Tag: Colorado State Senate
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Colorado Senate honors journalism icon Fred Brown
The Colorado Senate on Thursday honored longtime Denver Post bureau chief Fred Brown with a ceremony as distinctive as the journalist himself, donning masks bearing his likeness and celebrating his five decades of shaping political reporting and ethical standards in the state. The tribute, offered by Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, noted Brown’s 50 years…
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Colorado’s $46.8 billion budget nears finish line. Here’s what changed
Colorado legislators on Tuesday adopted a $46.8 billion plan to pay for state operations and programs next year after a joint panel reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions. A small group of lawmakers had resolved those differences. Lawmakers adopted what is called the conference committee report on House Bill 1410 — the budget…
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Proposal to use TABOR refunds for education gets preliminary OK in Colorado
KEY TAKEAWAY: Colorado residents will lose more than $7,000 in TABOR refunds over 10 years under a Democratic proposal to divert the money to K-12 education. If approved by the full Senate, its next stop is the House. Colorado senators on Friday gave preliminary approval to a proposed ballot measure that would take billions of…
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Colorado lawmakers advance bill to tackle Colorado’s prison capacity issues
As lawmakers work to complete the next state budget, they are intensifying efforts to address overcrowding and capacity challenges within the Department of Corrections and related agencies — issues that have contributed to increased spending in the budget. The state Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to Senate Bill 159, specifically designed to work on…
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Colorado Senate reworks key programs, gives preliminary nod to $46B budget
With the Senate’s traditional Budget Day barbecue setting a lighter tone, lawmakers worked through the $46.8 billion state budget Wednesday, navigating a long list of amendments but avoiding the partisan clashes that defined the House debate last week. The Senate first moved through 44 of the 64 “orbitals,” which are bills that adjust state law…
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After internal strategy sessions, Colorado Senate to take up $46B budget debate
Tax Day carries added weight at the state Capitol this year, as the Senate prepares to take up the 2026‑27 budget on Wednesday following a day of preparations by both Republican and Democratic caucuses. Senators are expected to raise some of the House amendments from last week’s debate, as well as their own ideas. On…
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Colorado Sen. Mike Weissman calls for cold water on heated hate speech
Likening the recent record-setting warm temperatures to hot political rhetoric, Colorado Sen. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, pleaded for an end to death threats and other hate speech directed at lawmakers of both parties. “The increasingly tragic reality of our politics, however, like the increasingly tragic reality of our climate, is one of combustibility,” Weissman said from the well…
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Colorado Senate swears in Adrienne Benavidez after district vacancy win
Sen. Adrienne Benavidez, a Democrat from Adams County, was sworn in Monday to the Colorado Senate, just four days after winning a vacancy election in District 21. She was sworn in by Colorado Court of Appeals Justice Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov. Usually, that role is handled by a member of the Colorado Supreme Court,…
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Colorado senators hold heated debate on latest immigration bill
A bill that would allow individuals who get injured during an immigration action to sue federal agents in state court won preliminary approval from the Colorado Senate on Monday. The bill would permit a “cause of action” by such individuals to sue. It would also permit “legal or equitable relief or any other appropriate relief”…
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Colorado Senate Democrats choose Sen. Cathy Kipp as president pro tempore
Senate Democrats on Monday elected Sen. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins, as the next president pro tempore. Kipp replaced former Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, who resigned her seat earlier this month. Kipp faced off against Sen. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs. The vote total was not announced, although caucus Chair Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, said…