Author: Marissa Ventrelli
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Colorado expands state inspection authority over ICE detention centers
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed a bill that broadens Colorado’s power to conduct health and safety inspections at federal immigration detention centers. Additionally, the legislation requires the Attorney General’s Office to craft a policy on when personally identifying information must be shared with federal immigration authorities under state or federal law. It’s the latest…
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Colorado governor rejects bill to ban individualized pricing, wages based on personal data
Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a Democratic‑backed bill that would have prohibited companies from using personal data to set individualized prices or wages, saying the proposal was overly broad and could unintentionally restrict legitimate consumer discounts. House Bill 1210 sought to bar companies from using a “price or wage‑setting algorithm,” defined as any technology that uses…
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Gov. Jared Polis signs law imposing new limits on sports betting in Colorado
Colorado’s sports‑betting industry will face new regulations — limits on deposits, prohibitions on credit‑card funding, and barring companies from targeting anyone under 21 — under a bill signed by Gov. Jared Polis. Senate Bill 131 — sponsored by Sens. Matt Ball, D‑Denver, and Byron Pelton, R‑Sterling, along with Reps. Steven Woodrow, D‑Denver, and Dan Woog,…
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Gov. Polis signs law allowing ‘conversion therapy’ recipients to sue providers
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill enabling individuals who underwent “conversion therapy” to seek damages from practitioners, calling it harmful and ineffective as he also moved to prohibit state funding for it. Conversion therapy refers to practices that attempt to counsel people on their choices of sexual orientation or gender identity. Critics argue…
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Colorado governor signs new regulations on AI chatbots for minors
Colorado will impose restrictions on AI chatbots used by minors after Gov. Jared Polis on Friday signed a bill requiring developers to disclose when kids are talking to a machine and block features that can mimic intimacy or encourage addictive engagement. House Bill 1263 will require AI developers to disclose to minor users that they…
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Colorado candidates for governor share plans to tackle youth mental health crisis
Three candidates for Colorado’s highest elected office laid out their plans to address the state’s youth mental health crisis during a forum on Thursday. Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, and Republican State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer fielded questions about expanding access to mental health care for children, addressing the workforce shortage, and…
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Polis signs RTD overhaul bill aimed at rebuilding transit ridership
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday approved an overhaul of the Regional Transportation District, signing legislation that sponsors hope would reverse stagnant ridership by, among other things, reshaping the agency’s leadership. The bill’s sponsors also argued that the changes would help restore public trust in metro Denver’s transit system, which operates bus and light‑rail service across…
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Colorado issues draft guidance on semi-automatic firearms ahead of new law’s implementation
The Colorado Department of Revenue has issued a draft of its “specified semi-automatic firearms guidance,” as required by a 2025 law that goes into effect on Aug. 1 of this year. Last legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 003, which requires individuals to undergo a $52 safety course through Colorado Parks and Wildlife in order…
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Denver, Boulder prosecutors call congressional immigration probe ‘political theater’
Elected officials in Denver and Boulder are pushing back after the U.S. House Judiciary Committee opened an investigation into their immigration policies, as part of a broader probe targeting “sanctuary” jurisdictions nationwide. On May 20, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, issued letters to the district attorneys, sheriffs and police…
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‘More free time’: Gov. Polis turns Colorado Democratic Party censure into scheduling perk
Facing public rebuke from his own party, Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday brushed off the Colorado Democratic Party’s censure and defended his decision to cut in half Tina Peters’ prison term, saying the case had long troubled him and that her beliefs should never have factored into her sentencing. At a news conference announcing an…