Cannabis advocates in Colorado cheered the Biden Administration’s reported move to reclassify marijuana and said the decision likely would reduce businesses’ tax burden significantly. Industry leaders cautioned that such a move — if finalized — would not resolve some major challenges facing the industry, such as limited access to banking. But they pointed to the … Read more
Colorado lawmakers are abandoning plans to overhaul the Regional Transportation District’s governing board and change how its members are selected after transit officials blasted the plan. Reps. William Lindstedt and Meg Froelich said Wednesday that they are still set to pursue other RTD reforms through House Bill 1447. But they said they plan to drop … Read more
Lindsey Vance carried medical debt for nearly half her life. The 41-year-old Denver resident said her debt began stacking up when she was around 19, when she stopped being covered under her parents’ health insurance and turned to the emergency room for health care related to injuries and illnesses. About this story “Diagnosis: Debt Colorado” … 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
Every month, Colorado Legal Services opens 1,000 new cases for low-income Coloradans seeking help with evictions, immigration proceedings, divorces, debt problems and other complex, bureaucratic processes that greatly impact their daily lives. But the free legal aid organization turns away half of those who need assistance simply due to a lack of resources. They’re hardly … Read more
Colorado legislators are set to give new anti-fraud powers to state Medicaid authorities, months after regulators uncovered an unprecedented, multimillion-dollar scheme allegedly perpetrated by a group of medical transportation providers. Legislators introduced a bill this week that would allow the state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to temporarily suspend Medicaid providers if regulators … Read more
Hundreds of thousands of dollars already are being dumped into Democratic primary elections for several safe statehouse seats, including an unprecedented trend of sitting Democratic legislators giving money to their colleague’s opponent. Across 10 contested Democratic primaries along the Front Range, for instance, more than $1.1 million already has been raised ahead of the June contest, according … Read more
First-year City Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez is under investigation by the Denver Board of Ethics after a former staffer filed a complaint last month alleging she flouted city spending rules repeatedly during her first few months in office. The 42-page complaint features photos of receipts, invoices, plane tickets and screenshots of emails and text exchanges between … Read more
By KEN SWEET and CORA LEWIS (Associated Press) NEW YORK — The cost to overdraw a bank account could drop to as little as $3 under a proposal announced by the White House, the latest effort by the Biden administration to combat fees it says pose an unnecessary burden on American consumers, particularly those living … Read more
