At least a dozen new offices have been added to Colorado’s state government over the past three years, stoking Republican fears of runaway growth as the state hurtles toward a possible budget deficit. The added offices, with ambitious goals like preventing gun violence and saving people money on health care, are a sign of ballooning […]
Kim Ransom
Posted inColoradans, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers want to spell it out: It’s perfectly legal for kids to play outside or walk to school alone
Brinley Sheffield and her mom had run the route several times together and tracked the mileage — two trips around their neighborhood block made a mile. So when the 7-year-old who wanted to become a faster runner set off on her first solo run, her parents had no concern that she would get lost. Besides, […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Democrats dominate campaign fundraising and spend big to build majority in the Colorado legislature
Democrats are outspending Republicans in state legislative races, and super PACs are pouring in $10 million, as the majority party looks poised to make gains in both chambers. A few of the competitive races are exceeding the $1 million mark with the most expensive contest — a state Senate seat in Adams County — topping […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Should letting your kid play outside be illegal?
What does it take to get a Democrat and a Republican to co-sponsor a bill? A little joy and a little outrage. Joy at finding an issue we could work on together — we’ve been friends for years. Outrage at some of the stories we’ve heard from friends and constituents, moms and dads who simply […]
Posted inEducation, Politics and Government
The Democratic agenda came with a big price tag. Now Colorado budget writers worry about paying the bill.
To pass their expansive legislative agenda, the new Democratic majority at the Colorado Capitol spent big this year. Real big. And now even Democratic budget writers are worried about how to make ends meet. “There were a lot of bills passed last (session) that have continued spending … and some of those were very large,” […]
Posted inEducation, Growth, Politics and Government, Transportation
Now we know how much money is at stake on the 2019 ballot with Proposition CC and TABOR refunds in Colorado
On the November ballot, Colorado voters will decide a question potentially worth as much as $1.7 billion. Proposition CC asks voters for permission to end the cap on state tax revenue outlined in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. If the answer is yes, the state plans to spend the money on schools, higher education and […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Gov. Polis’ full-day kindergarten program could bust its budget by $40 million in first year, state survey predicts
School administrators anticipate near-universal attendance in free, full-day kindergarten this fall, a state survey found, which would blow a $40 million hole in the budget Colorado lawmakers set for the first year of the new program. In the last school year, 36 of the Colorado’s 178 school districts had students enrolled in half-day kindergarten programs, […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Education, Energy, Health, Politics and Government, Transportation
What the $30.5 billion Colorado state budget means for you — yes, you
The $30.5 billion state-budget package introduced Monday offers a little something for most everyone in Colorado. The state would pay for full-day kindergarten, relieving local school districts and parents of the cost. The price tag for tuition would remain flat, except at one university. All state employees would receive at least a 3 percent raise, […]
Posted inColoradans, News, Politics and Government
With more child welfare caseworkers than ever, Colorado lawmakers want to know why some outcomes are getting worse
The bipartisan committee that writes Colorado’s budget wants an audit of every county child welfare department in the state, a rare request that came as lawmakers blasted the system for poor outcomes. What riled legislators was a $6.1 million budget request to add 100 more caseworkers across Colorado, the fifth phase of a multi-year plan […]