East versus west versus south. Rural versus urban. County versus county. In more than 100 hours of public testimony during July and August, the two independent commissions redrawing Colorado’s congressional and legislative maps heard plenty about perceived differences among various communities. They also heard why certain cities and counties shouldn’t be split among multiple districts. […]
Jerry Sonnenberg
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Democrats renege on deal, kill reparations bill for people mired in conservation tax credit problems
Colorado Democrats killed a conservation easement tax credit reparations bill on a party-line vote in the House Appropriations Committee Monday evening, apparently reneging on what Republicans assumed was a pact to support Senate Bill 33 and a related easement measure in the House. Senate Bill 33, which already passed the Senate, was approved 7-4 earlier […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Landowners who shaped Colorado’s conservation easement bill would receive hundreds of thousands of dollars if credits are restored
A controversial bill setting aside $149 million in reparations for state-rejected conservation tax credits is speeding ahead, despite renewed accusations that the proposal was steered by landowners who will benefit from repayments, including the family of a former state agriculture commissioner. The official working group that helped write Senate Bill 33 included three landowners who […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado could hand out up to $149 million in disputed conservation easement tax credits
Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would return up to $149 million to holders of conservation easement tax credits previously disqualified by the state, a revival of a decades-old scandal that appraisers say would be rewarding fraud. The measure, Senate Bill 33, would restore controversial easement tax credits issued from 2000 to 2013, some […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Water
Nevada farmers and conservationists balk at “water banking,” an idea also being weighed in Colorado
By Sam Metz, AP / Report for America CARSON CITY, Nevada — Rural water users are panicking over a proposal to create a market for the sale and purchase of water rights in Nevada, unconvinced by arguments that the concept would encourage conservation. Lawmakers on Monday weighed whether so-called “water banking” would be preferable to […]
Posted inColoradans, Opinion, Politics and Government
Essay: What happened when Black Lives Matter arrived in Colorado’s deeply conservative Eastern Plains
Courtney Jones calls herself a country girl. She was raised in Sterling and she prefers open spaces to cities. She loves classic rock, grew up saving money for the Logan County fair every year, and she voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because he seemed like the honest candidate. She’s the daughter of a Black […]
Posted inBusiness, Election 2020, Politics and Government
Proposition 116 explained: Colorado must decide whether an income tax cut is worth a hit to state budget
A measure on the 2020 ballot in Colorado proposes a permanent cut to the state’s income tax rate that would give the average taxpayer a $37 break annually. The limited-government conservatives and Republican lawmakers backing Proposition 116 say the tax relief comes at a crucial moment amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus. The […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
Gov. Jared Polis praises Republican-backed ballot question to lower Colorado income taxes
A Republican-authored measure to cut Colorado’s state income taxes amid the economic crisis may have an unlikely ally when it appears on the November ballot: Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. In a brief interview with The Colorado Sun, Polis praised the intent of Initiative 306, a ballot measure that would permanently reduce the state income tax […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
U.S. Rep. Ken Buck says he will seek reelection, dispelling speculation to the contrary
U.S. Rep. Ken Buck will seek reelection to his congressional seat next year, the Windsor Republican said Wednesday, dispelling any speculation that he was planning to give up the seat. “I have been running for this position and I will continue to,” Buck, who is in his third term, told The Colorado Sun. The confirmation […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado lawmakers missed a significant number of votes in the 2019 legislative session
In the fast-paced legislative environment, missing one day can mean missing dozens of votes. And it can add up through the session. Colorado’s 100 lawmakers missed a combined 898 final votes out of 47,302 opportunities during the 120-day legislative session, according to a Colorado Sun analysis of the 2019 term. The General Assembly approved 460 […]