Colorado state lawmakers advanced a bill Thursday aimed at protecting whistleblowers who report police misconduct. House Bill 24-1460, titled "Law Enforcement Misconduct" has been watered down from its original version, but bans retaliation against whistleblowers. The bill still faces heavy opposition from law enforcement groups, who say it will lead to unintended consequences. A group of former police officers have spent a lot of time at the Colorado State Capitol this week pushing for the bill. They each say they were retaliated against after reporting misconduct by fellow officers. Bill to ..read more

DENVER Guiding a child back on track with school after they had a brush with the law can be a difficult endeavor. But Colorado lawmakers, parents and advocates are pushing for new legislation that could soon help. House Bill 24-1216, introduced in early February, would establish rights for justice-engaged students, meaning K-12 students who were, in some capacity, involved with the juvenile or criminal justice system. This includes the right to alternative solutions for general education, prompt enrollment with a local education provider, appropriate credit for coursework that was completed du ..read more

With just one week remaining in the 2024 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers are considering a new plan that would cut taxes and redirect TABOR refunds to lower-income families. While Colorado's TABOR amendment requires the government to refund surplus money to taxpayers, lawmakers can decide how to distribute those refunds. The Legislative Council Staff says TABOR allows lawmakers to use "any reasonable method" to refund the money. Those who support refunding part of that money in the form of tax credits to lower-income families say it will reduce child poverty in Colorado. Heather Tritte ..read more

A bill extending grant money and tax credit incentives for new rural small business owners has passed the Colorado House of Representatives. Colorado Sun Tofu, a food manufacturing company in Trinidad, got its start-up costs through the statewide Rural Jump Start program. It offers new rural business owners in Colorado tax relief up to $40,000 to start, and up to $5,000 for every new hire. "The difference in having the opportunity of the tax credits and also the grants is the difference in us being able to open or not open," CEO Lauren Roberts said. HB24-1001 would extend the program another t ..read more

Democratic state Sen. Timothy Kennedy won a special election Tuesday for the New York congressional seat vacated by Democrat Brian Higgins. Kennedy easily defeated Republican Gary Dickson for the upstate New York seat, helped by a 2-to-1 Democratic registration advantage in the district, which includes Buffalo, Niagara Falls and several suburbs. Kennedy has been in the state Senate since 2011. Describing Washington as chaotic and dysfunctional, he said he would focus in Congress on reproductive rights, immigration and stronger gun laws like those passed in New York after a 2022 mass shooting a ..read more

Colorado lawmakers will spend the final days of this years legislative session considering a major climate deal reached between two groups that rarely agree. Colorado's oil and gas industry and environmental groups are often worlds apart. But Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says both groups were able to put their differences aside and work with his office and lawmakers to reach a major agreement. What we've done is bring people together and that's really the Colorado way, Polis said. People that don't always see eye to eye, in fact, seldom see eye to eye. Under the agreement, the state will get more ..read more

DENVER A Colorado bill that is making it's way through the legislature could soon make it simpler for new immigrants to obtain their driver's licenses. Under current law, new arriving immigrants are already able to obtain their driver's licenses through the 2013 Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, but must meet several requirements: They have to have filed a Colorado resident income tax return for the prior year, demonstrate residence in the state for two years and provide a documented Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number, or TIN. Senate Bill 24-182 would get ..read more

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) Republican activists gathered in a school lunchroom last month to hear political pitches from candidates and agreed on the top issue in the Denver suburbs these days: immigration. The area has been disrupted by the arrival of largely Venezuelan migrants coming north through Mexico, they said. Virtually everyone in the meeting said they were uncomfortable with the new population, which has overwhelmed public services and become a flashpoint in local and national elections. Weve lived here our whole lives, and now we have to pay for hotels and debit cards and health care for ..read more

With the deadline to adjourn quickly approaching, Colorado lawmakers are set to consider a major property tax relief proposal. A draft proposal by State Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, centers around allowing homeowners to exempt 10% of their homes value up to $75,000. But as Hansen noted in a property tax commission hearing on Friday, there are still many details to work out. "There's no introduced legislation at this stage, Hansen said. Were working toward that goal, of course, to introduce something next week." The property tax commission, which is comprised of state, county, and local officia ..read more

Defendants in Colorado sexual assault cases soon will be prohibited from using what a victim was wearing or a victims hairstyle as evidence of consent. Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, who is the acting governor this week, signed House Bill 1072 Wednesday afternoon. The bipartisan legislation is aimed at strengthening protections for sex assault victims in court by expanding the rape shield law. It will take effect July 1. The law also includes provisions severely limiting, in court hearings, the use of a victims or witness sexual history along with accusations of a prior history of false reporting ..read more