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‘Die-in’ activists at Colorado Capitol raise awareness of drug overdose deaths
By: Sara Wilson - August 31, 2023
As tourists milled about the Colorado Capitol on Thursday, staffers strode to committee rooms and maintenance staff polished ornate brass adornments, about a dozen people silently lay across the grand first-floor staircase with their eyes closed for over four minutes, an act of remembrance for loved ones who died from a drug overdose. The “die-in” […]
Overdose prevention center bill could return to Colorado Capitol next year
By: Sara Wilson - August 30, 2023
A Colorado legislative interim committee voted Wednesday to draft a bill for next session that would give a legal pathway for sites where people could use illicit drugs under supervision to operate in some parts of the state. It is one of five bills the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee voted to […]
Temporary block on Colorado gun purchase-age law upheld by federal appeals court
By: Sara Wilson - August 30, 2023
A new Colorado law raising the minimum age to purchase firearms in the state will not go into effect any time soon, as federal judges denied a request from the governor to let the law move forward while a lawsuit against it proceeds. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals made the decision Tuesday, meaning the […]
Lawmakers tour Summit County projects as part of state effort to ease housing crisis
By: Sara Wilson - August 29, 2023
Colorado state lawmakers visited Summit County on Monday to learn how local officials are working to develop affordable workforce housing, ahead of a 2024 legislative session that will likely see housing policy as a top priority once again. The group, which included lawmakers from mountain communities, the Eastern Plains, the Denver metro area and Fort […]
Denver Democrats pick Tim Hernández to fill vacant House District 4 seat
By: Sara Wilson - August 26, 2023
Teacher and activist Tim Hernández will represent Colorado’s House District 4 during the 2024 lawmaking term, a committee of district Democrats decided Saturday. Hernández, 26, is replacing former Democratic state Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez. The seat became vacant when Gonzales-Gutierrez was elected to an at-large seat on Denver’s city council earlier this year. He grew up […]
Colorado bill could establish universal public transit pass for statewide use
By: Sara Wilson - August 25, 2023
A potential bill next year would establish a universal statewide transit pass that commuters could use across transportation agencies. The bill, as conceived by Democratic Sen. Kevin Priola, was given the green light to get drafted during a Monday meeting by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The committee will later vote on whether to send […]
Property tax measure cleared for November ballot with Supreme Court opinion
By: Sara Wilson - August 22, 2023
The Colorado Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of Proposition HH, the ballot measure this year that would slow property tax increases by adjusting the amount taxpayers get back from the state. The court found that under precedent it does not have jurisdiction to review the proposition or the legislation that created it […]
Adam Frisch leads Rep. Lauren Boebert by 2 points in Democrat’s campaign-funded poll
By: Sara Wilson - August 22, 2023
A new poll conducted on behalf of Adam Frisch shows the Democrat just ahead of Rep. Lauren Boebert in a rematch for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2024. In the poll, 50% of likely voters said they would vote for Frisch and 48% said they would vote for the Republican Boebert in November 2024. “This […]
Governor’s executive order grapples with Colorado housing crisis
By: Sara Wilson - August 21, 2023
Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order Monday that aims to provide officials with a better sense of how different state agencies support housing and strategic growth goals. The order directs certain state agencies to inventory and catalogue their own programs that provide support to local governments’ housing, transportation and growth efforts, and then prioritize […]
Boulder council loosens occupancy limit in move said to boost affordability
By: Sara Wilson - August 18, 2023
Boulder will now allow five unrelated people to live together, a change to occupancy limit standards that proponents say will make it more feasible for people to move to or remain in the city. The city council voted 6-3 to approve the ordinance late Thursday after hours of public testimony. Previously, city code capped the […]
Colorado closer to banning ‘abortion reversal’ treatment after medical board decision
By: Sara Wilson - August 17, 2023
The Colorado Medical Board decided Thursday that a so-called abortion reversal method is outside the “generally accepted standard of practice.” The board did not go so far as to declare the method unprofessional conduct, as Democrats in the state Legislature hoped for. Still, the decision is a significant step in getting the practice banned in […]
Denver Archdiocese sues Colorado over right to deny preschool to LGBTQ families
By: Sara Wilson - August 16, 2023
The Archdiocese of Denver and two of its Catholic parishes are suing the state over its new universal preschool program, alleging they are unable to participate because the state will not allow the religious educational institutions to exclude LGBTQ children and parents. The St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish both […]