Author: Pat Poblete

A House panel on Wednesday voted on party lines to advance a $10 million state stimulus proposal to support artists, the film industry and cultural organizations. House Bill 21-1285 from metro Denver Democratic Reps. Leslie Herod and Adrienne Benavidez would split that appropriation in half, with $5 million going to the state Office of Film,…

Just 12 days after Rep. Jeni Arndt resigned her seat in the state House of Representatives after being elected mayor of Fort Collins, her successor is set to take the oath of office on Wednesday. Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, Democratic Rep.-elect Andrew “Andy” Boesenecker (pronounced base-uh-neck-er) said the speed of the replacement process speaks…

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office is seeking an outside investigator to probe allegations brought forward by whistleblowers within the state Department of Public Health and Environment that the agency unlawfully issued pollution permits and falsified data to dodge air quality standards. According to a request for proposals from the Department of Law seeking a third-party…

A House panel on Monday unanimously advanced a bill that would provide $40,000 to Colorado universities to study the application of emerging technologies to water management. House Bill 21-1268 closely mirrors an effort spearheaded by former Fort Collins Democratic Rep. Jeni Arndt that cleared the House last year before dying in the Senate. The legislation…

The effort to make the felony murder charge more fair, particularly toward people of color, is now the law of Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed Senate Bill 124, which grants judges discretion in the sentence on a felony murder charge. The felony murder charge applies when a person is involved in a related…

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…

The Senate Agriculture Natural Resources Committee on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a $2.5 million stimulus measure promoting food grown in Colorado. But before it did so, the panel first had a bit of fun at the expense of Sen. Cleave Simpson, the freshman Republican lawmaker from Alamosa who was making his first appearance before…

One day after a Minneapolis jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, the Colorado House Judiciary Committee advanced legislation seeking to build on the historic police accountability package approved in the aftermath of Floyd’s death in 2020. Though that trial was conducted more than 900 miles away from the Gold Dome, it…