Recent News
Colorado Senate Republicans Respond to Events in Washington D.C.
DENVER - In response to the eruption of violence in Washington D.C. - and specifically at the United States Capitol - members of the Colorado Senate Republicans have released the following statements: Minority Leader Chris Holbert: "As we prepare for the 2021 Colorado...
CORAM: The only certainty for 2021 is uncertainty
As I begin my 11th year in the Colorado General Assembly and look forward to 2021, I wonder what to expect.After 2020, the only thing certain is uncertainty. Last year started out as any other, then along came the coronavirus, or what is now referred to as COVID-19. We went into recess and worked from home along with most state agencies and much of the private sector.
HISEY: Highlights from the special session
With the results of this recent special session pretty widely reported, I was hesitant to just repeat the final outcome but some of those bills could use little commentary.
However, before we go there, let me say I appreciated the process, this was the correct process to debate and allocate monies entrusted to the State of Colorado. With that said, the bills that received the blessing of the governor and majority leadership were the ones that passed and with very few amendments. All other bills and most amendments were quickly killed and many of those amendments were important.
Senate Republican Leader Chris Holbert Announces Committee Assignments for the 73rd General Assembly
DENVER -- Today, Colorado Senate Republican Leader Chris Holbert (R-Douglas County) announced committee assignments for the Senate Republican Caucus during the 73rd General Assembly of the State of Colorado. “These appointments represent a wide breadth of experience...
SONNENBERG: A not-so-special session
Despite Colorado’s desperate need of economic relief during this pandemic, the state Legislature did not convene for the promised “special session” through the spring, summer, or fall months to provide the respite the good people of Colorado need and expect from their elected officials, instead waiting until last week. Better late than never, some might say, until they see what the Legislature produced during the long-awaited session.
SCOTT: No more delays on infrastructure funding
Now that the 2020 Colorado election dust has settled, it is time to collaborate on solutions to our continuing transportation backlog. It is critical that every possible funding solution is explored and on the table for discussion.
HISEY: A special session called by the governor
Finally! When the Senate Republicans called for a special session on July 28 to address COVID-19’s impact on schools, the students and their parents, it was called a “political stunt to try to score cheap points.”
COOKE: Is crime getting worse in Colorado?
Colorado is under the grip of two concurrent epidemics; COVID-19, and crime. Both are taking their toll in terms of irrevocable financial loss and lives severely disrupted or even cut short; but only one – the crime epidemic – is largely self-inflicted.
CORAM: Tri-State leaders pulled a sneaky move; the PUC should stop them
Many of our constituents have been customers of Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, La Plata Electric Association and Delta-Montrose Electric Association for many years, far too many of which have been filled with higher-than-necessary bills, largely a result of suspect decisions out of Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s metro-Denver corporate offices.
SONNENBERG: Governor escalates his War on Rural Colorado
Elections are fast approaching, and this governor is making political appointments that appear to be furthering his “War on Rural Colorado.” Polis’ latest appointment, to the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, is a self-proclaimed “vegan activist” whose response to the outcry against this absurd move was to attack one of Colorado’s premier youth organizations on social media. Ellen Kessler claimed that 4-H clubs – known as one of the first kids’ clubs in America, with a focus on leadership, citizenship, and life skills – “teach children that animal lives don’t matter.”
Senate and House Republicans Call for Special Session to Address Challenges in Access to Education During COVID-19
DENVER – Following an overwhelming outcry from Colorado parents regarding the future of their children’s education during the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate and House Republicans have penned a letter to Governor Jared Polis, requesting a special session to tackle the...
HISEY: Now it is up to the voter
With the session over, the decision-making shifts to the voters who will decide at the ballot box. The legislature referred three measures to ballot, two constitutional changes and one tax increase. None of which does the legislature have the authority to implement on its own. Charitable Bingo and Raffles Amendment is the working title to an amendment that allows charitable organizations to obtain a charitable gaming license after three years as opposed to the current five-year rule and to hire a manager so long as they are paid no more than minimum wage. Yes, bingo is regulated in the Colorado Constitution.