'Political Theatre' or Necessary Action? Colorado Lawmakers Weigh on on 'Divisive' Session

'Political theatre' or necessary action? Colorado lawmakers weigh on on 'divisive' session

While Democrats and Republicans clashed over the cause of an $800 million budget shortfall plaguing the Colorado state government, they agreed that the recently-concluded special session, which sought to solve that deficit, was one of the most “divisive” in years.

Competing visions of how — and how much — to regulate AI as Colorado lawmakers return for their special session

The main focus of the special session that begins Thursday is closing a roughly $1 billion shortfall in the state budget, but the unseasonable return to the Colorado Capitol also gives lawmakers a chance to work on an unrelated issue: what to do about a controversial artificial intelligence law set to take effect next February. This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org. Colorado’s first-…

Democratic state lawmakers prep Coloradans ahead of special session

Colorado state Rep. Bob Marshall, a Highlands Ranch Democrat, speaks during a town hall in Lone Tree on Monday. (Photo by Sara Wilson/Colorado Newsline)Ahead of a special legislative session to rebalance Colorado’s budget, Democratic lawmakers are briefing their constituents on the cause of the fiscal challenge and the policy solutions they will debate later this week. “That (federal) tax law went right into our budget and shot a $1.2 billion ho…

We don’t need a special session; We need an intervention (Opinion)

When Gov. Jared Polis announced a special session to address a so-called “budget hole,” he and partisan Democrats were quick to point their fingers at Washington, D.C., blaming Republicans in Congress for our state’s fiscal troubles. The real problem isn’t in Washington. The real issue is right here at home, under the Gold Dome. As a member of the Joint Budget Committee, I have a front-row seat to Colorado’s fiscal reality. The truth is, regardl…

The Truth About "Tax Cuts" and the Special Session

Brian Eason of The Colorado Sun has expanded on a story in last week’s “Unaffiliated” newsletter that we mentioned previously about the folly of cutting taxes as an effort to boost the economy and employment — particularly with Colorado’s unusual TABOR budgetary restrictions. This issue is popping up again ahead of Thursday’s special legislative session […]