Author: Lisa LaBriola

Lisa LaBriola As a society, we pride ourselves on championing individual autonomy, upholding human dignity and advocating for compassion in times of suffering. Yet, when it comes to end-of-life decisions, we often fall short of those ideals. The debate surrounding medical aid in dying (MAID) remains deeply divisive, with staunch opposition generally rooted in moral,…

Lisa LaBriola Colorado isn’t unique to having challenges with the increased number of unhoused in our communities, nor do we have the silver-bullet solution. What we do have are mayors who have prioritized the issue to a ranking that has not been seen in the past. For example, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston declared a state…

Lisa LaBriola With the rollout of Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program comes the opening for new litigation for faith-based schools and curriculum. Though generally not a participant, faith-based schools were invited to take part in the new program. As Chalkbeat Colorado reports “Colorado explicitly invited faith-based preschools to participate in its new $322 million universal preschool…

Lisa LaBriola In the realm of education, progress is measured in small steps. Colorado recently published its CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) scores, and we saw a slight improvement. Though seemingly modest at first glance, it signifies a shift in the right direction for the state’s educational system. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a…

Lisa LaBriola Colorado is one of a few states that allow for vacancy committees to fill a legislative seat vacated outside of an election period. Twenty-five states fill vacancies with a special election, eight others allow county commissioners to pick replacements. In 11 states, the governor selects interim legislators. The remaining states use vacancy committees…

Lisa LaBriola Last legislative session, the General Assembly changed state law to increase the age to knowingly possess, purchase, or sell a firearm from the age of 18 to 21 years old. SB23-169 was created with the goal of lowering gun violence that has been increasingly present among our youth. The bill did take into…

Lisa LaBriola A vote for a Congressional representative is extraordinarily important and should not be taken lightly. That person will most likely hold that position for several years if not decades and ultimately hold immense sway over the direction of your future. In the past few years, the discussion of Congressional age limits has been…

Lisa LaBriola The recent Supreme Court decision in the case of 303 Creative has sent shockwaves through the United States and has set in motion the tragic erosion of our progress in the creation of equal protection and anti-discrimination laws. In the 303 Creative case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a graphic design…

Lisa LaBriola One top-priority bill that was introduced in the 2023 legislative session was SB23-303. This bill, in part, effectively changes the structure of property tax payments to lower the price for homeowners. This policy was one of the most contentious this legislative session, with the House Republican caucus walking out to avoid taking a…

Lisa LaBriola Is Colorado better off now than at the start of the 2023 legislative session? Though the most controversial and partisan bills generally make the news and grab people’s attention, it is the smaller, bipartisan bills that have the most impact. Outside of the larger divisive issues of 2023, the General Assembly got to…