Politics
Sessions: Marijuana use is ‘detrimental,’ Justice Dept. still reviewing enforcement policies
DENVER – There are ongoing discussions within the Justice Department about making changes to marijuana enforcement at the federal level, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday.
At a press conference announcing new efforts to fight the opioid abuse crisis across the country, Sessions said he still has large concerns about the legitimacy of legal marijuana programs, and that his Justice Department met Tuesday to review possible changes. Continue reading
Colorado’s Hickenlooper urges bipartisan tax reform changes: ‘Trickle down economics is a fairytale’
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday urged the state’s congressional delegation not to support the Republican tax bill the Senate could vote on later this week, saying the bill, as is, would hurt Colorado’s economic progress.
“Congress should not pass on almost $1.5 trillion in additional debt to future generations, and hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans who don’t need them—and in many cases, don’t even want them—at the expense of the middle class and the poor,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. Continue reading
Rep. Steve Lebsock says he won’t resign over harassment allegations despite pressure
DENVER – Colorado state Rep. Steve Lebsock, an Adams County Democrat, said Tuesday he’s received more pressure to resign but says he won’t after he was formally accused by a fellow lawmaker of sexual harassment.
Lebsock, whom Rep. Faith Winter formally accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward her at a 2016 legislative party and who was formally accused by another woman as well, said that no “fact finders” from the outside party conducting the investigation into his conduct had met with him yet as of Tuesday. Continue reading
Coloradans increasingly displeased with President Trump, poll finds
DENVER – Colorado voters are increasingly displeased with President Donald Trump and are looking ahead to 2018’s political races with high interest, according to a new poll released this week.
The poll from Keating Research, based in Telluride, shows two-thirds of state voters have an unfavorable opinion of the president, and three in five think he is “dishonest and tells lies.” Continue reading
Lake County undersheriff was fired; sheriff’s office employees to undergo new harassment training
LAKE COUNTY, Colo. – Former undersheriff Fernando Mendoza was fired by the county sheriff’s office in what was an internal decision, and all sheriff’s office employees will undergo additional sexual harassment training after the allegations, a county commissioner said Tuesday.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s office has terminated Fernando Mendoza from his position as undersheriff as of Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 due to several women in the department bringing allegations of sexual harassment,” says a statement from the board of county commissioners delivered to Denver7 Tuesday. Continue reading
Gardner ‘hopeful’ for bipartisan amendments on tax reform as Bennet slams bill
DENVER – U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner was a key vote in the Senate Budget Committee’s Tuesday passage of the Republican-led tax reform effort, which the full Senate could take up starting Wednesday.
Calling the committee vote an “important step” in the tax reform efforts, Gardner said the bill, which is still changing, “will increase wages, grow the economy, create jobs, and benefit hardworking Coloradans.”
The Republican from Colorado hasn’t committed to voting one way or the other on the bill, as he did with votes on repealing the Affordable Care Act earlier this year, but there were greater concerns over whether his fellow Republicans, Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, would support the measure’s passage out of committee. Continue reading
Colorado legislative leadership committee sets date for harassment policy review
DENVER – The first meeting to address the Colorado Legislature’s workplace harassment policies is scheduled for next month, top legislative leaders announced Tuesday.
The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council will have its first meeting to talk about the state of the harassment policies, and any possible changes that might need to be made, on Dec. 15. Continue reading
Colorado sends letters to CHP+ recipients warning that federal match runs out at end of January
DENVER – Colorado is advising people who use the state’s Children’s Health Plan Plus (CHP+) program to start looking for private insurers in the event that federal funding for the program runs out early next year.
The state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing started sending letters to the approximately 70,000 people covered by CHP+ notifying them that if Congress doesn’t act to restore federal CHIP funding, which helps fund CHP+ in Colorado, that the state’s matched funding will run out at the end of January. Continue reading
Colorado agency conducts nearly 4,800 Black Friday gun background checks, most in 5 years
DENVER – Coloradans bought nearly 4,800 guns on this year’s Black Friday—the most since the Colorado Bureau of Investigation started tracking sales in 2013.
The CBI’s InstaCheck Unit, which is tasked with conducting the background checks for firearms transfers in accordance with the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), had 41 people running checks for 21 hours on Friday. Continue reading
Report: Single donor gave $28.5 million to ‘dark money’ group touting Gorsuch for Supreme Court
DENVER – A single person gave $28.5 million to a nonprofit whose “dark money” was eventually used to buy ads touting Colorado’s Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court seat he was eventually confirmed to, according to a new report from MapLight.
According to tax documents obtained from the Wellspring Committee, a Virginia nonprofit, the committee received more than $32 million in donations—much of the money anonymously donated because of the organization’s social welfare 501(c)(4) status. Continue reading