CCW

Coyotes are overrunning the front range, feasting on dogs and cats and occasionally taking a nip from a person’s arm or leg.  Today, a coyote attacked a woman and her loose dog in Broomfield; that incident framed the coyote discussion on SB09-027 in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.  The bill is postponed indefinitely, but it certainly caught the attention of the State Division of Wildlife and city of Denver.

Rural Senators control coyotes old fashioned way

New Denver Senator Joyce Foster presented her first bill to mostly rural senators who take care of coyotes the old fashioned way,…

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Colorado’s State Geologist, Dr. Vince Matthews, Is Bearish on Natural Resources Outlook

The world, the United States, and Colorado face a looming and alarming shortage of natural resources, stated Dr. Vince Matthews, the Colorado State Geologist in a joint State House and Senate briefing on Tuesday. The gloomy picture reflects competition for resources across the globe, particularly from China and India.

US may be “Big Elephant” now, but this won’t last

While the United States is still “the big elephant” with our economic engine, that dominance will not last, stated Matthews. “Economists suggest that China will pass us by…

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Conservation Easement Tax Credit Bill Sparks Heated Debate between Ranching Advocates and Tax Dogs

Land owners will jump through more hoops when they take advantage of the Conservation Easement Tax Credit offered to protect lands for wildlife and from development. “This bill will put the nail in the coffin of those who have taken advantage of the conservancy program,” said Representative Alice Madden(D), House sponsor of HB08-1353.The conservation easement allows land owners to set aside property in exchange for a tax credit. Controversy occurred when the Internal Revenue Service began to audit tax returns of land owners who may…

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38 House members give Rep. Doug Bruce a stick in the eye with sales tax bill

Communities across the state can raise their sales taxes above the state’s 6.9% statutory limit with passage of SB08-128. Over the vociferous protest of Representative Doug Bruce(R), the author of the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights, SB08-128 eliminating the state’s sales tax cap passed the House of Representatives 38-26 Tuesday.

Sales tax bill violates the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, says Bruce

“This bill violates the constitution and the taxpayer bill of rights,” exclaimed Bruce. “It’s an absolute limit…

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Pro Life Picketers Must Reduce Bloody Fetus Signs and Keep Moving with SB08-192

Pro Life advocates picketing residential neighborhoods, who have thrown fetus dolls onto neighborhood yards and sent threatening letters, will have to reduce the size of their mutilated fetus picket signs if SB08-192 gets through the House of Representatives. The bill, already passed by the Senate, cleared its first hurdle in the House when the Judiciary Committee, after substantive debate on 1^st amendment and privacy rights, came down for privacy in your own home.

Bill highlights tension between 1st amendment and personal privacy

Should the State Legislature Tell the Judiciary How to Set Bail?

A bill to set bail at $50,000 for persons accused of drunk driving and eluding police in a vehicle, in the same incident, is a test of the House’s commitment to the constitution’s separation of powers, according to Representatives Morgan Carroll(D) and Doug Bruce(R). HB08-1377, sponsored by Representative Steve King(R) and Senator Josh Penry(R), tells judges to set the $50,000 bail bond, although the bill was amended to also tell judges to use their discretion in these cases.

Judicial Discretion at Stake

Representative Bruce attacked the…

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E.B. White, intrepid chronicler of the life of pigs in Charlotte’s Web, would applaud the passing of SB202 in the House Ag Committee on Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Representative Kathleen Curry(D) and Senator Jim Isgar(D), gives pregnant sows a group housing set up, allowing them room to live comfortably with their piglets. Veal calves are provided housing in which they can stand, lay down, and turn around without touching their living quarters.

Pork Producers worked with the State Department of Agriculture to craft a bill responsive to consumer demand for better treatment of their animals. Even so, the…

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School districts across the state will develop safety plans consistent with the federal government’s National Incident Management System to ensure that all first responders at all schools know what to do in emergencies.  SB08-181, sponsored by Representative Tom Massey(R) and Senator Tom Wiens(R), addresses many of the problems confronted by Columbine and Platte Canyon High School staff when those schools faced extreme situations including murder of school children.

National Incident Management System

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) establishes a platform for emergency response that government agencies across the country use to ensure, as Representative Massey stated, “that all…

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Senate Republicans jumped out of the shoot fast on HB08-1375, the appropriations “Long Bill,” attacking Senate Democrats and Governor Ritter for a budget they claim doesn’t account for the inevitable “Ritter Recession.” Senator Moe Keller(D) and Senator John Morse(D) quickly countered that no one person has created a recession, and today’s economic environment has resulted from reckless spending led by federal Republicans under President George W. Bush’s administration.

After the first 30 minutes of the budget battle, Senator Jennifer Veiga(D), in the president’s chair, commented that at the rate they were going, the budget debate would take 14 hours,…

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