Colorado House passes bill to reform criminal justice system, give people a second chance
The Colorado House approved Friday a bipartisan bill sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chair Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, to broaden access to record sealing. … The Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Violence Free Colorado all support the bill, which passed…
OPINION | A couple of bills to boost affordable housing — without a tax hike
Legislators should also pass House Bill 1245. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Weissman, and Sens. Julie Gonzales and Mike Foote, this legislation would increase funding for affordable housing by limiting the amount of sales tax revenue Colorado’s largest retailers can keep as their “fee” for…
House approves three bills to increase access to affordable housing
The House approved three bills Monday that would increase access to affordable housing across the state. … The House also passed HB19-1245 that would contribute more funding to the Housing Development Grant Fund that could be used to improve, preserve, or expand the supply of…
State bills aim to increase transparency in campaign fundraising
Secretary of State Jena Griswold is championing two bills she developed with state lawmakers to change Colorado’s system for enforcing fair campaign practices. … The first, House Bill 1318 — dubbed “The Clean Campaign Act of 2019” — would prohibit foreign governments and corporations,…
House gives nod to lobbyist disclosure bill
Lobbyists who try to influence legislation or state agency rules are going to have to be more open about what they are doing, and who they are working for under a bill that won preliminary approval in the Colorado House on Tuesday. The measure,…
State could increase funding for affordable housing, without a tax increase
House Bill 1245 could provide $50 million annually for affordable housing starting in 2021, without raising taxes. The new revenue would be generated by changing the amount of money retail businesses are allowed to hold back to cover the administrative costs of paying taxes….
Lawmakers are quietly reshaping Colorado justice
Beneath the big headlines of this legislative session — drilling fights, full-day kindergarten, sex ed and the red-flag gun bill — is an undercurrent of deep political and social change for Colorado. Quietly, bills large and small are being hammered out in Denver to…
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM | Mike Weissman: Disclosure, disclaimer, scrutiny and enforcement
The fundamental premise of representative government is that, through their elected officials, people have the right for their concerns to be heard and considered in the crafting of laws that impact their lives. Thus, to hold elected office and with it the ability to…
DOUBLE VISION: Dual high-school/college programs boost Aurora, statewide grad rates
Edwin is a lover of all things computer-related. By summer, he’ll have graduated from an Aurora high school and won an associate degree from a local community college – all in just five years. For the first time, he and other students in a…
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold takes aim at ‘massive secret political spending’
Rep. Emily Sirota of Denver has filed a bill to limit campaign contributions in county races to $1,250 per person in the primary and general elections — that bill just passed out of committee — and Sen. Rachel Zenzinger of Arvada has teamed with…