Author: Pat Poblete
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House panel kills GOP bill seeking to ban vaccine mandates after 8 hours of testimony and debate
After a marathon eight-hour hearing, a House panel rejected a GOP bill seeking to ban employers in Colorado from mandating a COVID-19 vaccine. Rep. Kim Ransom, a Littleton Republican who is sponsoring House Bill 21-1191 along with Rep. Tonya Van Beber of Eaton, pitched her legislation as an effort “to address equity under the law…
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House advances measure strengthening process to remove guns from domestic abusers
Three days after a mass shooting in Colorado Springs tied to domestic violence left six victims and the shooter dead, the state House of Representatives advanced a bill aimed at strengthening Colorado’s process to get firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers. Under House Bill 21-1255, those who have a protection order filed against…
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Senate panel advances stimulus bills homelessness, affordable housing
A Senate panel on Tuesday voted along party lines to advance a pair of stimulus bills seeking to address housing in Colorado. The first from Sens. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, seeks to send $15 million to the Department of Local Affairs to help those experiencing homelessness or on the verge of losing…
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Dominique Mendiola named senior director of the Marijuana Enforcement Division
The Marijuana Enforcement Division has tapped Dominique Mendiola as its next senior director, the first Mexican-American woman to hold the position since state law began allowing recreational marijuana sales in 2014. Mendiola, the first senior director without a law enforcement background, joined the division in 2014. She most recently served as MED’s deputy director of policy, licensing and communications and has also served as Colorado’s director of Marijuana Coordination under…
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Public option bill slugfest just getting started in the state House
In what is expected to be a long evening in the chamber, the House is debating House Bill 1232, the public option bill that intends to dramatically change the health insurance market for those who buy their own insurance and for small businesses. The original bill is gone, wiped out by a strike-below amendment in…
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General Assembly lawmakers advance 10 state stimulus bills
The House on Wednesday voted to give final passage to four bills from the $800 million Colorado Recovery Plan stimulus package and initial approval to another, bringing the total number of stimulus bills to move forward in the General Assembly to 10. After clearing the House Appropriations Committee and being given initial approval by the…
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House panel advances $75M broadband expansion proposal, largest stimulus bill to date
A House panel on Tuesday advanced a $75 million proposal to build out the state’s broadband infrastructure, the largest state stimulus bill to begin working through the legislative process so far. House Bill 21-1289 from Reps. Chris Kennedy, D-Lakewood, and Mark Baisley, R-Roxborough Park, divvies up the appropriation by sending: $35 million through the Broadband…
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Polis signs budget orbitals, retired judges bill into law
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday signed 12 bills into law, including 11 companion measures that accompany the state budget and align the Long Appropriations Bill to state law. The so-called “orbital” bills signed into law include: SB21-206 from Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Senator Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, which extends a continuous appropriation to the…
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THIS WEEK AT THE COLORADO CAPITOL | Week of May 3-7, 2021
Here are legislative committee hearings and other events of note for the week ahead at the Colorado state Capitol. Committee schedules are subject to change. The daily schedule is available on the legislature’s website. Testimony and safety protocols for testifying in person at the state Capitol: “Members of the public and the lobby may submit written testimony on…
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Biden-authorized cost share increase sends Colorado an additional $250 million for COVID-19 response
The Federal Emergency Management Agency this week released to Colorado more than $250 million in additional disaster relief funding to reimburse expenses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes after President Joe Biden upped the federal government’s cost-sharing allocation from 75% to 100% for pandemic response projects completed between Jan. 20, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021. FEMA indicated the funds…