71st general assembly
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ICYMI: Hemp bill hot water, redistricting outcry in El Paso County, Aurora performing arts center in the works
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? A bill designed to help an Arkansas Valley hemp farmer in a water dispute with the federal government landed state Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, in some hot water with at least one constituent. Coram sponsored Senate Bill 117, which recognizes industrial hemp as an approved agricultural product so it can use federal water. It…
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Aguilar and Herod: What Colorado can do to support our immigrant communities
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Measures brought before the Colorado General Assembly in this legislative session have shown that the contentious national debate on immigration has been jolting our state’s politics as well. As the federal government has shifted its policies to penalize so-called sanctuary cities and aggressively deport immigrants, we’ve seen conflicting bills introduced here on whether our state…
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Kagan: Gov. Hickenlooper should call special session
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As I write, Gov. John Hickenlooper is contemplating whether to call the Legislature into special session in order to pass a comprehensive transportation bill. He should do it, and give the Legislature a chance to resuscitate the transportation proposal that so narrowly failed during the regular session. Almost everyone agrees that we need to repair…
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Colorado House wrestles with an evangelical moment
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State House Minority Whip Lori Saine said she had been working on the memorial resolution offered for Bill Armstrong during a joint session of the Legislature on and off for a year. Same with the eulogy she delivered – and she was clearly charged with deep feeling as she read it out to a chamber…
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Noonan: Late session bill dance frustrates citizens and reduces oversight
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The last full week of the 2017 General Assembly had 220 bills still unfinished, with three bills introduced within five days of the end of session. Five big bills, two negotiated for wins and three up in the air, were on the docket. SB17-267, the Sustainability of Rural Colorado bill, initially received support for its…
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Nicklas: Support legislation to eliminate lead exposure in children
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Advocates in the Colorado health, education, and environmental communities strongly support House Bill 17-1306 to prevent and eliminate lead exposure in young children. This bill would provide grant funding for schools who wish to test their water for lead. Lead is particularly dangerous for young children because they absorb more of the toxic metal than…
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Downs and Sengenberger: An insecure retirement plan for Colorado millennials
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The “Colorado Secure Savings Plan” (CSSP) — which passed the state House and then died in the Senate “kill committee” last week — would have established a government-run retirement savings fund, paid for by “automatic payroll deductions” and managed by an unelected board of trustees. Although the bill did not make it past the Senate’s…
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Harber: Logic long overdue for open records
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It’s long overdue for one of the absurd practices of some Colorado government offices to end. Specifically, Senate Bill 40 has been proposed in the Colorado General Assembly to close a loophole created by officials and bureaucrats avoiding their responsibilities to provide citizens access to the information which everyone always has agreed is public. When…
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Noonan: More school funding not enough to achieve significant proficiency improvements
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The state boosted its per pupil funding for public school students by 2.8 percent out of the General Fund to $6,585,800,182 for 2017-2018. That number works out to $6,546.20 per student, according to Senate Bill 17-296. Adding other sources, the Colorado Department of Education estimates that the average per pupil funding for next year will…
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In home stretch, legislative session as bumpy as a Colorado roadway
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Kevin Grantham sat deep in his chair, his left foot, shod in a large cowboy boot, resting on his right knee, the Capitol press corps arrayed in front of him brought by text messages sent out near 10:00 p.m. the night before. It was Thursday morning, just two-and-a-half weeks ahead of the end of the…
