Tag: Gov. Jared Polis
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Polis’ budget proposal faces backlash over Medicaid and Pinnacol deal
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Gov. Jared Polis’ proposed state budget for 2026-27 drew sharp criticism Wednesday from the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, as lawmakers from both parties criticized plans to slow Medicaid spending growth and to rely on a deal to privatize Pinnacol Assurance. This quasi-state agency is the state’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance. Polis has already…
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Gov. Polis proposes privatizing Pinnacol Assurance to address next year’s budget deficit
Gov. Jared Polis is hoping for a windfall from the privatization of Colorado’s quasi-public workers’ compensation insurance division to cover some of the anticipated deficits in next year’s operating budget. The 2026-27 state budget, as proposed by the governor, amounts to $47.9 billion, which translates to a 5.2% increase over the current budget. That’s twice…
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Gov. Jared Polis abruptly cancels unpublicized meeting with Joint Budget Committee
Gov. Jared Polis was scheduled to talk to reporters at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which he is required to submit to the Joint Budget Committee on Nov. 1. Before addressing the media, Polis had planned to meet with the Joint Budget…
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Nebraska says Colorado is stealing its water
The fight over Nebraska’s attempt to seize privately-owned land in northeastern Colorado persisted this week, with Nebraska accusing Colorado of stealing its water in a filing Wednesday with the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue deals with the Perkins County canal, a proposed 109-mile ditch stretching from Ovid in Sedgwick County and across the Colorado-Nebraska state…
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Gov. Polis convenes new working group to address Colorado’s lingering AI law challenges
For the second time in as many years, Gov. Jared Polis has appointed a working group to address the issues around the state’s 2024 law on artificial intelligence. The law, which Polis signed despite major misgivings last year, is still not ready for prime time. The implementation date for the new law, as set by lawmakers…
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EDITORIAL: Trampling Colorado’s locals on energy, housing
What’s the common thread between Gov. Jared Polis’ roadmap to green energy and his agenda for affordable housing? That is, aside from the fact each will backfire on the state’s economy in one or more ways. The answer is that both steamroll local laws that are more in tune with the needs of their communities…
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Energy battle: Colorado power plant closures ignite debate over jobs, taxes and energy future in Pueblo
As Colorado darts toward a future powered by “clean” energy, a battle is brewing in Pueblo, where coal closures, union jobs and lost tax revenue collide with a community demanding a solution as its power plants are a primary target for a shutdown. Between 2025 and 2031, six more coal-fired power plants in Colorado are scheduled to…
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Energy battle: Colorado power plant closures ignite debate over jobs, taxes and energy future in Pueblo
As Colorado darts toward a future powered by “clean” energy, a battle is brewing in Pueblo, where coal closures, union jobs and lost tax revenue collide with a community demanding a solution as its power plants are a primary target for a shutdown. Between 2025 and 2031, six more coal-fired power plants in Colorado are scheduled to…
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Polis administration touts local cities’ ‘compliance’ with housing laws
The Polis administration is taking a victory lap this week on local government compliance with housing laws passed by the General Assembly in the past two years, although the highest level among the metrics is only 60% compliant. In another metric, there are more localities that are non-compliant than those that are. The majority are…
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Donald Zuckerman, who helped Boulder win Sundance, is no longer Colorado’s film commissioner
Donald Zuckerman is no longer Colorado’s top official in charge of attracting movies to film in the state, The Denver Gazette confirmed Monday. Zuckerman has been the Colorado Film Commissioner, the head of the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media under the state’s economic development department since 2011. The office is in charge of…