Author: Marianne Goodland
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A historical view: Colorado legislature wraps up longest special session in 23 years
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The recently concluded six-day special session of the Colorado General Assembly was the longest in 23 years. But it wasn’t the longest by a long stretch. That belongs to the second of two special sessions in 1991 under then-Democratic Gov. Roy Romer. A 60-day marathon that addressed the reapportionment of the General Assembly, including the…
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Advocates for wolf ballot measure announce a ‘pause’ on petition gathering
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While the deadline for petitions to show up at the Secretary of State’s office for ballot initiative #13, which could end the state’s program of introducing wolves in late 2026, came Wednesday, organizers announced they are putting a “pause” on the petition process. That seems to be an indication they did not collect enough signatures to…
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Medicaid provider cuts likely to be an area of disagreement between Polis and the Joint Budget Committee
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The most significant cuts to the state budget, as contained in the spending reduction plan that Gov. Jared Polis will present to the Joint Budget Committee on Thursday, are for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. That’s a total is more than $79 million out of $103 million in general fund cuts. At…
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Senate committee gives green (well, maybe yellow) light to artificial intelligence bill
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The Senate Appropriations Committee on Sunday handed Senate Bill 4, the artificial intelligence bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, a 4-3 win and moved it on to the full Senate. Whether the measure has the votes to get out of the Senate is another matter entirely. Much of the discussion was around the…
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Colorado General Assembly, special session, day four: wolves, health insurance and taxes
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Day three of the legislature’s special session ended with the Senate working late into the night to begin debate on the House tax bills sent over earlier in the day after representatives wrapped up voting on those measures, along with measures on health insurance and the ballot measure dealing with the state’s free meals program.…
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Special Session Day 1 recap: A high-profile resignation, heated debates and fast-tracked bills
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Day 1 recap The Colorado General Assembly started Thursday with 33 bills and two concurrent resolutions that would go to voters. The first day ended with just 13 bills left, five in the Senate and eight in the House. The Senate put four of its five bills through to a second reading debate Thursday night, meaning today…
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Artificial intelligence bill clears first Senate special session committee
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The proposed Senate Democrats’ fix to the first-in-the-nation artificial intelligence regulation dealing with “algorithmic discrimination” won approval from its first committee on the first day of the 2025 special session. Senate Bill 4 — sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, who is also the author of the 2024 law that Gov. Jared Polis…
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Senate committee advances bills to shift wolf program funds, proposal on governor’s budget authority
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Colorado legislators began to advance proposals dealing with an $800 million budget shortfall on Thursday, just hours after the legislature officially re-convened to deal with the revenue shortfall. They started with a hearing on Senate Bill 1, which adds a requirement to the existing state law that outlines the governor’s authority to make spending reductions…
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Big cuts, bigger questions: Here’s how lawmakers plan to fill $800 million shortfall
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Plans are taking shape on how Colorado’s state government will trim $800 million in general fund expenses. The shortfall, according to Democrats, is due to a $1.2 billion loss of income tax revenue, mainly on the corporate side. The state has enough in surplus to cover about a third of that, but then the question…
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Lawmakers seek to redirect Colorado wolf program funds to pay for health insurance
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Among the more than two dozen bills contemplated for Thursday’s special session of the Colorado General Assembly is a proposal to pause funding for the wolf reintroduction program run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The money — $264,268 — would be shifted to pay for the health insurance accountability enterprise to help cover subsidies for…
