Latest news with #PaulLundeen
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen announces resignation
MONUMENT, Colo. (KREX) — On Monday morning, Senator Paul Lundeen announced that he will resign from the Colorado Senate as the Senate Minority Leader to pursue a new position as the next president and CEO of American Excellence Foundation. The American Excellence Foundation is a national investment nonprofit that focuses on supporting conservative causes. His resignation will be effective on Monday, June 9. Lundeen has served over a decade of public service in Colorado, including seven sessions in the Colorado Senate and has been the Senate Minority Leader since 2022. In addition, he has served in the Colorado House of Representatives and on the Colorado State Board of Education. 'Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,' said Lundeen. 'I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and common-sense conservative values.' Following the Republican leader's resignation announcement, Governor Polis, House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese and Senate Republicans made statements in response. 'I want to thank Paul Lundeen for his years of service to Colorado. Paul has always found ways to work across the aisle, and do what is best for the people he has served. We've often found common ground on the issues that matter most to Coloradans, like education, public safety and growing our economy. Senator Lundeen has spent decades in public service, in addition to his time leading small businesses, and his presence and leadership will be missed at the Capitol,' said Governor Jared Polis. 'Senator Lundeen has been a principled, thoughtful leader whose dedication to education, economic opportunity, and conservative values has left a lasting impact on Colorado. His voice will be missed at the Capitol, but we are confident he will continue to serve our country well in this next chapter. We thank him for his service and look forward to seeing how he uses this new platform to further the principles we share,' said House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese. 'The Senate Republican Caucus congratulates Minority Leader Lundeen on taking the next steps in his professional career,' said the Colorado Senate Republicans. 'We are grateful for his many years of dedicated public service and thank him for his leadership over the years fighting for students, economic freedom, and safety for all Coloradans. We wish him well and are excited to see him succeed in his next endeavor.' On Thursday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m., the Senate Republican Caucus will hold an online caucus meeting to elect its next Minority Leader. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen resigns to take national position
DNEVER (KDVR) — Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen has resigned from the Colorado Senate, the senator's office announced Monday morning. His resignation was effective Monday, June 9, as he heads to the American Excellence Foundation, a national investment nonprofit focused on supporting conservative causes where he will be the next president and CEO. The organization's board unanimously approved of Lundeen in the position. 11 Colorado companies named among top workplaces in nation: US News The Republican leader has been in Colorado's Senate for seven sessions and served as minority leader since 2022. He also served in the Colorado House of Representatives four sessions and four years on the Colorado State Board of Education. 'Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,' Lundeen said in a press release. 'I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and common-sense conservative values.' According to a press release, Lundeen's achievements in Colorado's General Assembly include co-leading an effort to rewrite Colorado's public education funding formula, playing a key role in successfully cutting the state income tax rate, and sponsoring bills that have since become law to combat human trafficking. Colorado Senate Republicans in a statement congratulated Lundeen for his next steps. 'We are grateful for his many years of dedicated public service and thank him for his leadership over the years fighting for students, economic freedom, and safety for all Coloradans,' the statement read. 'We wish him well and are excited to see him succeed in his next endeavor.' The Senate Republican Caucus will hold a meeting on Thursday to elect its new minority leader. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen resigns to take job with conservative nonprofit
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, listens to opening day proceedings on the first day of the 2025 session of the Colorado Legislature on Jan. 8, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Senate Minority Paul Lundeen announced Monday that he is resigning from the Legislature to join the leadership of a conservative nonprofit. His resignation is effective immediately. 'Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,' the Monument Republican said in a statement. 'I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and common-sense conservative values.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He will lead the American Excellence Foundation, an organization that awards grants to advance conservative public policy. Lundeen served as a state representative from 2015 to 2018 and as a senator since 2019. He is term-limited and could not seek re-election in 2026. Before his time in the Legislature, he served on the State Board of Education, including as chair for two years. He worked on an array of education-related policies while in office. The Senate Republican caucus will meet on Thursday evening to select a new minority leader. A vacancy committee of Republicans from Senate District 9 will also need to meet to select a replacement for Lundeen. In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis thanked Lundeen for his public service. 'Paul has always found ways to work across the aisle, and do what is best for the people he has served,' the Democrat wrote. 'We've often found common ground on the issues that matter most to Coloradans, like education, public safety and growing our economy. Senator Lundeen has spent decades in public service, in addition to his time leading small businesses, and his presence and leadership will be missed at the Capitol.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Axios
24-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Republican agenda gets rejected at Colorado Capitol
Republican lawmakers started this year's legislative session with a goal: Make Colorado more affordable. State of play: In the state Senate, lawmakers introduced four bills that amounted to $4,500 in savings by their calculation. Yes, but: None are expected to advance. Why it matters: It's unsurprising that GOP bills are doomed to fail in a Democratic-controlled Legislature. But the legislation forced Democratic lawmakers to take difficult votes in favor of additional fees and taxes — which could haunt them on the campaign trail. Zoom in: The GOP legislation attempted to repeal Democratic-authored regulations on landlords and builders to make housing more affordable. Another targeted recently approved fees. It would revoke fees on transportation, deliveries, garbage disposal, shopping bags, nicotine products and other products to lower the cost of living. What they're saying:"Affordability — that's what people are talking about," Senate Minority leader Paul Lundeen of Monument said. The intrigue: In separate bills, GOP lawmakers proposed lowering the state's income tax and creating a DOGE-like task force to find efficiencies in government. Both failed to garner support.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado poised to ban sale of AR-15s, other rifles and shotguns with extended mags
Colorado is poised to see a major change to its gun laws after the state Senate passed a bill that would effectively ban AR-15s, AK-47s, shotguns and pistols that hold more than 15 rounds. The new bill would not impact the current possession of these guns, but it would prohibit the manufacture, sale and purchase of them going forward. In addition to its ban on new sales and purchases of AR-15s and other rifles that hold high-capacity magazines, the new bill also prohibits the sale or purchase of certain after-market gun accessories that increase a firearm's rate of fire. The state Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, and it now heads to the lower chamber, where Democrats have a big majority and the bill is expected to pass. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has said he is not against the sweeping move, and gun control advocates in the Senate amended the bill to include a carve-out aimed at appeasing the governor. Federal Court Rules Age Limits On Handgun Sales Violate Second Amendment Under the carve out, buyers who wish to purchase these sorts of weapons must undergo a background check from local law enforcement similar to what one must go through to obtain a concealed carry permit. Then, the proposed buyer must complete a state-run hunting safety course and an additional four-hour firearm safety course. If the buyer did not previously have a hunter's license, then they would also need to complete an extended 12-hour in-person training over two days. In addition to all the training, the buyer would also have to score at least 90% on their final exam to obtain the exemption, which would need to be updated every five years to stay current. Read On The Fox News App Despite the carve out, all Republicans and three Democrats voted against the measure on Tuesday. "This is not a privilege granted by the government, it is a right inherent to who I am and enshrined in the United States Constitution," the top Republican in the Colorado state Senate, Paul Lundeen, said in reference to the Second Amendment, according to Koaa in Colorado. Meanwhile, according to the local outlet, Republicans also voiced concerns Tuesday over a potential "registry" being created for those seeking to purchase the type of firearms being prohibited under the new law. Md, Baltimore Mayor Target Glock For Selling Pistols That Can Be Converted Into Machine Guns "I've had hundreds of emails I think, so many I didn't answer them all," Republican state Sen. Marc Catlin said. "The point is, people are really concerned about this — the idea they have to put their name on a list." Under the newly proposed law, purchasing AR-15s that carry more than 15 rounds will be a class 2 misdemeanor, while repeated offenses will amount to a class 6 felony. While the sale and purchase of AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles that carry less than 15 rounds will still be permitted, the magazines that come from the factory for AR-15s in particular carry at least 15 rounds, according to Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. The Colorado Sun added that few manufacturers make firearms that meet Senate Bill 3's new requirements, including that the magazine be epoxied, welded or soldered to the firearm. "Anti-gun radicals in Colorado continue their attacks on law-abiding gun owners by restricting access to commonly owned firearms," John Commerford, Executive Director of NRA-ILA, told Fox News Digital. "This bill is more about optics than public safety, which was recognized by the bipartisan group of senators who voted against it. The NRA will continue to fight this unconstitutional legislation to protect the rights of peaceable Coloradans."Original article source: Colorado poised to ban sale of AR-15s, other rifles and shotguns with extended mags
