Fresh off a historic vote to advance a ban on many high-powered, semi-automatic guns, the Colorado House approved three more gun-related bills over the weekend — sending them across the Capitol for another round of debate. Those votes on Saturday were followed Monday by the state Senate’s final approval for two other gun reform bills … Read more
State lawmakers have yet to fund an $11 million effort to reform Colorado courts’ long-troubled competency system, raising alarm among supporters as the end of the legislative session looms. If funded, the bill, HB24-1355, would create a statewide diversion program aimed at shifting thousands of people with mental illness out of the criminal justice system … Read more
Colorado will distribute $24 million in one-time funding to public school districts and charter schools impacted by the unprecedented influx of immigrant students who arrived after the annual October headcount that determines districts’ state funding. Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed the bipartisan bill, HB24-1389, authorizing that money to be distributed this fiscal year from … Read more
A bill to allow supervised drug-use sites to open in willing Colorado cities cleared the state House for the second time in two years on Friday, but it faces a significant uphill battle in the face of opposition in the Senate and from Gov. Jared Polis. House Bill 1028 is Rep. Elisabeth Epps’ second attempt to … Read more
Concerns about immigration, fueled by the ongoing migrant crisis, are at the forefront of many Colorado voters’ minds, a new poll says. But voters are split on how local officials should respond to the waves of new arrivals from the southern U.S. border. Thirty-one percent of likely voters in a poll conducted last month for … Read more
It is no secret that Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state since 2019, has a major problem with former President Donald Trump. A quick scroll through her account on X, formerly known as Twitter, reveals dozens of condemnations of the former president, with Griswold repeatedly calling him an “oath-breaking insurrectionist” and a “threat to democracy.” … Read more
Colorado lawmakers are poised to ban occupancy limits in cities and towns across the state, clearing the way for more roommates to live together as part of Democrats’ push to reform local zoning regulations and address the state’s housing crisis. Roughly two dozen cities and towns in Colorado have the type of occupancy limits that … Read more
The clothing rack set up in a Colorado Capitol hallway displayed a T-shirt and jeans, a child’s pink cardigan with a polka-dotted mini skirt, and an Army sweatshirt with shorts. The outfits represented everyday clothing worn by women and girls across the country when they were sexually assaulted. Labeled with brief descriptions, each outfit was … Read more
On most days, Alicia was sent to a Denver-area hotel room, where a steady stream of people would show up and pay for sex. From 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., she’d take call after call after call. And then she’d go home to her pimp, and he’d demand sex, too. Slap her around if she … Read more
A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers is again moving to direct a special $5 million infusion to Denver Health amid rising concerns about the hospital’s financial security and fears of a potential descent into a “death spiral.” Members of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, which gave initial approval to the allocation Wednesday night, acknowledged that … Read more
