legislative news
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Williams: Bill package moving to improve public trust
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Last fall, the West Steps of the Capitol were the scene of almost daily demonstrations by students and others motivated by what they saw as racial bias in deadly police encounters with minorities. Those demonstrations were mainly motivated by incidents in other states. But they resonated here in Colorado because our state, unfortunately, has had…
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West Slope lawmakers talk TABOR, water at Club 20
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GRAND JUNCTION — A panel of seven Western Slope legislators — six Republicans and one Democrat — discussed diverse issues they’re working on in the state legislature at the Club 20 annual meeting on March 28, focusing on water, energy, the economy, TABOR and federal lands. Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs, said he and…
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Coffman turns 60, braces for new challenge ahead
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Declaring that “60 is the new 40,” U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman welcomed some 150 guests to his birthday party on Saturday at the Summit Steakhouse in Aurora. “I hope that’s true, I really hope that’s true,” he said with a smile before dropping to the floor and doing 100 pushups at the urging of the…
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Imbroglio embroils election bill
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The Legislature could be on the verge of approving sweeping changes to the way most municipalities conduct elections in the state, but not until a lawmaker intends to introduce last-minute changes before the final Senate vote on the legislation. As it’s written, the bill, HB 1130, would allow military and overseas voters in Colorado municipal…
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Two West Slope sheriffs join pot suit
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Six Colorado sheriffs, including two from the Western Slope, have joined the Drug Free America Foundation’s lawsuit against Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in Colorado. The goal of the lawsuit, according to Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee, is to force the U.S. Supreme Court to finally rule on whether states can defy federal law…
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Federal water bill bites the dust, again
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A bill that has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the House for the past two years got a very different response recently, and Republicans are crying foul. Senate Bill 15-064 is the third in a three-year effort to tell the federal government that they do not have the right to demand water rights from ski…
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CLARIFICATION: March 20, 2015 Yesteryear
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While The Statesman reported in the March 20 Yesteryear, 10 years ago that Republican Sam Zakhem said he was running for Republican National Committeeman, in part, because he objected to a letter sent out by former U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer taking fellow Republican state Rep. Ramey Johnson to task over a vote against school vouchers,…
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Yesteryear: A stroll down politics’ memory lane
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Twenty-five years ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … Precinct caucuses were approaching, but attendance at the neighborhood gatherings would be vying against feverish interest in the NCAA Final Four championship games set for the same night in Denver. Although scalpers were demanding upwards of $2,500 for seats, “A lot of people still think…
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Wage Battle Begins
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Democrats this week began what is likely to be a multi-year effort to persuade fellow lawmakers and the public to support a hike in the minimum wage. Monday, supporters held a rally on the west steps of the state Capitol, with a crowd numbering well over 250, to show support for two measures scheduled for…
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Tears, cheers as mascot bill passes committee
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Some who wept in sorrow, later cheered in joy. An attempt to persuade Colorado schools from using American Indian images as mascots got through a tumultuous hearing Monday, sparked by tears from some who recounted the abuses suffered by American Indians, and the two-hour absence of a lawmaker who walked out after a presentation by…