware of and implementing the initiative may not be realistic heading into 2026, not to mention its price tag amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

House Bill 22-1355, signed into law in June 2022, tasked the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment with selecting a nonprofit organization to oversee the recycling initiative, funded through annual dues from producers of packaging materials and paper products.

Producers are not required to pay those dues until 2026, and their advocates are uncertain about the program’s funding sources until that time.

The goal of the program is to increase the state’s recycling rate, which, at an estimated 22% to 28%, falls below the national average of 34%. Similar initiatives in various countries and states encompass a wide range of materials, spanning from electronic waste to mattresses.

El Paso County man's concerns of bias did not entitle him to forgo jury trial, appeals court rules

Colorado’s second-highest court ruled earlier this month that a defendant in El Paso County did not have the right to unilaterally choose a trial by judge, rather than trial by jury, amid concerns that jurors would not treat him fairly.

Jonathan Yamar Best is serving 20 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him in 2020 of sexually assaulting a child and other related offenses. Early in the case, Best said he did not want a jury trial and instead wanted a bench trial solely before a judge. But his defense attorney and District Court Judge Michael McHenry blocked that request.

On appeal, Best contended multiple factors weighed in favor of giving up his right to a jury trial, including his status as a Black man in an overwhelmingly White jurisdiction, the nature of his crime and animosity in the community towards accused sex offenders. But a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals was unconvinced.

Throng of petitioning Republicans could yield historic primary ballot to replace Ken Buck | TRAIL MIX

This year’s Republican primary ballot in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District could be the longest of any congressional primary in state history.

As many as nine GOP candidates could make the June 25 primary for the seat held for five terms by Ken Buck, whose resignation from Congress takes effect on March 22.

Buck’s announcement last fall that he wouldn’t seek reelection drew nearly a dozen Republicans hoping to replace him in the most reliably Republican congressional district in a state, where the GOP has seen its once-dominant standing steadily decline over the past two decades.

Crowded primaries are nothing new, but the race to succeed Buck, a former chairman of the state Republican Party, will likely go down as the most surprise-filled electoral contest Colorado has ever seen.

Denver considers spending more to feed immigrants

The Denver City Council is considering spending $500,000 more to feed immigrants currently staying in shelters.

The council’s homelessness committee on Wednesday passed the new contract to provide meals at the immigrant sites for three months.

The contract could see a final City Council vote later this month.

If approved, the city would have allocated more than $1.4 million with Colorado Hospitality Services to serve meals in immigrant shelters. So far, the city has allocated $925,000 for meals across city-provided immigrant shelters.

The city would have enough allocated to feed immigrants between March 31 and June 30, according to the city’s contract with Colorado Hospitality Service.

The number of immigrants staying in city shelters has dropped since January.