millie hamner
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Hamner: 2017 legislative session was a productive one for Colorado
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With the 2017 session of the Colorado General Assembly behind us, I am enjoying being back in my district and having some time to reflect back on the legislative session. From Jan. 11 to May 10, my colleagues and I worked very hard to find compromise on some very important issues, and as a result,…
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Hickenlooper signs ‘Long Bill,’ applauds bipartisan collaboration on state budget
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Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday signed the upcoming year’s budget, known as the Long Appropriations Bill, praising legislators on both sides of the aisle for coming together to avert “draconian” cuts while safeguarding spending on health care and schools. Senate Bill 254 sets a $28.7 billion budget for the state for the 2017-18 fiscal year,…
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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…
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Contours of House budget debate emerge in caucus meeting
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Colorado House members on Wednesday drew up 93 amendments to this year’s state “long bill” budget proposal. Members are reviewing them together in caucus meetings before floor debate begins on the $26.8 billion Thursday afternoon. The number of amendments seems high but the general topics they seek to address, at least so far, come as…
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How much is in that marijuana cash fund, anyway? Read the memo.
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In the House budget debate set to begin Thursday, a cash fund brimming with an enticing $117.7 million in marijuana sales tax money is sure to attract attention, as it did in Senate debate last week. The fund has figured in talk at the Capitol ever since recreational weed sales began filling it steadily years…
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What a difference a year makes: Threat of rural hospital closings shape budget talks
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The state senate passed a budget this week that will slash $500 million from hospitals across Colorado, a proposal that has set the halls of the Capitol buzzing and lawmakers considering a new version of a proposal that just a year ago was dismissed as an exhausted nonstarter. The budget passed on a 30-5 vote…
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Colorado budget proposal cuts youth surveys on drugs, sex
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Colorado schoolchildren may not be asked about their drug use and sex habits in anonymous surveys anymore, under a bipartisan budget proposal moving through the Legislature. The budget draft introduced Monday cuts about $745,000 to end the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. The youth-risk surveys are sent every other year to randomly selected middle and high…
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Attorney General Coffman applauds governor signing criminal justice legislation into law
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Attorney General Cynthia Coffman celebrated the signing by Gov. John Hickenlooper Thursday of three bills that are part of her legislative agenda this year. “During the interim, our team sat down with citizens and stakeholders to establish our legislative priorities for the year, and identify how our statutes can be improved to protect Coloradans,” Coffman…