lois court

Republican turns to ‘Working Girl’ in defense of PERA board modification

Feb 28, 2017

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Peter Marcus

A debate in the Senate Tuesday on the composition of the PERA board bizarrely devolved into a competition over Wall Street movies and charges of age discrimination. Sadly, Carly Simon was not singing “Let the River Run” as a soundtrack to the debate, which was the case in the 1988 romantic comedy-drama “Working Girl.” Speaking…
#Coleg Week 6: Concerning would-be fracktavist vandals, the death penalty, civil forfeiture, the tampon tax, PERA, broadband

Feb 13, 2017

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John Tomasic

Lawmakers today embark on their sixth week of the session. Eleven weeks to go. What’s on the schedule at the gold dome this week? The “Most Accessed Bills” box on the General Assembly website offers a snapshot. It includes Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg’s SB 35, a “fracktavist beware” bill that would hike penalties for tampering with…
Lawmakers advance bill that would raise fines for texting while driving

Feb 8, 2017

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Peter Marcus

A measure to increase the penalty for texting while driving passed its first test on Wednesday, though sponsors had to decrease the proposed fine. After two weeks of negotiations, Senate Bill 27 was amended to increase the penalty for texting while driving to a $300 fine and four points against the violator’s driver’s license for…
Lundberg’s private school tax credit clears first legislative hurdle

Feb 7, 2017

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John Tomasic

The state Senate finance committee on Tuesday advanced a pro-school school choice bill that would offer an income tax break to parents who send their children to private schools and to those who fund scholarships to private schools. The bill passed on a 3-2 party line vote. Arguments for and against Senate Bill 39 fell…
Colorado Senate GOP leaders quickly, quietly dispatch resolution asking Trump to lift immigration order

Feb 7, 2017

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John Tomasic

State Senate Republican leaders Tuesday sent hot-button Colorado Joint Resolution 1013 to die quickly and quietly in a sparsely attended State Affairs committee hearing. The resolution asked President Trump to lift his order banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States – the controversial order presently stayed, its constitutionality and…
In hastily assembled hearing, Republicans kill resolution to repeal Trump travel bans

Feb 7, 2017

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Peter Marcus

With little notice, Senate Republicans on Tuesday held a hearing on a Democratic effort to encourage President Trump to rescind temporary refugee and select immigration bans. The hearing made the Senate schedule Monday night, sending Democrats into a tizzy, as they weren’t able to provide enough time for supporters of the resolution to testify at…
#Coleg Week 5: State Obamacare repeal, construction defects, weed clubs, tax breaks for private school parents, home energy storage

Feb 6, 2017

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John Tomasic

What’s happening this week under the gold dome? Here are some select highlights from the legislative schedule, all of which of course subject to change, given that there are 100 lawmakers and a million lobbyists in the building each day. Monday HB 1038, prohibiting corporal punishment in public school and state-licensed day care centers. The…
Sewald Hanfling adds Brittany Morris Saunders as local affairs chief

Feb 2, 2017

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Ernest Luning

UPDATED with comments from Mayor Michael Hancock, Tami Door and R.D. Sewald. Brittany Morris Saunders, the senior vice president for economic development and public affairs with the Downtown Denver Partnership, is joining Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs, a Denver-based lobbying, business development and communications firm, The Colorado Statesman has learned. Saunders, a former economic development director for…
‘It can wait.’ Colorado lawmakers discuss raising fines for texting while driving

Jan 25, 2017

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Peter Marcus

When it comes to texting while driving, some lawmakers say, “It can wait.” That’s the message state lawmakers considered Wednesday when they heard a measure that would increase the penalty for text messaging while driving. Lawmakers delayed a committee vote on the measure until next week, as bill sponsors work on amendments, in which they could…
State House minority fires first shot in ‘kill committee’ message war

Jan 18, 2017

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John Tomasic

State House Republican leadership Tuesday lamented that, just four days into the legislative session, promises to foster bipartisan comity at the Capitol were already breaking down. They pointed to the fact that a suite of high priority conservative bills had been assigned by Democratic leadership straight to the chamber’s State Affairs kill committee – which…