daniel kagan
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DFER: Why Colo. Democrats threw it out of their state assembly
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On April 14, in what was the most dramatic moment in the Democratic Party’s state assembly, party activists won delegates’ assembly approval for a demand that the Colorado chapter of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) stop using the word “Democrat” in its name. The move exposed a deepening schism in the party over school choice…
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Colorado bill would make minors’ autopsy reports closed records
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A bill that easily passed the Colorado Senate and awaits a hearing in the House would prevent the press and other outside watchdogs from figuring out why children died. Senate Bill 223 would automatically seal autopsy reports for minors, except for families, government-sanctioned review boards, organ donation groups and civil or criminal lawyers with a…
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Sen. Randy Baumgardner prevails in Senate vote on expulsion
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DENVER – The Colorado Senate tied 17-17 over whether to expel Sen. Randy Baumgardner Monday night, falling seven votes short of the two-thirds needed to remove him. The Republican from Hot Sulphur Springs is accused by a former legislative aide who said he “grabbed and slapped her buttocks on four separate occasions” during the legislative session…
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Senate Democratic leader Guzman stepping down from top post
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DENVER – Colorado state Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman has stepped down from her post leading the Democrats in her caucus with less than six weeks to go in her final legislative session. Assistant Senate Minority Leader Leroy Garcia was elected in her place by the Democratic caucus Thursday morning shortly before the start of…
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Grantham on the Colorado legislature: It’s become a "theater of the absurd"
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DENVER – Senate Republicans Monday morning took just about everyone to task over inappropriate remarks in the House and Senate, beginning in their own chamber. The House wasn’t exempt from their criticisms, either, after a Democratic member of that chamber last Friday threatened to call for the expulsion of another member over a disagreement in…
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Unlicensed concealed carry gets initial OK in GOP-led Senate, House defeat awaits
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The Colorado Senate gave preliminary approval to a gun bill Monday that would do away with concealed carry permits in the state. Republicans have a one-seat edge in the Senate, so when the recorded vote happens in the next few days, they should have enough lift to send Senate Bill 97 to the House. The…
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Colorado lawmakers want answers on prison system’s inmate math
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and a legislative working group that will convene for the first time Wednesday are scrutinizing how the Department of Corrections estimates how many beds – and ultimately how much money – the state needs for inmates. Lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, are holding up a budget request from the prison system, questioning…
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Senators debate fairness in bill to give Colorado squatters 24 hours to get out
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A bill sponsored by a quartet of Colorado Springs lawmakers would make it easier and faster for homeowners to get rid of squatters, which is a big problem for deployed military members. Senate Bill 15 is fighting scammers who stay in the home for free while the owner spends weeks in the legal process getting them…
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Legislative panel wants more discretion for judges on sex offenders and habitual offenders
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The way justice is meted out in Colorado could change, giving judges more say in habitual offender and sex offender cases, through bills bound for the legislature. The Sentencing in the Criminal Justice System Interim Study Committee is proposing bills to allow judges more leeway in sentencing to make sure the punishment fits the crime. The…
