Author: Ramsey Scott
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State high court ruling sure to intensify battles over fracking at the Capitol
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Colorado lawmakers this year battled fiercely over oil and gas bills, and there will be many more battles in future legislative sessions, lawmakers said Tuesday, given the state supreme court decision on Monday that overturned a ban on hydraulic fracturing in Longmont and a five-year moratorium in Fort Collins put in place by local governments…
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House green lights Lynne nomination for lieutenant governor
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The House voted to approve the nomination of Donna Lynne as Colorado lieutenant governor on Friday by an overwhelming 54 -11 vote. Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Lynne as his choice to replace outgoing Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia at the end of March. Hickenlooper touted Lynne’s experience as a top-level figure in corporate and government settings.…
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Hospital fee debate moves on to second act in Senate
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The curtain officially rose Thursday in the House on the long drama centered around the Democratic-led effort to reclassify the state’s $700 million hospital provider fee as an enterprise fund. By Friday at roughly 11:00 a.m., the first act had concluded. Two bills concerning the reclassification passed with Republican support and headed to the Senate,…
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Hullinghorst on supermarket beer debate: ‘I’m with the little guys’
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The two top Democrats at the Capitol agree: They want to keep full-strength beer out of the supermarkets and on the shelves of small liquor stores. “I think it’s sort of the big guys versus the little guys right now — and of course I’m a Democrat, so I’m for the little guy,” said Speaker…
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Hullinghorst hopes fine-tuned hospital fee proposals win Republican support
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The long dance in the Legislature over a plan to reclassify the state’s hospital provider fee as an enterprise fund continued on Tuesday, when Speaker of the House Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Gunbarrel, presented a new bill to direct how additional revenues collected from the reclassification should be spent. On March 28, Hullinghorst introduced House Bill…
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Lawmakers, right and left, vote to retain Columbus Day
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After an emotional hearing that continued for hours, the House State Affairs committee on Monday voted down a bill that would have removed Columbus Day from the state’s holiday calendar. Long-shot House Bill 1135, sponsored by Rep. Joe Salazar, D-Thornton, brought testimony by Native Americans and others opposed to celebrating Christopher Columbus. Witnesses cited atrocities…
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Jewish community lauds lawmakers for leading pro-Israel efforts at the Capitol
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Three state lawmakers were recognized Wednesday for their support of Israel and the Jewish community in Colorado. Assistant House Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, Rep. Dan Nordberg, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, were presented with the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Legislative Appreciation Award. The trio was recognized by the group for their…
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Democrat Bob Seay tilting at U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in CD4
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Bob Seay, Democratic nominee challenging U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in the 4th Congressional District, knows he has a tough row to hoe. Seay is attempting to unseat a Republican congressman in a deep-red district. Seay said he knows his success or failure as a candidate will turn on whether mainstream Republicans and independents on the…
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Testimony on pot edibles turns nasty, targets bill sponsor Pabon
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C. Michael Pickens said he thought he had nothing to lose. He felt strongly that the members of the House Business Affairs committee were lining up Tuesday in support of a bill he strongly opposes that would regulate cannabis edibles in order to make them look less like candy and so less attractive to children.…
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House Dems seek to stop up soot-spewing ‘coal rollers’
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House Democrats are targeting Colorado “coal rollers” — drivers who modify emissions controls on their diesel cars or trucks in order to intentionally spew black smoke and soot. “This is harassment and it is blinding to bicyclists,” said Rep. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins. “We heard testimony on that. It’s harassment to pedestrians, to people running…
