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Before Voters Speak, the Legislature Is Already Rewriting Their Answer

Colorado voters have not yet had their say on Initiative 175. Yet HB26-1430 tries to plan around their answer before they give it. That is the core problem. HB26-1430, called the Colorado Budget Protection Act, is written to take effect only if voters approve a proposed constitutional change that would dedicate more state revenue to road transportation. If that happens, this bill automatically reduces the gasoline excise tax, special fuel excise tax, several vehicle registration fees, and the road usage fee from January 1, 2027, through July 1, 2030. It also creates a new Support Road Transportation Fund to receive revenue dedicated to road transportation and then reroutes that money through a new statutory structure. That may sound technical. It is not. It is a question of whether the legislature should respect the voters or maneuver around them. I voted no because HB26-1430 treats a possible voter-approved constitutional amendment as a problem to be managed before the public has eve...
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They Think You Won’t Support It If You Understand It

This week at the Colorado State Capitol, Democrats advanced SB26-135 , a bill that controls how taxpayer dollars are collected, retained, and distributed within Colorado’s budget, particularly in areas tied to education funding. Alongside it, they adopted Amendment L014 , which modifies that funding structure and reshapes how it is presented to the public. You will hear this framed as support for children and families. That is not the full reality of what this policy does. Amendment L014 makes substantive changes. It adjusts how funds are allocated and how programs are defined within the broader budget. But just as important as what it changes is how it is being communicated. The amendment elevates language centered on children. That becomes the focus. That becomes the headline. That is not neutral. That is strategic. SB26-135 is a fiscal mechanism. It governs the movement of money. It creates obligations that taxpayers will carry. It affects priorities across the entire state budget. ...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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Colorado’s Budget Crisis Was Not an Accident. It Was a Warning Ignored.

Colorado lawmakers just cut newer programs to close a budget gap exceeding 1.2 billion dollars. That decision is not routine budgeting. It is evidence of a structural problem that has been building for years. Republicans warned about it. They proposed alternatives. They were dismissed. Now the consequences are visible. The story reported by Colorado Politics confirms what many legislators have been saying for multiple sessions. The state expanded commitments faster than revenue could sustain them. When the downturn arrived, the newest programs became the first casualties. This was predictable. Colorado entered this session facing a shortfall driven by declining revenue growth, expanding eligibility commitments, and rising mandatory spending obligations. Instead of adjusting course earlier, the majority continued approving policies with long-term fiscal exposure. Now, lawmakers are forced to cut recent initiatives to keep the budget balanced. That is not a strategy. That is a correction...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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Colorado’s Budget Is Sending a Warning Signal. We Must Listen.

Colorado families deserve honesty about what is happening inside their state government. This year’s budget is not routine. It is not stable. It is not responsible stewardship. It is a warning signal. The legislature is attempting to close a budget hole between 1.2 and 1.5 billion dollars while still advancing expensive policy priorities that expand government commitments beyond what taxpayers can sustain. That is not fiscal discipline. That is a structural imbalance. I supported slowing the process so the public could see what is happening inside this budget. Colorado taxpayers deserve time to understand decisions that will affect their families for years. Here is what is actually happening. Colorado is spending more than it can responsibly sustain The current budget proposal totals roughly 46.8 billion dollars statewide. Medicaid costs alone are driving massive increases in spending and forcing cuts elsewhere across state government. This is not a one-year fluctuation. It is the resu...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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Truth Is Not Hate. Why Faith Still Matters in the Debate Over SB26-018

Representative Max Brooks’ recent remarks on the House floor during debate on Senate Bill 26-018 reached far beyond a procedural amendment. They addressed something deeper. The meaning of truth. The responsibility of conscience. The role of Christians in public service. His response drew more than 14,000 views online. That level of attention signals something important. People are paying attention because the issue is not technical. It is moral. Senate Bill 26-018 suppresses court record visibility and removes traditional public notice requirements when minors petition for legal name changes. Supporters describe the bill as protecting dignity. That goal deserves respect. Every child deserves safety and care. The question raised during debate was different. Should people of faith be required to remain silent when law conflicts with what they believe is true about the human person? Representative Brooks defended an amendment that would have protected religious conscience. The amendment...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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Local Control Matters Because Your Community is Not the Same as Someone Else's

Coloradans believe in something simple and important. The people who live in a community should help decide what that community becomes. That principle is called local control. It is not a technical concept. It is a promise. It means your neighborhood is shaped by the people who live there, raise families there, and invest their lives there. That promise is being tested at the State Capitol. In recent sessions, the legislature has passed and proposed a series of housing bills that override local zoning authority across Colorado. These include mandates eliminating local parking standards, forcing higher density development near transit corridors, requiring approval pathways for housing on church and school property, and allowing certain housing developments to bypass local zoning entirely. More recently, the HOME Act allows public institutions, transit agencies, housing authorities, and nonprofits to construct housing projects on qualifying land regardless of local zoning rules. These p...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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Defending the Second Amendment While the Legislature Expands Government Seizure Power

This week at the Colorado General Assembly , I opposed the expansion of Colorado’s red flag firearm seizure authority because it represents another step away from the constitutional structure that protects the rights of every Coloradan. SB26-004 has now passed the legislature and is headed to Jared Polis . The bill expands who may petition courts to remove firearms from citizens who have not been convicted of a crime. It adds institutional actors such as certain health care facilities, behavioral health treatment facilities, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities. That change increases the number of pathways through which the state can suspend a constitutional right based on allegation rather than adjudication. That is not a technical adjustment. It is an erosion of due process protections. The Second Amendment exists to limit government authority. It does not exist to make firearm ownership conditional on whether institutions believe a citizen should retain that right. When t...
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Location: 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203, USA
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