Bill would upend Colorado's 80-year-old Labor Peace Act
Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The bill makes it easier for a union to collect fees from non-union workers. Right now, organizers need to hold two elections. The first election determines whether employees want to unionize. It takes a simple majority to pass that. The second election determines whether non-union workers need to pay fees, and that needs 75% support in order to pass.
The bill passed through Colorado's Senate and got initial approval in the state House today.
"There is nothing in this bill that is requiring anything other than to be allowed to collectively bargain. And that is a decision and a choice that employees can make and then that is a decision and choice that everyone in that workplace can bargain over," said state Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Democrat from Denver.
"I don't think 25% of any group should make the determination for the other 75%. I don't believe that is democratic. I don't believe that is necessarily representative. I think the other individuals should have opportunity to weigh in," said state Rep. Ken DeGraaf, a Republican from Colorado Springs.
A spokesperson for the governor says his office tried to bridge the gap on the issue and, "hopes both sides find a way forward in the future that reflects our shared goals of prosperity, fairness, and opportunities for workers."
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CNN
23 minutes ago
- CNN
Texas and California are set to push forward in the national redistricting fight
This week marks a flashpoint in an escalating and unprecedented fight over redistricting, with the country's two most populous states taking center stage and control of the US House during the second half of President Donald Trump's term potentially at stake. California Democratic lawmakers could take just three days to advance new congressional maps intended to offset Republican redistricting efforts in Texas. Legislation asking voters to approve the new maps is expected to be introduced Monday when lawmakers return to Sacramento from their summer recess, with final passage as early as Thursday, according to a person familiar with the Democratic planning. It will be heard in several committees along the way. The Texas legislature is also scheduled to reconvene Monday, with the increasing likelihood that Republicans will get a quorum and move forward. Democrats who fled the state to hold up passage of GOP-friendly maps could return within hours. In pushing Texas and other states to redraw their congressional lines mid-decade, Republicans have undertaken extraordinary efforts to preserve their unified hold on power in Washington, prompting Democrats to consider equally unorthodox countermeasures. Here's a look at what to expect Monday: The Trump-backed effort to redraw Texas' maps has stalled since August 3, when more than 50 Democratic lawmakers left the state to block a quorum and halt a special legislative session. But it is expected to move forward in a new session that began Friday. Texas Democrats could return to the state Capitol as soon as Monday, paving the way for Republicans to pass the new congressional maps in the second 30-day special session. House Speaker Dustin Burrows expressed hope the chamber could reach a quorum when it reconvenes at 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m ET). Once a quorum is met, the legislative process to approve the congressional maps will kick off, including consideration in the redistricting committee and debate and votes on the floor. The state Senate, which passed a redistricting bill in the first special session, will go through a similar process. The Senate's redistricting committee held public hearings on Sunday and will hold another round Monday. The GOP's proposal would create five new districts friendlier to Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. It would likely force Democratic US Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett to run against each other in a redrawn district. GOP leaders have not laid out a timeline for final passage of the new map, but it could come as soon as this week. When California lawmakers return from their summer recess on Monday, Democrats there will take the first step toward redrawing congressional boundaries to give them a greater chance at winning five additional seats — an extraordinary move intended to counteract Texas' mid-decade redistricting. Unlike in Texas, the legislation under consideration will also require voter approval to override a constitutionally mandated independent redistricting commission. Lawmakers will have to move quickly; the California secretary of state's office gave the legislature a Friday deadline to make the November ballot, and bills must be in print for 72 hours before they can be voted on. Democrats are expected to formally introduce the legislation Monday, with final passage pegged for Thursday. Because lawmakers are proposing to change the state constitution, two-thirds of each chamber must vote in favor of it to pass. Democrats hold three-quarters of the seats in both chambers. The State Assembly returns at 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET). The State Senate reconvenes an hour later. Texas House Democrats have said they plan to fight the redistricting bill on the floor, laying out their case against the measure ahead of expected legal challenges in the coming months. They argue they brought national attention to the GOP-led redistricting in Texas and helped create the momentum for California's counteroffensive and calls in New York and other Democratic-led states to redraw their maps. But their options to stop Republicans were always limited, short of staying out of Texas for the next year-plus. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that he would keep calling special sessions until the new maps passed. California Republicans, who have little power in Sacramento to slow the redistricting push, are nevertheless closely monitoring how Democrats proceed. GOP lawmakers are anticipating Democrats will put forward a package of legislative proposals that will not only advance the new maps but also outline how they intend to hold and pay for a statewide election in less than three months, a person close to the Republican caucus told CNN. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely contender for the Democrats' presidential 2028 nomination, is already planning for a statewide campaign to support a referendum. A victory could help Democrats win back the US House next year and give Newsom a boost in the next presidential primary. But some significant opposition to the proposed referendum is already forming. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday posted a picture of himself working out while wearing a T-shirt that said 'F*** the politicians/Terminate gerrymandering.' The caption read: 'I'm getting ready for the gerrymandering battle.' Charles Munger Jr., the son of the late Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman, has signaled he intends to fight the Democratic-led initiative. Munger spent more than $12 million in 2010 to entrench the independent redistricting commission in the state constitution, and he will fight any efforts to circumvent it, his spokeswoman Amy Thoma Tan said in a statement responding to California Democrats on Thursday. 'Two wrongs do not make a right, and California shouldn't stoop to the same tactics as Texas,' Thoma Tan said. 'Instead, we should push other states to adopt our independent, non-partisan commission model across the country. That's how we can protect and defend democracy.' Newsom's approach has also led to a divide among good government groups that have traditionally opposed gerrymandering. While the League of Women Voters continues to urge California lawmakers to reject the redistricting push, leaders at Common Cause have said they will not proactively reject 'counterbalancing' efforts done in response to other states. The group said Wednesday it would not oppose redistricting pushes that are proportional responses to other states, involve public participation and have a set expiration date, among other criteria. Leaders at the organization said they would determine whether to oppose the California push after the full proposal has been released and judged against its rubric. 'We welcome the governor to adopt our fairness criteria,' said Omar Noureldin, the organization's senior vice president of policy and litigation strategy. 'And if the maps that are proposed in the process that's laid out in its totality meet that fairness criteria, then we won't oppose it.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Oh no! Hypocritical celebrities abandon US, blaming Trump. What will we do now?
If celebrities, or anyone else, want to flee the US because a Republican is president, by all means, good riddance. I've never been so mad at a political party or a politician that I felt like leaving my country. I love America too much to even consider it. But a slew of celebrities have done that. Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel just announced during an appearance on the "The Sarah Silverman Podcast" on Aug. 7 that he obtained Italian citizenship. Kimmel alluded that President Donald Trump and the political climate he's created were contributing factors. It's not clear if Kimmel plans to move to Italy full time. "What's going on is as bad as you thought it was going to be," Kimmel said to Silverman during the podcast. "Way worse," Silverman said. "It's so much worse. It's just unbelievable," Kimmel said about America's political climate. "Like I feel like it's probably even worse than he would like it to be." Kimmel joins other celebrities who fled America and blame Trump Kimmel joins several high-profile celebrities who have sought refuge elsewhere because of Trump. It's a fascinating example of how self-aggrandizement, celebrity and perception do not always equate to reality, common sense and gratitude. If anything, it fuels hypocrisy. People magazine reported in 2024 that the comedian and former daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, had moved to England. DeGeneres confirmed in July that Trump's return to the White House prompted her move across the Atlantic. In March, comedian Rosie O'Donnell announced in a TikTok video that she moved to Ireland with her child. She's working on obtaining Irish citizenship. In the video, she said she moved because she didn't think she'd have equal rights under Trump. If these celebrities' ties to our nation were so weak that they could be severed because Americans elected a Republican president, how much did they care about the United States to begin with? Were they ever really freedom-loving Americans? Subscribe to my newsletterhere and get exclusive access to columns like this one – before anyone else Celebrities who abandon the US are hypocrites Celebrities are often hypocritical when it comes to their real lives, political beliefs and their careers. They'll claim they're anti-gun but make films with jarring violence and hire armed security for themselves. They'll tell other Americans how to vote − and it's mostly for Democrats − but live a lifestyle free of the economic and financial pressures that regular Americans face. Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Amy Schumer, Cher and Whoopi Goldberg threatened to leave America if Trump got elected in 2016, but they are still here. Perhaps they at least realize how silly it is to abandon their country because millions of their fellow citizens democratically elected a Republican into office. Perhaps they realized how hypocritical it was to live a life of luxury, thanks to America's free market principles, and then spit in its face because an election didn't go the way they wanted. When O'Donnell says she fled to Ireland out of fear that Americans like her would lose their rights, what does that really mean? Trump has signed no executive orders and Congress has passed no laws that strip any Americans of their fundamental rights. Federal anti-discrimination laws remain in place to protect all Americans, including the LGBTQ+ community. It's strange for someone like Kimmel, with a reported net worth of about $50 million, to flee the United States because of a supposedly difficult political environment. He still has a platform on network TV to ridicule Trump and other conservatives who don't support Kimmel's ultraprogressive opinions. Trump, meanwhile, is doing what 77 million voters said they wanted in November. He's secured the southern border, brought illegal immigration under control, bolstered the economy and is working to secure peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. If celebrities, or anyone else, want to flee the United States because a Republican is president, by all means, good riddance. If they can't appreciate the country that paved the way for their wealth and fame, and they want to believe they are victims of a difficult political climate, they deserve to wallow in their hypocrisy in a country that is a distant second to America's greatness. Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at nrussell@ and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
The GOP shift on earmarks
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— GOP eyes earmarks in shutdown talks— Schumer: Dems all in on energy cost attacks— Emergency alerts in peril post-rescissions Vulnerable Republican incumbents and GOP fiscal hawks are teaming up over a historically contentious issue: earmarks. Our Meredith Lee Hill reports that Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris and his allies are supporting the inclusion of so-called community project funding in a continuing resolution — as long as that short-term, shutdown-averting bill keeps other spending 'at least flat.' Moreover, says Meredith, House GOP leaders are seriously considering this compromise as they stare down an end-of-September deadline to avoid a federal lapse in funding. It's a change of tune for many Republicans who have long shunned the practice of steering federal dollars to pet projects back home as wasteful. In March, leadership nixed billions in previously-approved community project funding in the seven-month stopgap bill to appease fiscal conservatives. But deficit hard-liners now want to avoid having to vote for a larger, full-year package at higher spending levels, and they think earmarks could be what convinces other House Republicans to let a scaled-back measure go through. 'Allowing earmarks on a CR is a hell of a lot cheaper than an omnibus,' said one Republican with direct knowledge of the ongoing conversations. Rep. Mike Flood, who chairs the Republican Main Street Caucus, said in a recent interview he's promoting earmarks as a way to boost GOP incumbents in tough races next fall. His 83-member coalition is stacked with business-friendly lawmakers and front-liners who could use an opportunity to brag about delivering money for key investments back home. Speaker Mike Johnson's team is listening, says Flood, as leadership looks to hold onto its fragile majority in 2026. But Harris, who is also a top appropriator, isn't stopping with his demand for a flat-funded-CR sweetened with earmarks: He's pushing for a guarantee that Congress will pass more rescissions packages to claw back funding lawmakers have already approved. In addition, Harris wants the White House to send over a pocket rescissions package between now and the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, which would have the effect of revoking billions of dollars in appropriated money on Oct. 1 if Congress doesn't act on the request. That could run afoul with many congressional Republicans who worry about the administration's steady encroachment on their 'power of the purse,' and are still sore from the last grueling round of clawback negotiations. The legality of pocket rescissions also remains in question. GOOD MONDAY MORNING. Email us: cdumay@ and crazor@ THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Schumer's August marching orders Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer thinks Democrats are hitting their stride this August break on one of his top priorities: slamming Republicans on rising energy costs. 'We will make sure people know why the electric bills are going up,' Schumer told Cassandra in an exclusive interview of the messaging strategy he's reinforcing inside his caucus. 'We're on the same page.' During constituent events this month, congressional Democrats have been highlighting the cuts to clean energy incentives which Republicans baked into their massive, party-line tax and spending package. Those tax credits were established in the Democrats' 2022 climate law, which turned three years old over the weekend. The incentives led to major green investments in red states and districts, but they continue to be politically polarizing, and Republicans rolled back and weakened many of them as part of the newly enacted megabill. Schumer told Cassandra that Democrats are sounding the alarm that these actions will lead to job losses and more expensive utilities. He also pointed to the millions of dollars environmental groups have already spent on ads to bolster this message, which he predicts will be 'one of the [Republicans'] weakest' points ahead of the midterms. 'We are letting people know they're losing their jobs because Trump and Senate Republicans repealed the energy tax credits,' Schumer said. POLICY RUNDOWN RUSSIA SANCTIONS BLEAKER BY THE DAY — Democrats are increasingly doubtful they'll get to vote to put sanctions on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine when the Senate returns from recess next month. 'This next set of sanctions could be more impactful,' Sen. Chris Murphy told NBC's Meet the Press Sunday. 'The problem is, in the Senate, the Republican leader won't even bring up a vote, a debate on this bill because Donald Trump doesn't even want a discussion about these sanctions because he's so worried that it might upset his great friend Vladimir Putin.' Murphy's pessimism comes as Trump left his Alaska summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin this past Friday without securing a ceasefire agreement, his long-stated goal for the confab. Instead, Trump said he would pursue a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, around which there continues to be enormous skepticism about a successful outcome. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has so far been mum. However, Sen. Lindsey Graham — who has been leading the Russian sanctions effort on Capitol Hill but is also one of Trump's most loyal allies — said following the Alaska meeting he is now feeling hopeful and will defer to the president on next steps for a legislative response to force Putin's hand. Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House this afternoon. LAWMAKERS TEE UP ACTION ON DC — Competing measures are in the works on Capitol Hill to either end or extend Trump's federal takeover of the District of Columbia's police force. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a resolution Friday that would grant Trump the authority to maintain federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department 'for as long as necessary to restore law and order' — a measure also backed by Rep. Andy Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. That same day, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton rolled out a joint resolution with fellow Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia that would terminate Trump's action, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen prepared to offer a companion resolution in his chamber. There's little chance Democrats make headway on their proposal, while Trump could put pressure on GOP leaders to take up the Luna measure — though it would likely have difficulty getting the votes to clear a necessary procedural hurdle in the Senate. FALLOUT FROM RESCISSIONS 1.0 — Public radio and TV stations are scrambling to keep disaster-warning systems alive following Congress' vote to nix $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Kylie Williams and Avril Silva report. The impact is widespread. Station managers in Alaska — where news stations serve rural communities and tribal villages — say funding has already dried up. PBS outlets in Northern California towns that send alerts during earthquakes are facing shutdowns. And stations in Oklahoma are unable to replace aging transmitters that provide warnings for emergencies. Craig Fugate, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Obama administration, said lawmakers may not realize how much certain communities rely on public broadcasting: 'It's important that a lot of senators and a lot of representatives start to hear from folks and start to realize the ramifications at the local level.' The CPB, which provided over 500 grants to more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations, is winding down operations with plans to fully shutter after January. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST Midterm Fight Over Trump Bill, Tariffs Starts Early at Iowa Fair, from Erik Wasson at Bloomberg Georgia GOP fears bruising primary in race to unseat Ossoff, from Caroline Vakil, Al Weaver and Brett Samuels at The Hill The Democrats' biggest Senate recruits have one thing in common, from Russell Berman at The Atlantic CAMPAIGN STOP DEMS ADVANCE REDISTRICTING FIGHT IN CA — The Democrats who serve in the Texas legislature but left town to block the GOP majority's ability to approve new congressional maps are returning home to expected defeat — but their counterparts in the blue state of California are preparing to pick up the fight. California Democrats will circulate a long-awaited redistricting proposal among members of their own state legislature this week — and lawmakers are expected to approve the maps and related legislation by Thursday, Melanie Mason, Blake Jones and Dustin Gardiner report. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a Nov. 4 special election for voters to green light the mid-decade redistricting effort. In the plan released Friday, Democrats have drawn themselves hefty advantages in districts currently held by GOP Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa. At the same time, the new maps would provide some protection to other vulnerable Democrats, deepening the advantage for Reps. Adam Gray in the Central Valley, Derek Tran and Dave Min in Orange County and George Whitesides in Los Angeles County. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Jay Obernolte … former Reps. Toby Moffett and Louie Gohmert … Erik Wemple … WSJ's Sadie Gurman … Scott Haber-Katris … Megan Scully … H.R. Bert Peña … POLITICO's Lee Hudson … CNN's Simone Pathe … Bryan Greene of the National Association of Realtors … Roger Zakheim … Elizabeth Letter … Jordan Baugh … former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner … Bob Woodruff … Jules Polonetsky (6-0) … Ben Wermund … Robert Lynch TRIVIA FRIDAY'S ANSWER: Nikki Bannister correctly answered that New Hampshire and Vermont are the two states where governors serve two-year terms. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Cassandra: Who was the first painter to depict an African American in a Capitol mural? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
