Author: Peter Marcus

A style change in the Colorado Republican Senate helped advance critical issues

May 14, 2017

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Peter Marcus

Prior to the start of the legislative session in January, Republican Senate President Kevin Grantham said restructuring a hospital fee to raise money for state services was off the table. House Speaker Crisanta Duran, a Democrat, said the point was so lost, it was the definition of insanity for her party to keep asking. Republicans…
Insights: How ‘Friends,’ porch parties & ‘ashing out’ worked their way into the weirdest Colorado pot debate since legalization

May 12, 2017

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Peter Marcus

The Colorado House on Wednesday – the last day of the legislative session – had perhaps the most “Colorado” marijuana legislative debate ever. But it got weird. An effort to define the prohibition on “open and public” marijuana consumption devolved into a bizarre debate over whether people could smoke pot on their front porches. “People…
Colorado Energy Office severely crippled after lawmakers fail to reach a compromise

May 10, 2017

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Peter Marcus

The Colorado Energy Office will be crippled after lawmakers on the last day of the session on Wednesday were unable to agree to a measure that would have continued full funding for it. In its original form, Senate Bill 301 – described by Republicans as “far-reaching” – would have maintained funding for the Colorado Energy…
Colorado charter school funding compromise off to the governor for his signature

May 10, 2017

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Peter Marcus

A last-minute compromise to fund charter schools crossed the finish line in the legislature Wednesday after days of back-and-forth negotiations. House Bill 1375 was introduced in an effort to save overall school funding in the School Finance Act after a bipartisan effort was proposed to amend the school finance bill to add the charter school…
Bill to provide funding for critical Colorado state infrastructure clears legislature

May 10, 2017

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Peter Marcus

It was a difficult pill for many lawmakers to swallow, but in an example of bipartisan compromise, lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a measure to provide money for roads, schools and hospitals. On a vote of 49-16 – on the last day of the legislative session – the House advanced a measure to create a 20-year…
Effort to save rural hospitals and fund roads and schools poised for success

May 9, 2017

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Peter Marcus

Pegged as one of the most important bills of the legislative session, a last-ditch effort to fund transportation, schools and hospitals appears poised to cross the finish line. After hours of debate on Monday, which continued into early Tuesday morning, the House backed an effort to create a 20-year bond program to direct $1.8 billion…
Focus of Colorado energy bill turns to industry-linked Firestone explosion

May 8, 2017

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Peter Marcus

A measure aimed at restructuring energy policy in Colorado was overshadowed Monday by a recent home explosion in Firestone linked to natural gas leaking from an old pipeline. Democrats attempted to amend Senate Bill 301 – a 57-page piece of legislation that focuses heavily on natural gas and the Colorado Energy Office – to address mapping…
Colorado Republicans give up on repealing health exchange

May 8, 2017

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Peter Marcus

A Republican effort to repeal the state’s health-insurance exchange is a lost cause in the GOP-controlled Senate, despite Republicans making it a priority this year. First mentioned in Senate President Kevin Grantham’s opening day speech – at which time he said it was “time for us to shed some of the dead weight of failed government policy”…
Transportation funding progress is likely, but much could be left on the table

May 8, 2017

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Peter Marcus

State lawmakers say they have a deal that can mitigate some of the failures from not advancing a full transportation funding measure this year in the legislature. The proposal would create a 20-year bond program to direct $1.8 billion towards critical infrastructure, including roads and highways. Senate Bill 267 comes after a centerpiece transportation funding bill –…
‘Far-reaching’ energy legislation advances in Colorado legislature

May 3, 2017

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Peter Marcus

Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a measure that would maintain funding for the Colorado Energy Office, while restructuring it and doing away with certain programs. Senate Bill 301 – a 57-page bill introduced in the waning days of the legislative session – is supported by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Energy Office, though some environmental interests and Democrats…