pete lee
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Lawmakers urge Supreme Court committee to address racial bias in jury selection
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Four Democratic lawmakers have written to the Colorado Supreme Court’s criminal rules committee urging it to address racial bias in jury selection following resistance from prosecutors to a legislative proposal on the subject. Last month, the sponsors of Senate Bill 128 declined to move forward with their legislation after all 22 elected district attorneys registered…
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Sponsors pull bill on racial bias in jury selection after opposition from DAs
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The Democratic sponsors of a bill to combat implicit racial bias in jury selection have opted against moving forward with their proposal, asking instead that the Colorado Supreme Court exercise its rulemaking power before the next legislative session. Sens. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, and Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, had initially sought to address the concerns of…
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‘A mistake was made’: Calls grow louder to reverse 2019 law that lowered penalty for fentanyl possession
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The deaths of five Commerce City residents, reportedly due to overdoses tied to fentanyl, prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the state Capitol to call for changes in state law Tuesday, with some calling the law that eased penalties for drug possession a “mistake.” “Clearly a mistake was made” to lower…
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Bills aiming to combat wildfire ready for committee action
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Legislators last week introduced a slate of legislation crafted during the legislative interim to combat wildfires in Colorado. The five bills, now ready for committee action, stem from the work of the Wildfire Matters Review Committee, a 10-person panel featuring six Democrats and four Republicans charged with studying wildfire prevention and mitigation during the months in which the…
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With new state House and Senate maps, let the games begin
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The wait is over. And the scramble has begun. Now that the Colorado Supreme Court has approved new state House and Senate maps, candidates are crafting designs to run for more competitive seats that also appear to shrink the influence of rural communities at the state Capitol. The new maps will reshape Colorado’s political landscape, and,…
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Colorado congressman regrets vow to ‘stop redistricting’ in campaign pitch
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U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said a campaign solicitation sent to his political supporters earlier this week, which told them that he needs their money in order to stop the current redistricting cycle, sent the wrong message. “This is serious, and a lot is at stake. We still need $3,102 to have the resources to stop…
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House OKs bill banning firefighting foam that contaminated Colorado aquifer
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A bill that bans the kind of firefighting foam that has contaminated water supplies in southern El Paso County has cleared the Colorado state House and is on its way to the Senate. House Bill 1279 is sponsored by a bipartisan quartet of El Paso County lawmakers, including its House sponsors, Democratic Rep. Tony Exum…
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El Paso County lawmakers sponsor bill to ban firefighting foam
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If the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency won’t act, a bipartisan group of El Paso County legislators will. This week, the foursome introduced House Bill 1279, which would ban the kind of firefighting foam found in water supplies of Fountain, Security and Widefield. The two Republican sponsors are Sen. Dennis Hisey of Fountain and Rep. Lois…
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In wake of federal First Step Act, Colorado eyes its own criminal justice reform
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Incoming state Sen. Pete Lee, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been working on a variety of criminal justice reform measures.Joey Bunch / Colorado Politics With December’s bipartisan passage in Congress of major criminal-justice reform legislation, there’s renewed hope among reform advocates in Colorado that more can be done in the 2019 state legislative…
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Republicans replace Colo. state House candidates on Nov. ballot
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The Colorado Republican Party has added three new candidates to the November ballot to replace two who dropped out of their races and a third who hopes to become lieutenant governor. In House District 25, Steven Szutenbach of Evergreen will vie for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Tim Leonard of Evergreen. Leonard dropped…
