Government
Parking minimums raise costs for housing and the environment
In May, a potentially transformative statewide land use bill died, hindering Gov. Jared Polis’ plan to resolve Colorado’s severe housing shortage. The failure of the land use bill — Senate Bill 23-213 — was disappointing, but not surprising. Politically, Coloradans tend to favor local government control, and the bill mandated that municipalities meet the state’s […]
Colorado Democrats pick Manny Rutinel to take vacant seat in Legislature
Manny Rutinel will represent House District 32 in the Colorado Legislature, a vacancy committee made of Democrats decided Monday. He will replace Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, who was recently selected by a separate vacancy committee to replace Sen. Dominick Moreno in Senate District 21. Moreno left the Legislature to serve in Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s […]
Next battle in Congress over Ukraine aid, as Biden presses House speaker for vote
WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find the votes needed to pass a supplemental […]
Colorado’s new gun purchase waiting period faces legal challenge
A gun rights group filed a lawsuit challenging a new Colorado law imposing a minimum three-day waiting period for gun purchases on Sunday, the same day the waiting period went into effect. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners filed the suit in federal court and is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on the new […]
How some Republicans came to view Ken Buck as the ‘Liz Cheney of Colorado’
U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, a Windsor Republican and member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, is facing criticism and potentially a primary challenge since he hasn’t shown support for impeaching President Joe Biden. A group of far-right House Republicans opened an impeachment inquiry alleging Biden while he was vice president profited from his son’s international business […]
Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in the […]
Colorado River officials to expand troubled water conservation program in 2024
Colorado River officials plan to expand a conservation program next year that pays farmers and ranchers to use less water. But questions remain about some of the proposed ideas and the program’s overall efficacy. The state initially launched the System Conservation Pilot Program in 2015 as a part of a multistate effort to conserve water […]
Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan
WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]
Shutdown would mean even more delays in overwhelmed U.S. immigration courts
WASHINGTON — A looming partial government shutdown will put added pressure on an already strained system — U.S. immigration courts. Canceling or rescheduling court cases that many immigrants have awaited for years will cause even more backlogs, immigration attorneys and judges have warned. “Where we’ll really kind of see the backlog continue to build will […]
GOP witnesses at Biden impeachment hearing see insufficient evidence of wrongdoing so far
WASHINGTON — With two days before a partial government shutdown, House Republicans held their first impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday over unproven allegations that President Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings overseas. Witnesses tapped by Republicans for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing acknowledged that there was no evidence showing that the president […]
With two days until shutdown, border security package eyed by U.S. Senate GOP
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. senators huddled behind closed doors Thursday, attempting to draft an amendment to the short-term government funding bill that would increase spending on border security and make policy changes. The provision could help nudge U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to put the broadly bipartisan measure up for a vote in that chamber, […]
Republican Dan Woog runs to regain Colorado House seat
Former Colorado state Rep. Dan Woog is running to regain his House seat next year. The Erie Republican represented House District 63 for one term beginning in 2021. The state’s recent redistricting process put him in House District 19, and he lost that race to Democratic Rep. Jennifer Parenti by 3 points. “I believe that […]