Because of Idaho’s abortion ban and a court decision that does not protect emergency room physicians from prosecution under that law, some Idaho physicians are advising their pregnant patients, or those trying to become pregnant, to purchase memberships with companies like Life Flight Network or Air St. Luke’s in the Boise area to avoid potentially significant costs if they need air transport in an emergency. (Courtesy of Life Flight) Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in January to consider a case about whether a federal law regarding emergency medical treatment supersedes an abortion ban ..read more

A potential buyer tries out a gun that is displayed on an exhibitor's table during the Nation's Gun Show on Nov. 18, 2016, at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) The Colorado House of Representatives passed three firearm-related bills over the weekend, including what would be a first-in-the-nation requirement for gun owners to carry liability insurance. The trio is part of a handful of gun bills making their way through the Democrat-controlled Legislature that would place additional requirements on firearm owners in the state. The bills will now head to the Sen ..read more

(Getty Images) The Colorado Energy Office and the Oweesta Corporation, a Longmont-based tribal nonprofit, will each receive $156 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to help low- and moderate-income families install rooftop solar panels. The award, announced as part of President Joe Biden’s celebration of Earth Day, comes from the EPA’s “Solar for All” competition, which allocated $7 billion for 60 selected applicants to create or expand low-income solar access. The program is part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and the EPA estimates it will help m ..read more

A view of the Colorado Capitol on Jan. 25, 2024. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline) The Colorado House of Representatives approved a bill Saturday that would limit law enforcement’s use of prone restraint, which is when an officer holds someone face down on the ground with their hands behind their back.  As soon as a suspect is handcuffed in the prone position, House Bill 24-1372 would require officers to immediately take the person off the ground to ensure they can properly breathe, placing them in a so-called recovery position.  “Our law enforcement officers are out there every day ..read more

Election workers process ballots for the presidential primaries on Super Tuesday at the Denver Elections Division in Denver, March 5, 2024. (Kevin Mohatt for Colorado Newsline) A major set of election reforms, constitutional protections for abortion rights and a series of tit-for-tat battles over property taxes and environmental regulation top the long list of measures that may appear on Colorado ballots in November. “There’s going to be about 47 ballot measures on a really long ballot,” joked Theresa Conley, chair of the state’s Initiative Title Setting Review Board, last week during the pan ..read more

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Military and humanitarian aid could be on its way to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan within weeks after the U.S. House took a series of overwhelmingly bipartisan votes Saturday to approve $95 billion in emergency assistance — and the Senate appeared poised to agree. The approval in a rare weekend session ended months of deadlock. House GOP leaders struggled with whether they should block or provide aid amid ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine as well as mounting concerns about China’s ..read more

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shakes Rep. Javier Mabrey's hand after signing House Bill 24-1098 into law on April 19, 2024. (Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline) Colorado landlords will now need a specific reason to evict or not offer a lease renewal to a tenant under a new law signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on Friday. It is a victory for tenants-rights organizers and progressive legislators who seek to include renters in the conversation about how to address the state’s housing and affordability issues. Colorado is the sixth state to enact such a policy. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED T ..read more

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Friday moved one step closer to approving billions in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with Democrats providing crucial support to Republican leaders after defections by their hard-right members. Lawmakers in the broadly bipartisan 316-94 vote approved a rule that sets up the procedure for debating a handful of amendments and passage of the three separate bills on Saturday, in a rare weekend session. Here is how members of ..read more

In this photo illustration, a mobile phone can be seen displaying the logos for Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in front of a monitor showing the flags of the United States and China on an internet page, on Sept. 22, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — U.S. House leadership has packaged more than a dozen bipartisan bills into a so-called “sidecar” agreement meant to attract isolationist lawmakers’ support for long-stalled foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The wide-ranging catchall, introduced as the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, would force the ..read more

Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks with reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats on Thursday began coalescing behind Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to provide assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through a series of three bills, though far-right members of his own party grew increasingly frustrated with the Louisianan’s bipartisan streak. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading an effort to remove Johnson as speaker, told reporters ..read more