Latest news with #ColoradoHouseofRepresentatives
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Colorado Treasurer Dave Young launches bid for hotly contested 8th Congressional District
DENVER - Colorado Treasurer Dave Young is joining the increasingly crowded Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional District. Young, a Greeley Democrat, is a former member of the state legislature and its powerful Joint Budget Committee. He points to his deep roots in the district and five successful races - three specifically in the 8th District and two statewide - as evidence he'll be able to flip the highly competitive seat blue once again in next year's election. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican, won the seat in 2024 after defeating freshman Democrat Yadira Caraveo. She was the first to represent the new seat, which was created after the 2020 census and stretches from Thornton to Greeley. Fewer than 2,500 votes have decided the victor in both elections for the seat. The 2026 race is likely to be just as close. Three other Democrats have declared for it so far: Caraveo and state Reps. Shannon Bird and Manny Rutinel. The primary election will be next summer. Young, who has served as state treasurer since 2019 and is term-limited in 2026, said in an interview ahead of his Wednesday morning announcement that he was motivated to seek office once more by Evans' recent yes vote on the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," the sweeping Republican spending and tax cut package supported by President Donald Trump. In particular, Young is worried about proposed cuts to Medicaid in the bill. Evans, for his part, has argued that the bill has been the subject of "blatant fearmongering." Young's sister has severe developmental disabilities and behavioral health issues, he said, and cuts to Medicaid two decades ago left her homeless. Cuts then spurred him to seek office in 2011, when he was appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives, and they're spurring him now, Young said. "I know I can compete and win races, and I know I can win this one," Young said. "We've got to get Gabe Evans out of there, and people need to know that the services they depend on are going to be sustained and improved so they can move their lives forward." Young said he plans to run on "kitchen table economic issues" and on his experience. He pointed to a bill he ran to reform the state Medicaid program as a lawmaker and to his administration as treasurer of the small business CLIMBER loan fund and the unclaimed property trust fund. He wants Congress to wrest back balance as a co-equal branch of government to the White House. "Congress right now is giving away their power and authority," Young said. "… We see it play out in tariffs right now, where the administration has far exceeded its authority and created economic ripples, but you also see it where they're reluctant to push back on things like what Gave Evans voted on." -------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Third car theft conviction means loss of gun rights under new Colorado law
The Colorado House of Representatives debates a property tax relief bill during a special session on Aug. 27, 2024. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) People convicted of first-degree car theft in Colorado will be unable to have a firearm under a new law signed by Gov. Jared Polis on Monday. House Bill 25-1171 adds the offense to the list of crimes covered by the Possession of Weapon by Previous Offender statute in the state. POWPO makes it illegal to own a firearm for people with one or more of the listed convictions on their record. 'From now on anyone convicted of first degree motor vehicle theft (is) ineligible to possess a firearm, keeping guns out of the wrong hands and protecting our communities,' Polis said in a statement. 'I am proud of our work to improve public safety in Colorado, and with this bill signed into law, I look forward to continuing our bold progress to protect Coloradans and our communities.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A person can be convicted of first-degree vehicle theft only after two other vehicle theft convictions. The bill was sponsored by Reps. Shannon Bird of Westminster and Andrew Boesenecker of Fort Collins and Sens. Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo and Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Commerce City, all Democrats. It passed the Legislature with bipartisan support. A 2021 law narrowed the scope of the POWPO application in Colorado, and while a 2022 law then added more felonies back to the list, it left car theft out. 'What we heard in committee from law enforcement is a plea. They are begging us, in these situations where you have someone who has been convicted three times of auto theft, they are asking us to please take the firearm out of the equation,' Boesenecker said on the House floor during bill debate. What we heard in committee from law enforcement is a plea. They are begging us, in these situations where you have someone who has been convicted three times of auto theft, they are asking us to please take the firearm out of the equation. – State Rep. Andrew Boesenecker As the bill made its way through the Legislature, Hinrichsen said that car theft is distinct from other property crimes and non-violent offenses left out of POWPO. 'When we look at punishments relative to crime, either in terms of sentences or in terms of restrictions, what we should be looking at is the severity of the action and the risk and harm done to the victim and community more broadly. When you're dealing with the theft of a vehicle, you're disrupting the entire life of an individual,' he said during the bill's first Senate committee hearing. The bill was amended in the House, under a change brought by Republican representatives, to allow a person to petition a court to restore their firearm possession rights after 10 years. 'This is the crucially important piece — for someone who has turned their life around, they can petition to get this removed,' Rep. Ryan Armagost, a Berthoud Republican who helped negotiate the amendment, said on the House floor. But that amendment ended up being a sticking point. Other crimes on the POWPO list do not have that restoration pathway for adults, creating equal protection concerns. Sponsors said, however, that the attorney general's office said the bill with the amendment is defensible if a legal challenge emerges. But the Senate stripped the amendment from the bill and passed a version without the restoration piece. The House then refused to accept the change and forced the Senate to decide, in the last hours of the session on May 7, to either pass the House version of the bill or allow the legislation to die. The Senate passed the bill. 'I appreciate the hard work of the House sponsors to work on deals that bring parties into agreement, that brought representatives to be able to get behind this policy that I believe will save lives in Colorado,' Hinrichsen said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado House gives initial OK to bill that would ease union formation despite veto threat
Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, speaks about a labor rights bill at the Colorado Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) The Colorado House of Representatives on Monday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would eliminate a second election requirement, unique to the state, for union formation, four months after the legislation was introduced and two days before the end of the lawmaking term. After months of negotiation between labor and business groups, there was no deal reached among groups on opposing sides of debate around the measure, and the bill is the same as it was in January. That will set up a likely clash with Gov. Jared Polis, who has signaled opposition to the measure. Senate Bill 25-5 was a priority for progressive Democrats this year. It would alter union law in the state by removing a second election requirement to negotiate union security, the term used when everyone in a workplace is required to pay into the representation a union provides, regardless of membership. In Colorado, a 50% vote is necessary to form a union, as is federal law, but a second election requiring a 75% vote is required to negotiate union security in a contract. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Unions negotiate compensation, benefits and workplace conditions for all workers, not just members. That second election does not automatically require union security but allows it to be on the negotiating table. And workers could still decline to ratify a contract that includes union security. '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 a choice that everyone in that workplace can bargain over as well,' said bill sponsor Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat. Bill supporters say the second election creates a massive barrier for strong union formation in the state and leads to Colorado's low unionization rate. 'Something is happening between that first and second election. We heard stories of what's happening between those elections. Workers are being dissuaded. Workers are being tantamount to intimidation,' Bacon said. 'That second vote has demonstrated that it is a tangible barrier to being able to collectively bargain.' The bill is also sponsored by Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat. It was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, a Denver Democrat, and Sen. Jessie Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, in the Senate. 'This bill is about empowering Coloradans to stand up for better workplaces and to stand up for higher wages in an economy that is increasingly rigged against them,' Mabrey said, framing the vote in the context of growing wealth inequality and elimination of some workers rights and consumer protection efforts and the federal level. The bill was previewed last year and introduced on the first day of the legislative session. From the start, Polis expressed wariness of signing a bill that didn't reflect a compromise between labor and business. Representing workers who are ready for change, we came to the table in good faith but business walked away from a meaningful compromise that would have made our system fairer and safer for working people. – Dennis Dougherty, executive director of Colorado AFL-CIO The Senate passed an unamended version of the bill in February. It languished on the House calendar for about a month after moving through its committees, as sponsors and stakeholders continued to discuss potential compromises. That deal never came. 'Representing workers who are ready for change, we came to the table in good faith but business walked away from a meaningful compromise that would have made our system fairer and safer for working people,' Dennis Dougherty, the executive director of Colorado AFL-CIO, said in a statement over the weekend. Loren Furman, the president of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, rejected that characterization. Business groups including Colorado Concern and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce were also involved in talks. She said the chamber offered three ideas that labor interests didn't agree to, and that chamber's members couldn't agree to the 'creative proposals' that the governor's office came up with, one of which she said would have bifurcated small and large businesses in the matter. 'At the end of the day, it's disappointing. I take this process very seriously and we have always tried to find a common ground or consensus on issues down here at the Capitol. This is a policy that's been in place for 83 years, and yet we still came to the table and offered significant compromises that would've helped labor unions be more successful,' she said. 'At the end of the day, it was really important to us that all employees have a say over whether or not these fees get withdrawn from their paychecks.' House sponsors moved forward on the bill despite the absence of a negotiation. The bill needs a final, recorded vote in the House before it heads to the governor to either sign or veto. Bacon urged Polis, as the 'figurehead of the Democratic Party' in the state, to sign the bill. Last year, Polis vetoed two labor-related bills, which drew frustration and sharp criticism from unions and Democrats. Republicans are uniformly against the bill. They generally agree with the Labor Peace Act, which established the second election, and view the 80-year-old law as a functioning compromise between labor and business. 'This (bill) is about forcing workers to pay union dues against their will, even if they want nothing to do with the union. It's mandatory, compulsory fees,' said Rep. Chris Richardson, an Elizabeth Republican. 'It's about compelling association and compelling speech, and that's wrong.' On Monday, Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch tried to run an amendment to get rid of the second election and allow union security negotiations if at least 60% of workers voted for the union formation. A similar amendment was determined to not fit under the title of the bill during committee, and his amendment on Monday was also ruled out of the scope of the bill's title. The legislative session ends Wednesday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
School Finance Act passes Colorado House despite state budget constraints
DENVER (KDVR) — The bill detailing the state's plan to fund public schools cleared the Colorado House of Representatives Thursday. Teachers and lawmakers alike are happy that education cuts did not happen during a tight budget. Rep. Evans speaks on first 100 days in office as constituents push for more access 'I want our teachers to know that we heard them. That we are not cutting public education and instead we are driving more dollars to them, in the classroom, making sure they have the resources, the staffing, the curriculum, the technology; everything they need to help kids learn,' said Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie. She is relieved that students in Colorado are set to see more funding next school year than they did this year. 'The legislature has really come through, and now we are at a situation where every district will get at least the same amount of funding they did last year. And many will get a little bit more. That is a much better position to be in than where we first started,' said Kevin Vick, president of the Colorado Education Association. The work started with a new school finance formula that was passed last year and will now be implemented over seven years rather than six. Districts are set to see an increase of nearly $257 million, with more than $10 billion total to fund education once the session ends. The funding amounts to over $410 more per pupil, bringing the state's average to $11,863 in per pupil spending every year. The act's passage comes after lawmakers reached a compromise on the way student enrollment averages are counted in the state. The governor had originally proposed using one-year averages for student enrollment counts in each district, sparking a huge teacher rally at the Capitol earlier this year. 'The averaging tool in our formula has just been a way to help stabilize funding for districts. The governor had proposed eliminating that tool and it would have impacted our districts by about $147 million. We have kept averaging in the bill for next year,' McCluskie said. Northern Colorado manufacturers meet with Polis to discuss Trump tariffs While lawmakers kept the four-year enrollment averaging in place, it could change to a three-year averaging mechanism if the state is in better fiscal shape. With state budget leaders already warning that bigger cuts are likely to come next year, teachers said the state needs to find a better way to fund education. 'I continually refer to our current situation as the Hunger Games. We pit really need things that citizens want deserve to have here in this state against each other,' said Vick. 'I think TABOR [Taxpayer Bill of Rights] is one of the things we need to take a look at in terms of how it is artificially restricting our ability to even grow out of negative balance situations.' Speaker McCluskie also said it is time for the state to have a conversation about TABOR. While $10 billion sounds like a lot, teachers and lawmakers alike said the state could do better. Colorado is still down about $7,000 a year in per-pupil funding compared to the national average of $18, 614 according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The bill now heads to the Senate to go through the legislative process in that chamber. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
‘A birth is more expensive than an abortion': CO Dems argue fiscal virtues of liberal health care bill
The speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives argued in a recent committee hearing on a new "pregnancy-related services" bill that "averted births" could lead to cost savings for the state and its Medicaid program. Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, seated as a bill-sponsor witness during a Health and Human Services Committee hearing in Denver last week, was pressed on her argument that the bill would "decrease costs for our health care policy and financing department [and] Medicaid expenditures." "[T]he savings from averted births outweigh the cost of covering reproductive health care for all Coloradans," McCluskie said, adding the bill will require abortions to be state-funded so as to avoid "potential interference" from the feds. McCluskie claimed the bill is a response to voters approving a 2024 ballot referendum that repealed a state constitutional amendment banning public funds for abortion procedures and instead recognized the operation as a right. Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Lone Tree, questioned McCluskie's cost argument from a pro-life perspective, and lamented the fact Colorado allows abortion up until the day of delivery. Bradley countered that McCluskie's cost-centric position ignores the high price of third-trimester abortions, which she calculated to be as much as $25,000, and asked General Assembly nonpartisan fiscal analyst Bill Zepernick to weigh-in on official figures. "So help me understand: From a fiscal point of view, you say there's a decrease of $1.7 million from federal funds — but if there are no federal funds, you would say there's no money coming from federal funds," Bradley asked McCluskie. "Can you walk me through why it just says a decrease, and not that there's zero money coming from federal funds, because if there is, the Hyde Amendment covers that," she said, referring to the practice of adding such a rider to health care appropriations bills since the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., first did in 1976 to prohibit abortion funding via federal dollars. McCluskie responded that the savings she referenced comes from "averted births that will not occur because abortions happened instead." "So, a birth is more expensive than an abortion," she said. "So, the savings comes in Medicaid births that will not occur — since both federal and state general funds are used through Medicaid for other health care services." Meanwhile, Bradley pressed McCluskie on the mental health and substance abuse complications some women who undergo abortions may develop. Bill co-sponsor Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Westminster, chimed in, calling Bradley's concern one that "assumes misinformation" and instead claimed women denied abortions are at risk of suffering longer-term mental health complications. Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Cimarron Hills, rejected Garcia's claim. "You know that that definitely isn't misinformation," he said. "CDC and NIH both — I stated these statistics three weeks ago, but they were ignored. Those statistics are wrong. Suicide goes up drastically, specifically second and third trimester. As I mentioned, if they have an abortion, as mental health issues goes up quite a bit." A pro-life obstetrician later told the committee it seemed proponents of the bill "are saying that if more babies die by abortion it will be cheaper for the state." Fox News Digital reached out to McCluskie, Bradley and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, for comment. The full audio was posted in a legislative hearing depository.
