The Colorado Capitol was mostly empty as the state legislature took a two-month coronavirus pause this spring. The work, though, didn’t actually stop. Behind the scenes, mostly via video calls on Zoom, lawmakers were figuring out how to deal with a host of new issues related to the pandemic, chief among them: how to balance […]
Matt Gray
Posted inCOVID, News, Politics and Government
Here’s the nuance behind Colorado Democrats’ effort to eliminate 9 tax breaks, pump $1.6 billion into state coffers
To generate money for the coronavirus-depleted state budget, Democratic state lawmakers in Colorado want to slash or change nine tax breaks to generate $1.6 billion in revenue over the next four years. House Bill 1420, introduced Monday with just days left in the 2020 lawmaking term, would revoke tax breaks included in the federal stimulus […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Coronavirus put an end to Colorado’s paid family leave bill. But there’s a lot more to the story.
Gov. Jared Polis made it clear he wanted any government-mandated family-leave program in Colorado to use the private market, a setup that would require businesses to buy insurance to cover employee time off for a new baby or illness. Then he didn’t have time to deal with it. That’s one major reason the proposal — […]
Posted inCOVID, News, Politics and Government
Coronavirus has underscored the need for paid sick time in Colorado. And the potential huge costs.
Key items once part of Democrats’ ambitious agenda likely won’t resurface when state lawmakers step out of isolation and back into the Capitol next month. The pandemic that closed Colorado and shut down the legislature caused a shift in priorities, and lawmakers’ biggest problem is writing a state budget in the midst of an economic […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado election officials take aggressive new approach to policing campaign violations
A new enforcement division at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office is reviewing campaign finance filings and taking action against possible violations. It’s a sharp change from a system in prior administrations that required the public to file complaints about suspected violations of state law. The more aggressive approach is drawing criticism from some observers […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
Coloradans keep rejecting statewide tax questions to fund transportation. Democrats are now eyeing a regional approach.
Coloradans have rejected statewide tax questions to pay for badly needed road improvements and repairs in back-to-back years, most recently earlier this month with Proposition CC. But Democrats are still driven to find a long-term funding pipeline to address problems like crumbling infrastructure and congestion. While their preference remains to find a catch-all fix — […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government, Transportation
Going green again: Colorado’s license plates could soon revert to their old color scheme
Try not to drive yourself crazy: Colorado could revert back to its old license plate color scheme as soon as 2021. A draft bill that advanced Monday at the state Capitol would return the state’s stock plates to the dark green mountains with a white sky motif that defined Colorado for three decades until the […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
How an obscure tax case became a $250 million political fight at the end of the legislative session
With only days left in the 2019 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers were presented with an extraordinary plea from the Polis administration: Pass a law to help the state’s Department of Revenue win an obscure corporate income tax lawsuit, or risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars to what it viewed as a tax loophole for […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Education, Energy, Environment, Growth, Health, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
The top 10 issues to watch in Colorado’s 2019 legislative session
The new Democratic majority at the state Capitol is poised to make significant policy shifts in Colorado after four years of stalemate in a divided General Assembly. The party’s complete grip on the levers of power will move different issues to the forefront and put Republicans — who had held the state Senate since 2015 […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
A citizens’ guide to lawmaking and lobbying in Colorado
Lawmakers huddling at their desks. Lobbyists crowding the chamber doors. Legislative staffers scurrying through the hallways. The Colorado Capitol can appear to be an intimidating place. But it’s not — once you know how it works. Here we offer the details on what you need to know to get your voice heard in the Colorado […]