State Sen. Kevin Priola was the most bipartisan lawmaker in Colorado last year, a moderate Republican who sided with Democrats more often than any of his GOP colleagues. He was the lone Republican senator to support state tracking of greenhouse gas emissions, and the only one to join Democrats in a failed attempt to get […]
Steve Fenberg
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 inCrime and Courts, Election 2020, News, Politics and Government
Colorado parolees are now allowed to vote. And advocates are rushing to register them.
A 2019 law that restored voting rights to more than 11,000 people on parole in Colorado is driving new voter registration efforts ahead of the November election. The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the Latino Coalition for Community Leadership are aiming to register 5,000 people who are out on parole. An earlier effort that […]
Posted inEducation, Election 2020, News, Politics and Government
17-year-olds would no longer be able to vote in Colorado primaries if ballot question passes
In 2019, the Colorado legislature granted 17-year-olds the ability to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the general election. But a question on the November ballot seeking to specify that only U.S. citizens can vote in Colorado elections would take that ability — touted by Colorado Democrats as a way to […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Democratic lawmakers, officials from oil and gas- dependent areas of Colorado clash on first day of rulemaking
The legislators who wrote a law overhauling the state’s oil and gas rules clashed with Western Slope local officials who will have to deal with the changes at a Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation hearing Monday. The hearing, held on Zoom, was the first day of a six-week review of proposed rules to reorient the […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Oil and gas does about-face as six-week overhaul of Colorado drilling regulations begins
The battle lines are drawn and the forces – from high-priced lawyers to homeowners cheek and jowl with drilling rigs – arrayed for marathon hearings, starting Monday, aimed at reorienting Colorado’s oil and gas commission from promoting development to protecting public health and the environment. Through a set of proposed rules, the operation of the […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Crime and Courts, Education, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Chaos and compromise: Colorado’s coronavirus legislative session ends with a flurry of big bills
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 […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government, Transportation, Wildfire
Air quality improved slightly during the stay-at-home order. But Colorado still has a serious pollution problem.
Metro Denver ranks 10th among most ozone-polluted cities in the country, according to the American Lung Association. Fort Collins is ranked No. 19. Colorado has been making progress to clean up its air over the past decade by enacting stricter oil and gas regulations and automobile emissions standards, but the Front Range is still out […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s coronavirus lawmaking term was supposed to be subdued. But it’s just as wild as ever.
Three F-words were supposed to define the last three weeks of the legislative session, a down-to-business, do-what’s-necessary lawmaking term that followed a two-month halt because of coronavirus. Fast. Friendly. Free. That was the vow of House Speaker KC Becker, a Boulder Democrat. Major controversial policies were set aside, like a statewide paid family-leave program, a […]
Posted inCOVID, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Democrats unveil plan for $70 million in federal coronavirus aid, including small business loans and renter help
Democrats in the Colorado legislature announced a slate of initiatives Thursday to spend $70 million in federal coronavirus aid, including a grant program to help small businesses recover from the pandemic and funds for mental health, domestic violence and renter assistance. The money is a portion of the $1.67 billion Colorado received through the federal […]