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Senate Republican leaders talk major issues left in final full week of session
Senate Republican leaders Monday reviewed the last major issues remaining with one last full week to go in Colorado’s 2018 legislative session: transportation, the state pension plan and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. They also put a solid nail in the coffin for a bill that, as introduced, would jail teachers who go out on…
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INSIGHTS: Proposed transportation tax hike pondered in a chamber of secrets
In November, Colorado voters could be asked to approve as much as a penny-per-dollar sales tax to support transportation. Taxpayers will have to trust that the debate that led to the request was thoughtful and the tax hike is, indeed, necessary, before the ad campaign begins. They will need to believe this tax hike was…
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Pelosi defends party intervention in Colo.’s 6th Congressional District race
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi defended her party’s electoral operation on Thursday, referring to an audio recording of Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer urging a candidate in a contested Colorado congressional primary to quit the race. That conversation between Hoyer, D-Maryland, and 6th Congressional District candidate Levi Tillemann in December at a Denver hotel was first…
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Coal power ‘under pressure’; Colorado Springs plant ‘at risk,’ says ratings service
Colorado coal-fired power plants serving municipal electric utilities and rural cooperatives remain economically competitive despite the availability of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy, but one plant in Colorado Springs is “at risk,” according to an analysis by Moody’s Investor Services. Moody’s, which rates bond credit and does market research, assessed the market competitiveness of…
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Senate Dems cry foul over latest sexual harassment report on Baumgardner
“We’ve been fooled!” Senate Democrats are reacting angrily to the latest report on allegations of sexual harassment against Colorado state Sen. Randy Baumgardner. They vented their anger both at the Hot Sulphur Springs Republican, demanding he resign, and at Senate leadership, who they claim refuse to take action regarding the allegations. An independent investigation into…
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The Great and Honorable Chili Commission holds first chili cook-off
Sixteen steaming chili crock pots. Twelve judges. And the winners are …. On Wednesday night the Great and Honorable Chili Commission of the Colorado House held its first (and hopefully not last) chili cook-off – an opportunity to blow off steam and clear sinuses. The cook-off was a chance for lawmakers on both sides of…
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New details from 2nd report on alleged Baumgardner harassment
The second investigation into allegations against Colorado state Sen. Randy Baumgardner found he “engages in an unsettling pattern of inappropriate and offensive behavior toward women,” including sexual harassment toward a woman half his age that she called “creepy,” and created a hostile work environment for a non-partisan female Senate employee and other Senate staffers. KUNC’s…
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Colorado Senate committee OKs religious adoption rules, nixes conversion therapy ban
A Republican majority on a Colorado Senate committee took two opposite actions that riled up gay rights advocates Monday night. The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee passed a rule on adoptions that the gay rights organization says is designed to allow discrimination against same-sex couple. It also voted down a bill that would…
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Colo. teachers have a lot to sweat out in 2018 legislature’s final days
Colorado teachers have a lot riding on the final two weeks of this year’s legislative session, both in policy and politics, from their weekly paycheck to their future pension. The House of Representatives this week is expected to debate and vote on a fix to the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association, a plan to shore…