Author: Pat Poblete

More than 100 locally elected officials in Colorado are calling on the state’s congressional delegation to include “the strongest possible climate measures” in a legislative package Congress appears set to vote on this week. The package contains much of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, including measures from the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan proposal released…

Colorado’s state employees union is celebrating after announcing Wednesday that it reached an agreement with the state on a contract it says will boost pay and address worker shortages caused by “low wages and decades of underfunding.” “State employees have been working every day to help Colorado’s families pull through this pandemic even though the…

After concerns from the left sparked an audit investigating state spending on administrative expenses stemming from pandemic relief bills passed during the 2020 special session, a report released Tuesday shows the six programs in question are set to undergo statutorily mandated expense limits. Lawmakers convened last fall to pass five bills sending nearly $180 million…

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is pledging to resolve a number of issues stemming from a third-party company contracted to transport Medicaid recipients to their appointments. A report from the Office of the State Auditor presented to a legislative oversight panel on Monday showed among other things that IntelliRide, a company contracted…

This week on Colorado Politicking, legislative reporter Pat Poblete and Denver Gazette reporter Dennis Huspeni discuss the third-party report probing Denver Public School Director Tay Anderson’s conduct and school walkouts calling for his resignation. Meanwhile, chief legislative reporter Marianne Goodland focuses on the state Independent Ethics Commission rejecting a request for private security for Secretary…

Colorado districts that mandated masks as students returned to schools earlier this summer have a lower cases rates those without a mask requirement, according to data shared Thursday by the state health department. “Rates tend to be higher in school districts where masks are not in place,” state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said Thursday in…

A pair of Colorado’s most prominent Democrats stand opposed to a National Park Service plan to lethally remove a dozen bison from Grand Canyon National Park, with Gov. Jared Polis backing a last-ditch effort to relocate them to southeast Colorado. The NPS plan, scheduled to kick off this week,  is to recruit volunteers to hunt…

Nearly 500,000 Coloradans who rely on federal nutrition aid are in for a boost next month when the monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits they receive are set to increase. The increase stems from a reevaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, the least expensive of the four food plans developed by the federal Department of…