legislature
Nicolais: The Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act comes spiked with trace amounts of bad policy
By making possession of any drug mixture that contains even a trace amount of fentanyl a felony, amendments to the original bill could pose serious problems
Colorado mobile home residents could find lot rent relief, aid for park purchases in pending bills
Legislators continue reform of the state’s largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the wake of continued corporate acquisitions
Colorado’s public guardianship program gets approval to expand despite 14 deaths of wards in past two years
The legislature’s Joint Budget Committee voted 4-2 to expand the pilot program beyond Denver despite a House vote to stop it.
Colorado’s controversial public guardianship program scrutinized in legislative budget battle
Lawmakers who want to stop the program’s expansion are concerned about deaths of 14 wards in two years and a lack of oversight.
Bill affirming abortion access in Colorado clears second hurdle after 24 hours of debate on House floor
Representatives began debating House Bill 1279 on Friday morning and finished at about 11 a.m. Saturday in what was likely among the longest debates in the Colorado legislature’s history
Colorado plans to expand experimental adult guardianship program despite complaints, scrutiny
Fourteen at-risk adults have died while under the care of a public guardian in the past year and a half
Colorado doesn’t have a statewide building code. Would enacting one help protect homes against wildfire?
A handful of state lawmakers are interested in pursuing a statewide building code, in large part as a way to secure more federal grant money
Should river towns be forced to build costly parks to get recreational water rights?
American Whitewater wants to adjust Recreational In-Channel Diversion water rights so communities can protect recreational flows without building whitewater parks.
Youth mental health was front and center in Colorado’s legislative session. But the work is only a “down payment.”
Lawmakers set aside at least $30 million specifically for youth mental health, an amount that increased in the 11th hour of the lawmaking term after Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency
Nicolais: Colorado lawmakers should channel Ronald Reagan — don’t build that fence
The property damage concerns at the heart of a proposal to build a fence around the state Capitol pale in comparison to the damage building it will do
Nicolais: Principle and compromise – the time has come for Colorado Republicans
Colorado Republicans in the minority at the legislature could be more than just an opposition. They can chart a path forward.
Voices of Colorado youth, amplified by activism and opportunity, find receptive ears with lawmakers
Prodded by a contagious concern for their future, students engage with the legislative process -- and increasingly find their ideas reflected in results
Nicolais: Colorado’s special session delivered just in time for the holiday season
The legislature came through with stop-gap solutions desperately needed across the state
Iman Jodeh, a community activist and educator, is poised to become Colorado’s first Muslim lawmaker
The Colorado native and daughter of Palestinian immigrants could make history in an Aurora-area district that heavily favors Democrats in the 2020 election
As advocates tout preschool benefits, Colorado voters face question about funding it with tobacco tax hike
Proposition EE funds a universal preschool program by 2023, but critics suggest there’s no guarantee lawmakers will spend the money as designed
Eight states have programs that give workers paid time off. Does that help or hurt Colorado’s chances?
Critics of the ballot measure point to huge government bureaucracies and mandated “taxes” in other states, but supporters say every program is solvent, successful.
Marlboro’s owners negotiated Colorado’s proposed tobacco tax hike — and it could help them dominate the cigarette market
The ballot question, if approved by voters in November, would require a pack of cigarettes to be sold for no less than $7 starting in January. That could effectively hand more market share to Altria.
Democrats poised to hold power in the Colorado Senate as Republicans put on the defensive
Republicans face shifting demographics and an unpopular incumbent president in Donald Trump who could drag the GOP ticket down