alec garnett
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Polis, bipartisan group of advocates unveil proposal to confront fentanyl at Colorado Capitol
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In a rare bipartisan press conference in the 2022 session, Gov. Jared Polis, legislators, families who have lost loved ones and district attorneys on Thursday announced a comprehensive bill to confront the state’s burgeoning fentanyl crisis, arguing its passage would make streets and homes safer. The bill will focus on both heightened penalties for fentanyl…
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‘A mistake was made’: Calls grow louder to reverse 2019 law that lowered penalty for fentanyl possession
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The deaths of five Commerce City residents, reportedly due to overdoses tied to fentanyl, prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the state Capitol to call for changes in state law Tuesday, with some calling the law that eased penalties for drug possession a “mistake.” “Clearly a mistake was made” to lower…
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Colorado lawmakers spar over voting rights resolution
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Evoking apartheid-era voting restrictions and warning of a dire end for America’s democracy, Senate Democrats on Tuesday passed a resolution urging Congress to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation to counteract actions by several states they believe have made it more difficult for voters to cast a ballot. House Democrats replicated the Senate’s action soon after. …
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Sharp divisions over criminality, economic relief underline first day of Colorado’s 2022 legislative session
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Democratic and Republican legislators offered sharply divergent diagnoses and solutions to Colorado’s most pressing challenges when the second regular session of the 73rd Colorado General Assembly convened on Wednesday at the state Capitol in Denver. Marking the opening day ceremonies, leaders from both chambers delivered speeches that highlighted their common ideals -a safer community, quality…
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Garnett, McKean share goals, but sharply differ in solutions to crime, inflation
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The top Republican and Democrat in the state House shared the same goals – a safer community, quality education and economic relief for Colorado’s nearly six million residents – but sharply differed in their diagnosis of the challenges and the solutions they want the state to adopt. Marking the opening day of this year’s legislative…
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Governor, Democrats roll out 2022 agenda, Republicans holler ‘copycat’
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The slogans tied to the agendas both parties plan to tackle in the 2022 General Assembly session that starts Wednesday sound similar: affordability, public safety and education. As Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic legislative leaders talked about their plans for 2022 during a noon press conference on the west steps of the state Capitol, Republicans,…
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Colorado lawmakers discuss economic recovery during legislative preview event
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Colorado legislators on Monday spoke about improving the availability of affordable housing, bolstering the state’s education levels and helping businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic during the ninth annual Business Legislative Preview by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Senate Majority Leader Stephen Fenberg and Speaker of the House Alec Garnett represented Democrats, while Senate Minority…
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Q&A with Rep. Alec Garnett | Speaker of the House reflects on his time in the legislature
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At 38, Speaker of the House Alec Garnett, D-Denver, is in his last of eight years in the Colorado House and among the youngest to serve in that position. Garnett is the third Democrat from the Capitol Hill House District to wield the speaker’s gavel. He follows former speakers Mark Ferrandino, the youngest to ever…
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Cole Wist, former House Assistant Minority Leader, leaves GOP
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Former state Rep. Cole Wist of Centennial, who spent two years as assistant House Minority Leader in the 2017-18 sessions, announced Tuesday via Twitter that he’s leaving the GOP and becoming an unaffiliated voter. Wist has not been shy about expressing his frustration with the Republican Party, which he accused of abandoning its conservative principles…
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COVER STORY | Hot Topics of the 2022 General Assembly
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With 2022 an election year, lawmakers traditionally back off a bit from introducing controversial bills. That’s why they have approved some of the biggest measures of the past six years – oil and gas reform, Colorado option, climate change and greenhouse gas – in odd-numbered years when they worry less about voter reactions at the ballot box. Will…
