Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Rocky Mountain Voice

It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

It’s take three for the unpopular, anti-gun SB 3 returning Thursday to the Colorado Senate floor

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It's a déjà vu moment in the Colorado Senate. Senate Bill 25-003 will be up for a second reading Thursday, Feb. 13, for the third time in three weeks. The bill, which some have said would make Colorado the most anti-gun state in the country, has been laid over twice — in a Democrat-controlled Senate — almost assuredly because the majority party does not have the votes to pass the measure. Without a second reading the bill is frozen in the Senate and may not be taken up by the Colorado House. The Senate convenes at 9 a.m. Thursday. SB 3 is a wildly unpopular bill among conservatives and among vulnerable Democrats, many of whom believe it is unconstitutional. If passed, the bill, led by Democrat Sens. Tom Sullivan and Julie Gonzales and spon...
Read More
Bipartisan bill to help inmates clear warrants before release sails through committee
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bipartisan bill to help inmates clear warrants before release sails through committee

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Occasionally, there is a concept with such merit that it transcends party lines in Colorado's General Assembly. House Bill 25-1116 is one of those, Denver Democrat Rep. Jennifer Bacon says. "It is such a good idea that Rep. Ryan Armagost and Jennifer Bacon would be on the same bill," Bacon noted. She is the assistant majority leader in the Colorado House for the Democrats. Armagost, a Republican representing Larimer and conservative Weld County, is the minority party's whip. Together, they are the House sponsors of the bill that would help Department of Corrections inmates have a more successful reintegration into society. "When an inmate is getting released, they are notified [of release] just prior to their release," Armagost said, ex...
Read More
Senate Bill 63, which would set parameters for removal of books in school libraries, advances
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Senate Bill 63, which would set parameters for removal of books in school libraries, advances

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Should state officials weigh in on how books are selected in your child's school library? That's the core question behind Colorado's Senate Bill 25-063, the 'Freedom to Read' bill, which was discussed this week in a Senate Education Committee hearing. The bill, sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, requires school districts to set written policies for selecting, reconsidering and removing library materials.  It prohibits books from being removed based on the author’s identity, political objections or sexual content, unless they meet the Supreme Court’s obscenity standard under Miller v. California.  Only parents of current students would be allowed to challenge books, and a title could not ...
Read More
Rick Dunlap, a Montrose Co. commissioner and longtime sheriff, mourned by Western Colorado
No Comments
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Rick Dunlap, a Montrose Co. commissioner and longtime sheriff, mourned by Western Colorado

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Newly-elected Montrose County Commissioner, Rick Dunlap, died suddenly Feb. 8, 2025, leaving the Montrose community in grief and shock. Dunlap, who also served as sheriff for Montrose County for three terms before he retired in 2018, was well known and beloved by the community he served.  In total, Dunlap served 28 years in law enforcement, as well as serving the U.S. Army for 21 years. “Rick lived his life with unwavering commitment to the values he cherished most: faith, family, country, community and his friends and neighbors," Montrose County wrote in a statement upon his death. "His kindness, strength and dedication touched the lives of many, and his presence in our community will be sorely missed.”  Commissione...
Read More
Bill would give candidates a choice to assign their watcher of preference in recounts
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Bill would give candidates a choice to assign their watcher of preference in recounts

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When the smoke began to clear in El Paso County's House District 16 election in mid-November, Republican Rebecca Keltie had won election to the seat by seven votes. Or, so it might have appeared. The margin was not beyond the state's requirement for a mandatory recount, so Keltie was forced to sweat it out until Dec. 5 to be certified the winner, following a recount. House Bill 25-1155, by Republican Rep. Mary Bradfield and Democrat Rep. Cecelia Espenoza, would give candidates like Keltie an added opportunity, should they become a candidate in a runoff. "This is a simple bill," Bradfield said. "In a recount, the candidates have an option of having their own watcher present." The bill was supported on second reading in the Colorado House...
Read More
Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Garbo: The Party of spite (Democrats) betrayed their own promise on ‘No Tax on Tips’

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice In a stunning display of hypocrisy, the Democratic Party once again proved that their loyalty lies not with the American people but with their own desperate grip on power. Kamala Harris campaigned on the promise of “No Tax on Tips,” a policy first proposed by President Donald Trump, yet when given the opportunity to support it, nearly every Democrat in Congress voted against it. Why? Because Republicans brought it forward. That’s it. No rational argument, no policy dispute — just petty, reflexive opposition rooted in pure political spite. This is not an isolated incident; it is a defining characteristic of today’s Democratic Party. They do not govern; they obstruct, steal, and lie. They will champion a cause when they b...
Read More
HB 1131 is free-market solution to increase access to veterinarians, bill sponsor says
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

HB 1131 is free-market solution to increase access to veterinarians, bill sponsor says

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 1131, described by a bill sponsor as a free-market solution to the state's growing veterinary shortage, appears to be fast-tracked to the Senate. On second reading Tuesday in the House, the bill by Democrat Rep. Andrew Boesenecker and Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson passed on an overwhelming voice vote. It was introduced Jan. 28. "We have seen a real need for veterinarians across the state, for both small [animals] and livestock," Johnson said. "[HB 1131] really does eliminate government overreach by removing caps for free-market students." The bill eliminates the cap on the number of students who may enroll in the Colorado State veterinary program and, as the bill's fiscal note points out, removes other financial limitations on t...
Read More
Motorists are paying the price — $11.4B annually, to be exact — for state’s crumbling roads
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Motorists are paying the price — $11.4B annually, to be exact — for state’s crumbling roads

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s deteriorating roads are hitting residents — and their vehicles — hard, in Grand Junction costing drivers an average of $1,704 annually in extra repairs, fuel costs, congestion delays and crash-related expenses.  Statewide, the cost is estimated to be $11.4 billion a year, according to a January 2025 report by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. Meanwhile, inflation and rising construction costs are chipping away at recent funding increases. Rocky Moretti, TRIP’s director of policy and research, highlighted the challenge: “Colorado, in 2021 — both through legislation in Colorado, but also through the federal bipartisan infrastructure legislation — was able to significantly increase investment in ...
Read More
General Assembly recognizes active-duty military, veterans in 10 resolutions
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

General Assembly recognizes active-duty military, veterans in 10 resolutions

By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice Active duty military, veterans and those prisoners of war or missing in action who never made it home were all honored Friday with bipartisan measures in the Colorado House and Senate. House Joint Resolution 25-1010, by Republican Rep. Jarvis Caldwell and Sen. Janice Rich and with Democrat Rep. Sean Camacho and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, commemorated Military Appreciation Day. The resolution notes more than 47,000 Coloradans serve in a branch of the armed forces in active or reserved duty, and another 340,000 military veterans call the state home.That is roughly about 8% of the state's population. HJR 25-1011, by Republican Rep. Ryan Armagost and Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and by Democrat Rep. Matthew Martinez and Sen. Matt Ball, recognized Gold ...
Read More
In a shifting of chairs, Republican parties have new leadership in many Colorado counties
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In a shifting of chairs, Republican parties have new leadership in many Colorado counties

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice The only constant in life is said to be change. That certainly is the way it may feel for those in a number of county Republican parties around Colorado. From El Paso to Weld to Washington counties and other places dotting the map, new party leadership has been put in place during biennial reorganization, and more could be. In Adams County, both U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Gabe Evans spoke before Laura Garcia-Pascoe was elected as the new county Republican chairwoman. "Let’s win big together this cycle," wrote Boebert in a Facebook post and photo with Garcia-Pascoe, after her election. On Monday, during his weekly grassroots call, former Sen. Kevin Lundberg noted Sandra Aste had been named the Larimer County chair. "I am really exc...
Read More