Author: Ramsey Scott
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Rep. Klingenschmitt takes another religious stand
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It was his last scheduled appearance before the House State Affairs kill committee, and fiery internet preacher Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, R-Colorado Springs, was relishing the moment. Everyone in the room knew his religious freedom bill, HB 1123, was going to be voted down by the committee’s majority Democrats. The committee’s banter around the bill was…
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Climate Action Plan bill riles skeptical House Republicans
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On Tuesday, state House members were united in Broncos orange to celebrate the Super Bowl champions. They were not at all united in environmental green when discussing the state’s plan to address climate change. Republicans and Democrats extended floor debate for a second day over a bill that would create measurable goals and deadlines as…
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Full-day kindergarten bills tangled up in TABOR debate
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A Republican House bill and a Democratic Senate bill that take different approaches to funding statewide full-day kindergarten are going nowhere at the Capitol. Tied up in larger funding discussions, the ambitious bills have attracted attention in a year when legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle have underlined the need to prioritize education…
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VIDEO: Wist goes off the cuff, appraises first days in legislature
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The Colorado Statesman caught up with newly appointed Rep. Cole Wist, R-Centennial, an attorney at Holland and Hart, last week to talk about his adjustment to life under the Gold Dome. Wist didn’t provide a clear answer about who so far among the army of lobbyists at the Capitol is his favorite, but he was happy to talk…
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VIDEO: Cadman sets Capitol buzzing with tip of the hat to AFP
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Americans for Prosperity came to the Capitol Thursday — not just some of the group’s legislative specialists, but a whole crowd of liberty loving followers, who Republican lawmakers thanked for their dedication to small-government and their hard work championing conservative causes in recent years. “I want to say thanks,” said Senate President Bill Cadman, R-Colorado…
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House members rally round Colorado Chicano Week resolution
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The House passed a joint resolution Tuesday establishing this week as Chicano History Week in Colorado. The measure passed with wide bipartisan support on a 51-5 vote. “It helps elevate the conversation about the entire history of the United States, not just from one perspective, but from multiple perspectives and multiple cultures,” said Rep. Joe Salazar,…
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Retread I-70 winter driving bill gaining traction
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On a day when steadily falling snow piled up by the foot and caused traffic delays throughout the state, lawmakers green-lighted a bill aimed at requiring passenger vehicles to carry proper traction equipment in icy and snowy conditions along the steep and winding 126-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Dostero and Morrison. House Bill 1039,…
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Windholz’s bill rebuffed in latest skirmish over ballot initiative power
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Rare full bipartisan agreement Monday worked to quash a bill aimed at expanding ballot initiative power for residents of unincorporated county areas and of special districts. All nine members of the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee voted against House Bill 1071 introduced by Rep. JoAnn Windholz, R-Commerce City. Committee members said the bill…
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Major small business group not so into Hick’s hospital fee plan
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The Colorado chapter of a high-profile small-business advocacy group on Friday let lawmakers know that not every major business organization in the state favors Gov. John Hickenlooper’s plan to expand the state budget by converting the hospital provider fee into an enterprise fund. “We didn’t oppose the fee when it was created in 2009. We…
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Democrats take aim at stubborn state pay inequity with raft of new bills
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Democratic lawmakers and supporters Thursday unveiled a suite of legislation aimed at closing the gender gap in salaries in Colorado on the seventh anniversary of the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Speakers pitched the bills as long overdue, saying the state had been trapped in a discriminatory past that was hobbling the economy and…
