The framers of the United States Constitution could not have been clearer about their feelings concerning the church-state relationship. The First Amendment to the Constitution provides “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there…
The framers of the United States Constitution could not have been clearer about their feelings concerning the church-state relationship. The First Amendment to the Constitution provides “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there…
Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator KC Becker has persuaded the Biden administration to send $328 million to Colorado to clean up our air and reduce carbon emissions by 173 million metric tons by 2050. She’s putting our tax dollars where the need is.
Is the real problem we face restoring the civility of our public discourse or the credibility of our public institutions?
The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) is holding another stakeholder meeting this week to discuss health insurance plans and premiums in the state for 2025 — specifically, the small and individual group markets or health insurance plans not purchased through an employer. It’s no secret he…
My decision to work at a public county hospital was driven by my desire to serve the most vulnerable. As such, I have witnessed firsthand the financial strain and negative health consequences caused by unexpected medical debt — the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. For too lo…
More than a century ago, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) was created to give collective voice to farmers and ranchers and rural communities across Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. These people were left behind by rapid changes brought on by the industrial revolution. RMFU became a champ…
The high cost of housing has long been a leading political issue for Coloradans. With inflation, lack of supply and increased demand, the median home price has doubled in nine Colorado cities within the last decade. At the state level, legislators have debated and passed proposals each sessi…
The electorate rewards politicians with solutions. The grander, the better. Be it the Green New Deal or Project 2025, thousands of words are spilled with the goal of convincing voters their side has the solutions to all their problems.
Energy is on the ballot as voters in Colorado and across the country turn their attention to upcoming elections.
Responsible Colorado voters should strongly oppose Initiative 91, a measure to prohibit the legal and highly regulated hunting of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx. The proposal is an insidious example of "ballot box biology," undermining the long-standing expert and science-driven wildlife …
Colorado’s education system is at a crossroads. Student achievement in basic graduation requirements for all subjects is at a dismal level. The resulting student test scores for science, reading, writing and math hinder numerous kids from achieving their full potential. Thousands of Colorado…
Several past and present members of the legislature weigh in on the broader issues underlying the 2021 session's pending agenda.
The 2021 legislative session is going to be overshadowed by COVID again this year. Within this shadow lies the opportunity to demonstrate the positive role of government during such times requiring stern and invasive public health policies and those policies’ direct impacts on small business…
As our state continues to struggle with rising cases, the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the deep structural issues that impact our ability to respond to public health emergencies. While many of the problems we faced last year stem from the Trump administration’s failure to quickly r…
There are few things like a life-threatening crisis to clarify your perspective. The pandemic, the choices politicians made on our behalf, and the consequences of that combination give us a chance at near 20/20 vision. We just need to put on our pandemic glasses and see if we are willing to learn.
The word of the year for 2020 could very well have been “unprecedented.” While I’m sure many Coloradans could think of some more choice words to describe the year, that’s the one that comes to mind most often for me. So much of what we lived through in the past 12 months was completely new a…
For many families, the last nine months have been about just getting by; it’s time for legislators to start thinking about what comes next. Looking ahead, I’m eager to expand on some of our most recent legislative accomplishments, and to tackle the challenges that Coloradans will be facing i…
With complete control of the building (and all of its extensions), the Democrats on both the first and second floors of the State Capitol might find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
The 2021 legislative session will begin in unprecedented waters. After the swearing in of members, the legislature will then recess until Feb. 16 in an effort to avoid members contracting COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on Colorado’s housing challenges, with many good people coming up with bad ideas. It’s important that the policy prescriptions we adopt in Colorado aren’t knee-jerk reactions. In the short term, the best way to help renters who are struggling — and t…
For most families, their single largest living expense is housing. In Colorado, rents continue to rise as wages have remained mostly stagnant. Many of our elected officials in Colorado have been working diligently to ensure that a portion of new housing built in Colorado is affordable. We ne…
