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Amendment 83 would enshrine Colorado hunting and fishing after 17 attempts to change the law
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Amendment 83 would enshrine Colorado hunting and fishing after 17 attempts to change the law

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com The Common Sense Institute (CSI) just published an analysis of the economic impact of hunting and fishing in Colorado, to help inform debate on a November ballot measure called Amendment 83. It would enshrine in the state constitution the right of the people to hunt and fish. As one of the report’s co-authors, I attended a forum where we were asked, “Why not just eliminate hunting and fishing and let nature take over?” Many Coloradans may not fully understand what the absence of hunting and fishing might look like. It is a scenario they do not want. Amendment 83 appears simply to restate existing laws and processes. It would amend the Colorado constitution to make hunting and fishing a right for Colorado’s 874,000 fishing licen...
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Michael Allen Calls for Colorado First Approach to Attorney General’s Office
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Michael Allen Calls for Colorado First Approach to Attorney General’s Office

By Thelma Grimes | The Denver Gazette Republican argues Colorado officials have been too focused fighting Trump. Michael Allen said his campaign for Colorado attorney general is rooted in a simple premise: the state’s top lawyer should focus on Colorado, regardless of who occupies the White House. The Republican candidate, a Colorado native and the elected district attorney for the 4th Judicial District, is vying for the position against Democrat Jena Griswold, the state’s current secretary of state. During the primary, Griswold has repeatedly told voters that she will focus on fighting the Trump administration as attorney general. That messaging permeates her campaign against Allen. Allen, who grew up in Thornton and Arvada and...
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Lawsuit Challenges Colorado Graduated Income Tax Measure Over Petition Signatures
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Lawsuit Challenges Colorado Graduated Income Tax Measure Over Petition Signatures

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Denver District Court seeks to strike the proposed graduated income tax measure from the November ballot. One of Denver’s major law firms filed the lawsuit on behalf of Michael Andre Hancock of Arapahoe County, who challenged the ballot measure during the title board process earlier this year. The defendants are Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Amendment 87 proponents Chris deGruy Kennedy of the Bell Policy Center and Kiyana Newell of New Era Colorado. The lawsuit challenges how Protect Colorado’s Future — the coalition behind the measure — gathered its signatures. It claims the group failed to file training certificates for some of its pa...
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Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November
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Axios, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide Tougher Fentanyl Penalties in November

By Esteban L. Hernandez | Axios Voters will decide this November whether to make possession of any fentanyl amount a felony. Why it matters: Advocates say doing so will help reduce fatal overdoses, but critics warn it'll only worsen the crisis. State of play: Proposition 132 functions as a public referendum that could shape how the criminal justice system deals with a drug killing hundreds statewide. What they're saying: The measure balances accountability with compassion, says Kristi Brown, vice president at Advance Colorado, the conservative-leaning policy organization that sponsored the proposal. Zoom in: Prop 132 aims to combat current state laws that Brown says don't go far enough in penalizing fentanyl possession. ...
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Denver Voters Face Xcel Decision but 3% Utility Fee May Remain Either Way
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Denver Voters Face Xcel Decision but 3% Utility Fee May Remain Either Way

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics Xcel Energy’s slogan makes this promise: “Our energy. Your power.” Denver voters will have the power in November when they decide whether to approve a new 20-year franchise agreement with the utility. But even if they say no, they will continue paying the 3% franchise fee on their electric and natural gas bills. The reason? A provision on page 22 of Denver’s existing 20-year agreement with Xcel says that, if the franchise is not renewed, the utility must continue paying the city an amount equal to the franchise fee as long as Xcel continues using Denver’s public rights-of-way to provide service. The agreement expires Dec. 31. Colorado law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to order utilities to recover muni...
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Pueblo Takes Center Stage in Battle for Colorado Senate Control
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Pueblo Takes Center Stage in Battle for Colorado Senate Control

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Of the roughly two dozen state Senate seats up for election this year, one race in Southern Colorado is drawing particular attention. The outcome of this race could decide the contours of power at the state Capitol, with ramifications for what major policies get adopted next year. Just as importantly, this area called the “last purple” district in Colorado offers an interesting inflection point for a state that has become considerably bluer in each election cycle. Indeed, Pueblo presents a kind of political enigma — a union town that has voted for Pesident Donald Trump at the same time it had sent Democrats to the state Capitol. Mix in a fire that has devastated parts of the district, the debate over energ...
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Emergency Motion Extends Douglas County Ballot Fight With Ballots Already Sent to Printer
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Emergency Motion Extends Douglas County Ballot Fight With Ballots Already Sent to Printer

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The legal battle over a Douglas County ballot measure to increase the number of county commissioners is continuing after Rep. Bob Marshall asked a judge to reconsider her rejection of a preliminary injunction that would halt two ballot measures from reaching voters. Marshall filed an emergency motion for reconsideration Sunday, outlining a new legal argument that he said would give the court authority to grant his request. The case stems from actions of the Board of County Commissioners who, in the final days before ballot certification, approved additional language for a citizen-led ballot measure that would increase the board from three members to five and adopted a competing county-initiated measure addressing how commi...
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Marx Contests $51,427 Campaign Finance Penalty After Acknowledging Reporting Mistakes
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Marx Contests $51,427 Campaign Finance Penalty After Acknowledging Reporting Mistakes

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx hates that his campaign finance troubles have become a “distraction.” The outspoken Republican took to X on Tuesday with a cinematic explainer regarding the potential $51,000 in fines he faces from the Secretary of State for excessive contributions. “We’ve made honest mistakes, and we’ve never tried to hide them,” Marx said. “We’ve also been very transparent about the difficulties we’ve encountered correcting the campaign finance reporting through the Secretary of State system.” The state alleges Marx’s campaign accepted at least 204 contributions over Colorado’s $1,450 per-person contribution limit, totaling $83,560 from 111 different contributors. Marx, in a recent ...
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What Amendment 87 Could Mean for Broncos Players and Colorado Employers
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

What Amendment 87 Could Mean for Broncos Players and Colorado Employers

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Colorado Politics Do you want the Broncos to win the Super Bowl? Then you’d better hope Amendment 87 — which brings back Colorado’s economy-strangling “graduated” income tax — loses at the ballot box this fall. Seriously. Forget Republicans and Democrats. Forget tax policy. This is about Xs and Os — and whether Denver can afford the players who execute them and win a Super Bowl. Every successful business has star employees: rare talents without whom the enterprise simply doesn’t work. Same goes for an NFL franchise. Every business has star employees the whole operation is built around. Sometimes that star is the chief executive. No Henry Ford, no assembly line, no affordable car. No Steve Jobs, no iPhone — foldable or otherwis...
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Frizell Makes the Case for Education Reform Without Shortchanging Taxpayers
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Frizell Makes the Case for Education Reform Without Shortchanging Taxpayers

By Lisa Frizell | Commentary, Colorado Politics If we truly want to fix Colorado, we must respect taxpayers, demand accountability and prioritize classroom results.  Proposition NN fails the test.  The far left put forth this measure, presenting it as the only way to fund public schools. Colorado voters should look past the title and see what Prop NN really does.  The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights says money collected above the state’s spending cap goes back to the taxpayers. Proposition NN asks voters to increase the spending limitation and lets the state keep all the money above the spending cap, money that would otherwise go back to Colorado families.  The legislature’s nonpartisan staff estimated Proposition NN...
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