Colorado is about to get a whole lot more expensive to live in. Just like California, 15 years ago..

A more detailed article on the Colorado Supreme court decision to allow the legislature to ignore state Constitutional language during this emergency.

[Note: pics and multiple hyperlinks at the linked website article]

Colorado Supreme Court rules legislature may extend its lawmaking term after coronavirus pause

The Colorado General Assembly recessed on March 14 because of COVID-19 and it’s not clear when state lawmakers will return

APR 1, 2020 4:52PM MDT

Jesse Paul
@jesseapaul
The Colorado Sun — jesse@coloradosun.com Desk: 720-432-2229

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state legislature may extend its lawmaking term after taking a pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, breathing new life into Democrats’ policy plans and ending ambiguity swirling for weeks at the Capitol.

The Colorado General Assembly was originally supposed to adjourn on May 6, but after temporarily recessing on March 14 because of the new coronavirus outbreak, Democratic lawmakers wanted to use an emergency rule allowing them to continue past their planned end date.

Republicans challenged the rule — Joint Rule 44(g) — and said legislative sessions must end after 120 consecutive days under a constitutional amendment approved by voters in the 1980s. The rule was unanimously adopted in 2009 in the wake of the H1N1 flu epidemic and is triggered when the governor declares an emergency because of a health crisis.

But in a narrow, 4-3 decision handed down Wednesday afternoon, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the amendment is ambiguous and the legislature therefore can meet after May 6 to make up days it has missed because of the coronavirus.

In making its decision, the Supreme Court cited the flexibility needed by a part-time, citizen legislature in times of crisis. Extensions of Colorado lawmaking terms are necessary, the majority said, so that “citizen legislators do not have to choose between representing their constituents in the General Assembly and supporting their communities through the crisis at home.”

The court cited a Colorado Sun story that published earlier Wednesday about state Rep. Kyle Mullica, a Northglenn Democrat, who has returned to his job as an emergency room nurse during the lawmaking pause to treat coronavirus patients.

“Joint Rule 44(g) permits, rather than stifles, members’ abilities to attend to these non-legislative obligations,” Justice Monica M. Márquez wrote in the majority’s opinion.

The court also rejected the notion that Gov. Jared Polis or the legislature could simply call a special lawmaking term to fill the void if the legislative session had to end on May 6.

“Some have argued that the ability of the legislature to convene in a special session sufficiently addresses the challenges posed by an interrupted regular session,” Márquez wrote. “We disagree.”

Márquez was joined by Justices Richard L. Gabriel, Melissa Hart and William W. Hood in the majority.

“I thank the court in reaching this common-sense conclusion,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat. “This ruling means when we return to the Capitol, we’ll have time to pass legislation to get Colorado’s families, businesses and economy back on their feet.”

Not only will Democrats now be able to pursue some of their largest agenda items — including a public health insurance option, a paid family and parental leave program, and stricter gun laws — but they also have some flexibility in when to resume the lawmaking term. Democrats in the Senate and House have been battling with each other in recent days on how to proceed.

Lawmakers must pass a budget before July, however, so they cannot drag the recess on for too long. But they will likely wait as long as possible given the economic uncertainty created by the coronavirus.

The lack of funds could also siginificantly hamper Democrats’ policy plans.

Legislative leadership has given no hint about when they might return. One lawmaker has already tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and Colorado is under a statewide shelter-in-place order until at least April 11.

The coronavirus could be raging in Colorado through July, public health officials warned on Wednesday. The state has more than 3,300 confirmed cases of the disease, which has also killed more than 80 people.

“We will continue looking at the data and talking to public health experts to determine when it is safe to come back to the Capitol,” House Speaker KC Becker, a Boulder Democrat, said in a written statement. “Once we do return, we’ll need everyone at the table to solve our most difficult challenges.”

Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr., in writing a dissent for the minority, said voters were not ambiguous when they passed a constitutional amendment limiting the legislature to 120 calendar days.

“I acknowledge that these are unprecedented times — we are in the throes of a worldwide pandemic precipitated by COVID-19,” Samour wrote. “But neither COVID-19 nor any other imaginable emergency allows our legislature to amend the state constitution through a statute, let alone a legislative rule like Joint Rule 44(g). … The people of Colorado should be extremely concerned about Rule 44(g) and its implications for the future of our wonderful state.”

Samour said the rule is an excuse to “usurp Coloradans’ exclusive right to amend their constitution.” That, essentially, was the argument of Republican state lawmakers, too.

GOP state Sen. Bob Gardner, of Colorado Springs, has argued that the legislature is abdicating its responsibility by recessing during the coronavirus crisis. He has advocated for lawmakers to return to the Capitol with social distancing measures.

Chief Justice Nathan Coats and Justice Brian Boatright joined Samour in the dissent.

Joint Rule 44(g) had never before been triggered.

[emphasis added]

The legislature has tentatively set the return date to 18 May. It appears that work on the state budget, especially given the current and projected budget shortfalls, will be the primary focus...but the question is what, if any, other bills will they try to ram through, with the upcoming national and state elections looming.

[Note: pics and multiple hyperlinks can be found at the linked article]

Colorado lawmakers set date for return, hoping the worst of the coronavirus will pass

The suspended legislative session will resume May 18 but legislative budget writers will get started sooner

APR 8, 2020 2:35PM MDT

John Frank
@ByJohnFrank
The Colorado Sun — johnfrank@coloradosun.com


The General Assembly tentatively plans to resume the legislative session May 18 after a two-month hiatus amid the coronavirus.

The Democratic leadership set the date during a meeting Wednesday at the closed state Capitol but suggested it may change depending on the status of the public health crisis.

“Keep in mind, a lot could change between now and then, and I think it’s important that we remain flexible and pay very close attention to where we are in regards to the risks to public health,” said House Majority Leader Alec Garnett, D-Denver.

The Executive Committee of the Legislative Council, which includes the top-ranking lawmakers from each party, spoke in muffled tones through face masks, sitting at least 6 feet apart at the front of a mostly empty room.

The House and Senate put no end date on the legislative term and continue to refine the agenda for the rest of the session. The same physical distancing practices at the committee meeting are expected to be the norm when lawmakers return.

The statewide stay-at-home order issued by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis runs through at least April 26, but doesn’t apply to the legislative branch. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the cancellation of gatherings with 50 or more people through May 10.

The legislature temporarily adjourned March 14 as the spread of the COVID-19 disease began to accelerate, and it set a return date of March 30, only to indefinitely extend the break. A subsequent Colorado Supreme Court ruling gave the legislature flexibility to extend the session beyond the original May 6 adjournment date because of the ongoing threats to public health.

Legislative leaders are discussing whether to hold remote hearings, but obstacles remain to make them accessible for lawmakers and inclusive to the public. Furthermore, it would require a legislative rule change by a two-thirds vote, meaning lawmakers would need to return to the Capitol.

The timeline to restart session is guided by the need to finish the state budget, but legislative leaders said they are consulting COVID-19 models to determine whether it’s safe to call back lawmakers.

Garnett said the data shows Colorado will hit peak in late April. “If we haven’t hit that point, and we are continuing to see an increased health risk, thats when I think the executive committee would revisit that date,” he said after the meeting.

A week before the two chambers return, the budget committee plans to regroup the week of May 11 and finalize the $32 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The must-pass budget remains the largest obstacle. The March economic forecast suggested lawmakers will need to cut spending to address a $1.5 billion decline in state revenue over the next three years related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, estimates the budget hole is closer to $2 billion or more, and lawmakers have requested an updated fiscal forecast before the Joint Budget Committee gets back to work.

The legislature expects to send the budget to the governor by May 30, if not sooner.

Senate Democratic leader Steve Fenberg said the rest of the agenda “is TBD right now.” The Boulder lawmaker said it’s not clear what legislative action will be needed to address the public health situation, but health care and the economy are the most prominent issues.

Even as leaders set a date to resume, it remains unclear when the session may end. Each lawmaking term is 120 days, and 52 days remain, meaning it could extend into July. All lawmakers can still receive per-diem pay despite the hiatus.

[emphasis added]

NOTE: The Governor's press conference is in progress now (Friday 17 April, 16:15 local) and has announced that he is cracking down on order compliance, especially in Senior Care facilities and anyone serving in a "critical" job or activity and works in close proximity to others, and is targeting food workers and grocery store workers. There is an undertone of insisting on general order compliance, and he is re-emphasizing staying local and not travelling away from home.

There is a growing grass roots movement across the nation, called the "Reopen" movement, with citizens calling for their respective governors to end the Shelter in Place/ Stay at Home orders, and return to some sense of normalcy, even if that means continuing certain practices such as hand washing and social distancing or mask wearing.

The movement has spread to Colorado and what started as a few Facebook friends has mushroomed into an 8300 + member movement in just 3 days, calling for the Governor to end the SaH order and there is a rally planned for this Sunday, 19 April, at the state capitol, starting at 13:00 (1 p.m.) local.
The organizer is asking people to stay inside their cars and simply honk, wave, and display signs...however he acknowledges that there will likely be some who get out of their cars and gather in a public place.

Although supporters of the movement will undoubtedly show up, it is also likely that counter-protesters will appear also, so those that attend should plan accordingly. It sure would be nice to have a large enough group of supporters attend to send the message that it is time to end the Stay at Home order and get Colorado moving again.

Reportedly, there is an online petition for supporters to sign in order to send Governors the message, however, I haven't found it yet. I'm not on FB and that may be the problem.

I'm going to commit a little "civil disobedience" to attend a planned Saturday event, but am considering attending this Reopen Colorado Rally also, and weighing some of the logistics now.

[Note: there is an embedded video and multiple pics that can be found at the linked website story]

ReOpen Colorado rally to end statewide COVID health orders planned for Sunday

By Scott Harrison today at 2:07 pm Published April 16, 2020 7:03 pm

What began as a Facebook group of concerned citizens has grown to more than 8,300 members in three days and a planned Sunday demonstration to oppose statewide health orders intended to control the spread of the coronavirus.

The movement of business owners, citizens and activists will hold a Rally to ReOpen Colorado, starting at 1 p.m. Sunday outside the state capitol in Denver.

On Thursday, KRDO NewsChannel 13 spoke with a member of the group, Steven Peck, a Navy veteran, husband and father of three who lives in Highlands Ranch.

Peck said the current statewide social distancing and stay-at-home orders designed to safeguard public health during the virus pandemic, produced unacceptable trade-offs that should be re-considered by state and local officials now.

"It's disproportionate to the statistical risk," he said. "It's absolutely killing jobs and it's not a sustainable long-term policy. It's producing high unemployment, budget concerns and struggling businesses."

Peck makes four suggestions: that health orders should more specifically target people in the highest-risk groups; that everyone should regularly wear breathing masks; that people should have their temperatures taken before entering public buildings; and that efforts increase to develop antibodies to threat the virus.

"Clearly, there are constitutional, legal and logistical considerations," he said. "Not everybody's going to be comfortable with having their temperature taken outside every schoolhouse or airport. Speaking for myself, I would take that trade-off before I sat at home for another three weeks."

Peck said he wants officials to rely more on common sense -- and less on fear and the unknown -- when deciding how much longer social distancing and stay-at-home orders should continue.

"We need a robust discussion and I want to have that conversation," he said. "People need security and confidence, and we're not there yet. Politicians will move when public opinion moves."

Peck said he hopes the rally will send that message to Gov. Jared Polis and other state and local leaders.

"I don't know how many people will show up," he said. "There are different groups attending who might have different perspectives and disagree with what I'm saying. But I think we'll all come together. There's a limit to what people will tolerate. The current plan isn't going to last forever. Public patience will get exhausted."

Peck said he's not proposing a date for his recommendations to be adopted, but that sooner is better for the state and the nation -- especially when trying to prepare for society's "new normal" routine in the aftermath of the virus.

"We might have to bring some of our manufacturing in other countries back here, so that we're not overly dependent on them for masks or other things," he said. "Maybe we have fewer meetings that bring people together. How does that affect airline travel, hotels and demand for oil? That's a good question."

Peck said he's asking for anyone who attends the rally to remain in their vehicles. At rallies in three other states this week, some attendees did that, but others protested by gathering in large groups, in close contact, and without wearing masks.

"I'm hoping (and ) asking people (to) remain in their cars," he said. "But it's safe to say (that) some won't. I expect to see some wearing masks and practicing social distancing. (I) imagine others will not. I won't be wearing a mask but respect those who do."

Among those planning to attend the rally is Andrew Thompson, of Colorado Springs.

"I think the universal understanding is to go en masse and show there's a lot of us, and that this is what we believe," he said. "Hear us. You work for us. I realize that they may think they're following what is best for society. There's a lot of us who disagree with how this is currently being done."

Some critics believe the rally is a political attack on Democrats, given that most of the states recently hosting similar rallies have Democratic governors.

Peck said Colorado's rally is a bipartisan event.

"I expect to see people from all sides of the political spectrum," he said. "This (rally) is about trusting Coloradans and their good judgment."

An opinion piece written by the founder of the ReOpen Colorado movement.

OPINION | It's time to shift tack — and contain the virus while reopening Colorado's economy

Steve Peck Apr 17, 2020

This Sunday at 1 p.m., I’ll be rallying to ReOpen Colorado with my wife and kids at the State Capitol. We will be joined by entrepreneurs, ski bums, wildcats, ranchers, keyboard warriors and friends from around the state. The purpose of the rally is to let Gov. Polis and health-policy makers know that the stay-in-home order is draconian and unsustainable. It’s time to change course. We can find creative ways to fight the virus without sacrificing our livelihoods.

I didn’t start here though. I first heard about a new virus in Wuhan, China sometime in January. At that time, the coronavirus was a punchline for jokes, but I had learned from media reports that several Chinese cites the size of Chicago were under strict quarantine orders. Chinese stores were closed, and the factories were idle. Then, video emerged of deserted Chinese train stations and empty highways.

U.S. financial markets were unmoved, but I was alarmed and started digging into the data. I found myself Googling “CFR and R0 for CoVid-19” at odd hours and examining arcane public health statistics. I called my parents and re-shuffled investments against paid advice. At the time, the only available information was Chinese,, but I was rattled. I reasoned that Bejing was underreporting the data which meant the situation was worse than the leaked videos.

By late February, the markets realized there was a problem, and selling started. While bulls were shouting “Buy the Dip!” I was arguing with friends about case fatality rates and knocking down the stubborn myths of bogus comparisons to the seasonal flu.

In early March, I received an in-house email from my employer restricting travel for all our employees until June 30. Other corporations fell like dominos and soon conferences in every industry were forced to cancel events. The scramble to cancel hotels and flights was only outpaced by the search to find masks, beds and ventilators.

But then something began to change. As the weeks passed, and the U.S. data came in, it became clear that the storm wouldn’t be as bad as had been forecast. I had mentally boarded the windows and barred the doors, but when the storm made landfall, it was closer to a topical storm than a cat 5 hurricane. The curve flattened, and epidemiologists lowered their projection — twice. This was incredibly good news. The expected surge showed up in pockets like Detroit, New York and New Orleans. It also surged in specific demographics like people over 60 years old, those with respiratory conditions, and the immunocompromised. Nevertheless, the fear increased and jobless claims skyrocketed.

Today, the economic cake has been baked. The U.S. economy is a consumer-driven economy, but the consumption has stopped. Politicians have said the economy needs to hibernate before we can resume a normal routine. The problem is the only animals that hibernate are ones with extra fat to survive winter. According to a study by JP Morgan Chase, the average small business has 27 days’ cash on hand. With no revenue coming in and overhead obligations remaining constant, small businesses are getting crushed. Many will simply fold and close. Employees will be displaced and miss rent. Car delinquencies add up. Mortgage payments will be missed and the fuse is set for a housing market correction as inventory inevitably rises.

Sadly, hourly employees are the most vulnerable and will feel this crisis most acutely. Single parents and single-income families have very few options. Those who are least equipped to retool in this economy are the hardest hit. And every day that goes by, we dig deeper into savings and debt to make ends meet.

This is not a trade-off between lives and the economy. It’s a trade-off between lives and lives. Lives lost to CoVid-19 and lives lost to deaths and despair through depression, overdoses and suicide. We need to move beyond the policies we had in place when a larger storm was forecast. The projections have changed and now the policies need to change to match the current risk.

The stay-in-home order is disproportionate to the statistical threat faced by Coloradans. As of April 15, there were 8,200 confirmed cases of CoVid-19 in Colorado and 348 confirmed deaths out of a population of nearly 6 million people. That’s less than 1/100th of 1%. It’s time to replace the stay-in-home order with a new policy that both contains the virus and begins to reopen the economy.

There are several things that can be done immediately, including targeted quarantines that apply only to those over 60 or the immunocompromised. Other ideas include ubiquitous temp readings outside public buildings and businesses. In the longer term, we need an aggressive focus on a reliable antibody testing to sort out those who remain at risk.

We are calling on Gov. Polis and his team to think more creatively about this problem. The stay-in-home order does not account for the unintended economic consequences we will be forced to pay in the future and is disproportionate to the current threat. Rain or shine, I hope you’ll join my family on Sunday as we rally to ReOpen Colorado.

Steve Peck is a resident of Highlands Ranch and a member of the Facebook page ReOpen Colorado. He is a former Douglas County School Board member and served as a medical service corps officer in the U.S. Navy.

Bump for the ReOpen Colorado Rally in Denver today at the state capitol. Making my signs now and going "wheels up" shortly.

In addition/ conjunction with the ReOpen movement, is Operation Gridlock Denver, and the Colorado Freedom Force petition supporting the growing movement to open the state back up.

Colorado Freedom Force- Time to ReOpen Colorado Petition


[note: pic and hyperlinks can be found at linked website story]

‘Operation Gridlock’ Arrives In Colorado To Challenge Polis’ Stay-At-Home Order

By Andrew Kenney and Bente Birkeland April 18, 2020

Demonstrators in automobiles, and possibly on foot, will converge on downtown Denver Sunday to demand Democratic Gov. Jared Polis lift his stay-at-home order.

The event, dubbed “Operation Gridlock,” follows a similar demonstration in Michigan and comes as opposition to such orders is growing nationwide.

Coloradans in both political parties have generally given Polis a lot of leeway as he’s exercised extraordinary powers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the weeks of economic and social lockdown continue, opposition is galvanizing. Douglas County has outlined its own plan for reopening, and on Friday the mayor of Cañon City sent a letter to the governor asking him for assurance that the order will lift soon.

“It's gone from frustration into anger,” said Mayor Ashley Smith, talking about the small business owners in her community who’ve been forced to close their doors. “It will definitely be the breaking point for folks and I'm really worried ... that there could be some protesting and mutiny in my city. And I don't want it to be that way.”

This weekend’s protests may bring those sentiments to a new stage. In addition to the Sunday event in Denver, a driving protest is also being organized in Grand Junction Saturday.

As of Friday night, Facebook pages for the Denver demonstration showed about 800 people planning to attend, with more interested. The main page, Operation Gridlock Denver, calls for people to stay in their cars and drive around the Colorado state Capitol, halting traffic (Note: As of Saturday afternoon, the Facebook event had been removed). A smaller event urges protesters to gather outside the building. The organizers ask attendees to stand apart and wear masks “for everyone’s safety,” while urging policy makers to “Open Everything Now!”

“Yes, people are going to die. Yes, people will die,” said Victoria Reynolds, the chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party, which is helping to organize Operation Gridlock. “If they don't take precautions, it can be very, very bad,” she said referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, organizers describe the government actions taken to contain the pandemic as “unconstitutional.”

Reynolds thinks voluntary restrictions would be just as effective in suppressing the outbreak as official orders. “We do not need them to tell us what we can and cannot do,” Reynolds said, adding that “any person with a brain” can make decisions for their own health.

'Stay Home' Opposition Also Brewing Online

Critics of government efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus are starting to find each other on social media. A Facebook group titled 'ReOpen Colorado' that launched on Monday already has more than 13,000 members. And a conservative group, Colorado Freedom Force, has so far gathered around 2,500 signatures calling on the governor to lift restrictions on businesses and gatherings.

“We have won the battle of flattening the curve, and We the People demand freedom immediately to maintain our social, economic, and spiritual strength for the long haul,” the group’s petition states.

Former Republican state Sen. Kevin Lundberg is helping organize the petition. He’s concerned the efforts to fight COVID-19 will lead to a dangerous economic depression, “where people die for lack of basic things like adequate food [and] proper housing”

“What we are toying with is not just inconvenience; we could be sacrificing our culture and our people for years to come,” Lundberg said.

Governor Urges Patience In Face Of Pandemic

Nationally, Americans’ fears of the virus appear to mostly outweigh their concerns about closures. A recent Pew survey found two thirds of respondents are more worried that governments will lift restrictions on public activity too soon, instead of keeping them in place too long. That data did uncover partisan differences though; while Democrats fall overwhelmingly on the side of government not reopening things too soon, Republicans are more evenly split in their views.

In Denver, Kalyn Heffernan was angry when she heard about the protests. A health condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, makes her lungs especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The order protects her health and people are already ignoring it, she said.

“The people that are most affected by this, and the people that are dying are primarily marginalized communities,” said Heffernan, a musician and former mayoral candidate.

“It’s a shame and it’s frustrating. The longer we don’t take it seriously, the longer we’re all in lockdown."

Polis has acknowledged that requiring Coloradans to stay at home for the long-term is “unsustainable,” both economically and psychologically. And this week he described a plan to open the state in phases, starting with the goal of lifting the stay-at-home order on April 26. But he warned that people shouldn’t expect to see large gatherings and many other elements of regular life resume for months or longer.

“We're likely to live along with [COVID-19] until it's cured or there's a vaccine,” Polis said. He added that the halting of normal activities has been painful for him too. “After this is done, I never want to hear the term ‘social distancing’ for the rest of my life,” Polis said at a media briefing on Friday.

Police and public health officials in Colorado have so far mostly enforced the order through requests and warnings. In Denver, officials have issued about 3,000 warnings and 16 citations. All the citations were for businesses. This week state health officials shut down the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley after one employee died and the plant ignored warnings to do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 among employees.

Law Enforcement Will Not Prevent Protest

City of Denver spokesperson Erika R. Martinez said in a statement on Friday that while officials “understand people are frustrated with our current situation,” the stay-at-home order helps protect the welfare of the city’s communities.

“Operation Gridlock would be a wholly irresponsible and reckless way to express those frustrations,” Martinez said in a statement. “We must remind everyone that it is illegal to willfully block a public right-of-way.”

It’s unclear how law enforcement will handle the protests.

“We’re not going to go down there and just break it up because it’s happening. It’s one of those things that we’ll just see what is happening,” said Master Trooper Gary Cutler of the Colorado State Patrol, which has jurisdiction over the Capitol. Troopers will have personal protective equipment and hazmat gear bags.

The governor’s office also advised the public to stay away and said it’s not a good idea to gather in a large crowd given the current pandemic.

“Those participating are only endangering themselves and others by ignoring the stay-at-home order, and we urge them to stay home,” said a spokesman for Gov. Polis. “No one wants to reopen Colorado businesses and lift these restrictions more than the governor, but in order to do that, Coloradans have to stay home as much as possible, except for critical activities, wear masks and wash their hands to slow the spread of this virus.”

'Gridlock' Protests Come With Partisan Overtones

Protests against stay home orders have occured in states with both Democratic and Republican governors, but the movement has taken on a partisan tone. In Michigan, where the most high-profile demonstration took place, Trump flags and banners were on prominent display.

On Friday President Trump appeared to encourage people to fight against restrictions specifically in states with Democratic governors, tweeting the phrases “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA!”

The Colorado Republican Party is not involved in the weekend protests. But at least one GOP lawmaker may attend. Rep. Mark Baisley of Roxborough Park said organizers have encouraged him to participate and he’s giving it serious consideration.

House Republicans have urged Polis to provide more information about when and how he plans to reopen the state.

I would have thought that an "Operation Gridlock" might be more effective on an actual workday, but that's just me. On the other hand, the people that are most likely to want this rally might actually be working, even if remotely.

I lived in CO for 25 years. Moved away for work somewhere in the 2007-2014 timeframe (gradual due to travel - worked projects away starting in 2007, then decided to sell my home in 2014 due to the fact I was never there.) I love Colorado, but would likely never move back due to politics and cost.

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:
I would have thought that an "Operation Gridlock" might be more effective on an actual workday, but that's just me. On the other hand, the people that are most likely to want this rally might actually be working, even if remotely.

I lived in CO for 25 years. Moved away for work somewhere in the 2007-2014 timeframe (gradual due to travel - worked projects away starting in 2007, then decided to sell my home in 2014 due to the fact I was never there.) I love Colorado, but would likely never move back due to politics and cost.

I can see arguments both for and against holding a rally on a weekend and, it might come down to just how one would define the "effectiveness" of a rally. Trying to organize and mobilize supporters to attend a rally, especially one that is held on a weekend, can be "iffy" at best, as supporters tend to watch things like what events are going on that weekend, the schedules of those who they would like to attend with them, the weather, etc...and there have been examples of some rallies in which the protesters actually antagonized motorists in traffic to the point where there is public backlash and the rally has the opposite intended effect to the protester's cause.

Regardless, this rally had enough supporters (and counter-protesters) to at least garner public attention, and it's a fair bet that the intended messages were received by elected leaders, if not accepted.

I dropped the ball, and only caught my mistake last night. Big thumbs up to our friends at Rally for Our Rights for covering this...which is how I learned about it.

As the Governor has used the CDPHE to issue the Stay at Home orders, I've been monitoring that order. However, while I was aware that the Governor had issued various executive orders I assumed that they each would be explained during one of his many press conferences, or, at the very least, announced by local news coverage, and I therefore neglected to check myself...big mistake on my part. I've caught a fair number of the Governor's press conferences and tried to stay on top of local Stay at Home news, and haven't heard a single mention of any change to CHP requirements. I'm not shocked, but disappointed that there has been almost no mention of this.

Apparently, among all the various executive orders the Governor issued, is a temporary order that suspends the "in person" requirement for new CHP applications, as well as the mandatory fingerprinting requirement, and also suspends the requirement that CBI check fingerprints during this temporary suspension.

However, it should be noted that while the Governor suspended these regulatory requirements, it is ultimately up to the respective Sheriff's discretion as to if/ how they will process CHP applications.

I've been critical of the Governor's COVID-19 response, and still am...however I appreciate the fact that he saw fit to suspend some regulatory laws during this emergency to accommodate the Stay at Home order.

The Executive Order was issued on 6 April and is currently set to expire on 30 April, along with the Stay at Home order.

Those interested can find a complete list of the Governor's Executive Orders at this PDF:

D 2020 029 EXECUTIVE ORDER

Although the official GA website doesn't indicate this, the last update I received indicates that the legislature is, once again, delaying their return and is now reported to reconvene 26 May.

It's worth noting that Gov. Polis decided Colorado should join the Western States Pact consisting of California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada (all Democrat governors) rather than trying to form a coalition response with Colorado's direct neighbors and bordering states.

[Note: there is a Tweet from Oregon Governor Kate Brown with a copy of the letter sent, at the linked story, along with comments]

Western States ask Congress for $1 Trillion in Coronavirus Relief

May 11, 2020 - 05:52 PM EDT

BY JOHN BOWDEN

Five western states have signed a joint letter to the leaders of both parties in Congress requesting a combined $1 trillion in coronavirus relief funding from the federal government.

The letter, which was released on Twitter by the governors of Oregon and Nevada, is also signed by the governors of California, Washington and Colorado.

Addressed to House and Senate leaders, it warns that states will be forced to make "impossible decisions" such as cutting public healthcare funding or laying off first responders and teachers should Congress not act.

"Without federal support, states and cities will be forced to make impossible decisions — like whether to fund critical public healthcare that will help us recover, or prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other first responders," they wrote.

"And, without additional assistance, the very programs that will help people get back to work — like job training and help for small business owners — will be forced up on the chopping block," the governors continued.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) confirmed the request at a Monday press conference, according to multiple news outlets, and warned that his state was now facing billions of dollars in deficits.

"We are now struggling with tens of billions of dollars in budget deficits, directly as an impact, directly because of the impact of this disease, COVID-19," he said, according to NBC affiliate KCRA 3.

quote:

Addressed to House and Senate leaders, it warns that states will be forced to make "impossible decisions" such as cutting public healthcare funding or laying off first responders and teachers should Congress not act.

"Without federal support, states and cities will be forced to make impossible decisions — like whether to fund critical public healthcare that will help us recover, or prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other first responders," they wrote.

Stupid Question I know, but why is it the leftists ALWAYS put all the Critical Services as the first thing that will be cut, as if there isn't Billions in Wasteful Spending on USELESS Programs that should have NEVER been funded in the first place!

[tongue-in-cheek]It's like the Air Force building a new base. They get money, build the BOQ, officer's club, bowling alley, hospital, roads, commissary, and BX. Then they go back to Congress and say they need more money, to build the runway.[/tongue-in-cheek]

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:

quote:

Addressed to House and Senate leaders, it warns that states will be forced to make "impossible decisions" such as cutting public healthcare funding or laying off first responders and teachers should Congress not act.

"Without federal support, states and cities will be forced to make impossible decisions — like whether to fund critical public healthcare that will help us recover, or prevent layoffs of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other first responders," they wrote.

Stupid Question I know, but why is it the leftists ALWAYS put all the Critical Services as the first thing that will be cut, as if there isn't Billions in Wasteful Spending on USELESS Programs that should have NEVER been funded in the first place!

Yes, and to make matters even worse, Colorado received $450 million from the hastily slapped together poorly crafted federal CARES act. The money is intended to help cities/ counties defray some of the costs they incurred from their COVID-19 response... however, the Governor is sitting on the money with plans to channel it back into the state's general fund, although there is conjecture that he will dole out some of it to the cities friendly to him and will also use the money to bolster his pet project priorities such as pre-K education at a time when the state expects a $ 2-3 billion shortfall and deep budget cuts will need to be made.

Back in April, when being questioned about the federal CARES money (intended to help offset the county/ city costs incurred while setting up programs to fight the pandemic), said the matter would be left up to the legislature...then quietly changed his tune and disbursed the funds with no bipartisan input, and retained a large portion of the emergency money to backfill the state General Fund and protect some of the Democrat pet programs.

[note: multiple hyperlinks at linked website story]

Some Colorado Counties Upset With How Governor Polis Handed Out Coronavirus Relief Money

By Bente Birkeland
May 23, 2020

Some smaller Colorado counties are unhappy with how Governor Jared Polis distributed the federal coronavirus relief funds. His decision to allocate the money took many people by surprise, and has left some local officials feeling a mix of frustration, shock, and acceptance.

To deal with the costs of fighting COVID-19, the U.S. Department of the Treasury allocated direct payments to the state’s five largest counties. Money for the rest of the counties and for the state as a whole was given to Colorado in a lump sum of $1.67 billion, and decisions about how to dole it out were left up to the state.

The end result: Smaller counties in Colorado got about half as much money as they requested out of the federal coronavirus recovery bill. Instead, Polis allocated much of the money to public education around the state.

Democratic La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff said smaller and mid-size counties wanted the same amount of money per person that the Treasury gave large counties. “The way it feels, is like the state is backfilling its budget issues on the backs of the 59 smaller counties in Colorado,” she said. “I would certainly like to have a more equitable distribution the next time,” she said, referring to the possibility Congress will approve another aid package. “It just blows my mind,” she said of the governor’s decision.

Westendorff said rural counties like hers, with fewer cases of COVID-19, still have a lot of expenses. “Part of the reason that we don't have as many cases here is because we've been good at the response, and good at the response is not free.”

When it came to distributing the federal funds, Polis was not expected to play the central role. During a press conference on April 17, the governor said he would let state lawmakers take the lead. “The legislature has the power of the purse,” Polis said.

After Polis’ comments, Colorado Counties Inc, a non-profit membership organization of the state’s counties got to work crafting a bipartisan bill to give smaller counties $457 million of the federal money. John Swartout, the executive director of CCI, said the figure was based on making it proportionally equal to what large counties received. “I know the state is Front Range-focused, but the reality is the front line fight on this disease is the county health departments. We’re the ones that had to figure out how to do our own testing. How to make decisions without a lot of data.”

That bill was abruptly scrapped when Polis decided to give the smaller counties $275 million, and keep the remaining money to help with the state’s portion of the response. Swarthout said he’s grateful for any assistance, even if it’s not the full amount the counties wanted.

“Since we started at zero in the negotiations with the governor, $275 million looks pretty good.” The big counties got $176 per person, and the small counties got $109 per person, according to CCI.

Both state and local governments saw revenues plummet when Colorado’s economy shut down. The federal money has restrictions and can’t be used to backfill general budget holes.

“The Governor acted quickly and urgently to get the CARES act money out the door to our local communities and schools,” said a written statement from the governor’s office. A spokesman said the money will help provide a much needed boost to the economy and give schools and local governments the tools they need to adapt to a new reality. The governor’s office insists that the money went out equitably. “The funding is going out proportionally based on population, and rural areas receive the same pro-rata share as urban and suburban areas,” according to a spokesman.

But the governor’s office did not respond when asked for further clarification since that conflicts with numbers provided by the counties and lawmakers.

Republican Sen. Bob Rankin of Carbondale called the governor’s characterization of proportionality “totally wrong.” Rankin serves on the powerful Joint Budget Committee and has criticized Polis for excluding the committee from the funding decisions. Other Republicans also expressed frustration with the overall process.

“It's just unfortunate that we lose representative government when the governor just takes over and says, ‘We're going to do this this way,’” said Republican County Commissioner Byron Pelton, from Logan County on the Eastern Plains. “It would be nice to be able to have our representatives be able to fight for more money for rural Colorado because this pandemic has affected rural Colorado worse than it's affected urban Colorado, meaning economy wise.” Pelton said.

Still, he said he is appreciative of the money his county will get. “We understand the whole state is suffering, but rural Colorado has been hit pretty hard with this.”

Democratic Speaker of the House KC Becker said she was aligned with what the governor wanted to do, and speed was more important than arguing about who should get what, and who should make the decision. [Nancy Pelosi voice]: "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."[/Nancy Pelosi voice]

“We wanted to get the money out quickly to entities who have a lot to deal with right now,” Becker said. “We worked with the governor to secure funding for education and local governments and advance the state’s ability to respond to the coronavirus crisis.”

Other Democrats agreed that speed was critical, and going through the legislature would have taken longer.

“I absolutely believe giving money to our local communities quickly is important given the challenges that they’ve faced,” said Democratic Joint Budget Committee member Rep. Julie McCluskie of Dillon. “What we’ve struggled with is how do we do that in a way that complies with the federal guidance and takes into account that the need is great and the need is now.” She said she would keep working to get more money for the state and local communities. “The real answer here is getting federal funding that can be used flexibly. I think that is really the answer for local governments.”

Others were satisfied with the total amount. “I think it's enough money,” said Ouray County Commissioner Ben Tisdel, who is unaffiliated with a political party. He noted that the federal money set aside for states isn’t the only way for counties to get help. Under a different provision of the CARES Act, local health departments would get funding. “Specifically for contact tracing. And that was going to be a large part of the funding, the equal per capita basis that we needed anyway.”

Tisdel said Ouray is starting to reopen and he has seen out-of-state license plates in town. Summer tourism is a huge part of the local economy, and he said there will be new expenses in the age of coronavirus.

“We wanted to print some signs that are consistent across San Juan, San Miguel, Hinsdale and Ouray counties at the entry point to all of our high alpine roads. Just saying, you know, please continue to keep your guard up, practice distancing even in these high alpine areas. Be careful, because of the COVID virus, there may be kind of a delayed EMS response. It's often difficult to get up there anyway.”

Republican Senator Don Coram from Montrose said he believed Polis did what he thought was right. But Coram said the latest funding decision from the governor just reinforced his own desire to get back to work at the state Capitol, which is set to resume Tuesday.

“I think that’s long overdue, that's how I feel about it. My district especially was saying, ‘Where in the hell are you’? How come you're not in Denver?” Coram said.

[my comment added in blue text]

[note: multiple hyperlinks at the linked story website}

Where Did Colorado Lawmakers Find $3.5 Billion To Patch The State Budget? Schools, Veterans, Seniors, Medicaid And More

By Andrew Kenney
May 22, 2020

Colorado’s legislature is about to begin weeks of intense debate that will determine what programs and priorities are sacrificed to close a $3 billion-plus gap in the state’s budget.

They already have a starting point: The Joint Budget Committee, a small, bipartisan group of lawmakers, completed a recommended spending plan on Friday afternoon, ending weeks of preliminary debate and planning.

It’s been a grueling and head-spinning effort. Lawmakers at times have choked on emotion as they’ve cut college investments for newborn children, salary funding for state employees and hundreds of millions of dollars in school budgets. In other moments, they’ve laughed in exhaustion.

“It is a historic thing. It’s likely not to happen again — for at least a year,” Republican state Sen. Bob Rankin said wryly as the committee closed its work.

The committee and its staff have drafted more than 40 different bills, all aimed at stanching the bleeding. In a matter of weeks, they have undone months of earlier planning that was made irrelevant by the pandemic.

Even as they rewrote the budget, the lawmakers acknowledged that the ripple effects could spread far and wide — whether it’s hospitals struggling with a new financial reality or the students who will return to school in a de-funded system. The JBC’s decisions mark a day of reckoning for programs that, in some cases, had only recently recovered from the Great Recession.

“The gains we’ve made are going to take a big toll through this budget. Honestly, I think it’s going to take years to get them back to the level they were,” said state Sen. Dominick Moreno, a Democrat and vice chair of the JBC, after one particularly long work session. “People are going to encounter it very personally.”

The largest amounts of money will come from K-12 schools, higher education and health programs, which make up the lion’s share of the general fund that the legislature controls. The legislature faces a drop of roughly 25 percent in discretionary funding, even as the outbreak drives increased demand for government services.

“We used our heads. But it would be impossible for us to make these decisions if we hadn’t used our hearts as well,” said Democratic Rep. Daneya Esgar, the JBC chair. They “spread that hurt” as much as they could, she said. “We took a little from a lot.”

Here is where the plan stood on Friday afternoon, ahead of the restart of the legislative session on Tuesday.

Schools

The legislature will debate a cut of about $724 million to schools, or about 14 percent less in overall state funding, compared to this fiscal year. About a fifth of that sum would be taken from statewide programs and grants like BEST, which supports school construction and upgrades. The rest would come from the “per pupil” funding that goes to each school district.

The full legislature will decide how to carry out that cut.

They could reduce per-pupil funding equally statewide, or find ways to protect poorer areas. To do that, they could adjust the state’s complex funding formula — perhaps by shrinking a factor that awards extra money to areas with high costs of living — or leaning on certain districts with higher local taxes to pay more of their own bills.

The education cut was especially hard for JBC lawmakers, who saved it nearly for last.

“We have made painful reductions in every department, and I think it was always with the bipartisan goal that we minimize, as much as possible, any impacts to K-through-12 education,” Moreno said.

But it was impossible to carry out such a large statewide cut without affecting the schools, which make up 40 percent of general fund spending.

State Rep. Julie McCluskie, a Democrat, stressed that it should be a “one-time” reduction. Rankin said the parties had “worked together” to preserve as much funding as possible.

The announcement of the figure set off shockwaves. As soon as the meeting concluded, Moreno’s phone was flooded with questions and text messages, he said. Federal CARES Act money will make up some of the gap, but lawmakers are still working through the restrictions. Gov. Jared Polis has directed about $510 million of the stimulus dollars to K-12 schools.

“You can’t do a one-for-one (exchange). But it’s a little bit of help. Perhaps that $510 million can help soften the blow,” Moreno said.


Higher Education

The JBC recommended a 58 percent cut, or about $493 million, in state funding for higher education. That loss will also be partially offset by $450 million in CARES Act money.

A separate proposal would partially eliminate the College Kickstarter program, which had provided $100 in college tuition investment for newborns in Colorado. The program started this year. The JBC recommended taking $6 million of its $12 million pool of money.


State Employees And Government

The committee recommended that the state suspend its direct contribution to the PERA retirement system, a reduction of $225 million. The JBC did not run with further recommendations that would have cut another $300 million-plus by delaying planned increases in pension funding and shifting more responsibility to employees.

Departments would be asked to figure out how to cut 5 percent from what they spend on salaries and benefits, totaling about $111 million across various sources of money.

The JBC also recommended reducing Colorado’s cash reserves. Currently, the state government must set aside about 7.25 percent of the general fund. That cushion could drop to about 3 percent next year.


Health And Welfare

The JBC recommended repurposing $160 million of hospital fees that normally subsidize care for the uninsured and Medicaid patients. Normally, hospitals pay those fees based on their overall revenues and get money back based on the population they serve. It’s a set-up that especially benefits safety-net hospitals.

Instead, the money will go to the general fund. The Colorado Hospital Association supported the move because it said other options were worse.

The committee recommended walking back about $11 million for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, including some new spending, and it temporarily delayed plans for a new Medicaid benefit for people dealing with substance use issues.

The JBC recommended reducing provider rates — the amount the state pays to medical providers for Medicaid — by 1 percent, saving about $30 million. That also would affect private prisons and other services.


Senior Tax Exemption

The state could get about $159 million by suspending the senior homestead exemption, which allows people over 65 to reduce their home tax valuation by up to $100,000.

The JBC could not get a unanimous vote to start a bill on that topic, but Moreno expected it would be introduced in the legislature instead. The legislature would likely leave in place a similar exemption for disabled veterans. The legislature made a similar move during the Great Recession.


Marijuana Money

The state could cash in $137 million of cannabis tax money. Normally, the government can’t touch that money for a year after it’s collected. The JBC recommended $37 million of reductions and delays in programs that normally depend on cannabis money.

The state also could repurpose about $17.4 of money from Colorado’s portion of the tobacco lawsuit settlement, and it could use $17.8 million of tobacco tax money for general health purposes.


One-Time Money

The budget proposal also taps into pools of money the state has saved for various purposes to cover the general fund gap. For example, the proposal takes about $43 million from the unclaimed property trust fund — a pool of “lost and found” resources the Treasurer’s Office manages. There is almost $260 million in the available balance.

To offset the withdrawal, the JBC recommended delaying spending about $90 million from the fund for one of its other designated purposes, affordable housing. State Rep. Kim Ransom, a Republican, said it was “still a mistake” to withdraw money from the unclaimed property fund.

“I am recognizing that we are up against a crisis right now ... but at the same time I’m not going to let a rush get in the way of doing things correctly,” she said.

Republicans have argued the state doesn’t have the right to spend money that is being held in trust for its rightful owners, though it largely goes unclaimed.

Moreno noted that the legislature had already approved similar transfers. Another $46 million for the general fund would come from a pool of oil tax money that is normally used to finance state water projects.


Transportation

The JBC recommended leaning on the state Department of Transportation to pick up the tab for $50 million a year in debt service, which the general fund previously would have covered.


What’s Next?

The JBC’s recommendations must be approved by the full state legislature, which reconvenes at the Colorado State Capitol on Tuesday. Much of passion will likely focus on the K-12 education cut, but each part of the plan is open to debate.

“I look forward to defending our work, together, to the rest of our colleagues,” Moreno said.

This article was updated to correct Rep. Julie McCluskie’s title.

$3.5 billion state budget shortfall battle, multiple proposed "fee" increases to get around TABOR restrictions, but Democrat legislators found the time to vote themselves a pay raise before suspending their legislative session and vacating the Capitol building.

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Democrat State lawmakers give themselves a raise before fleeing violent protests

May 29, 2020

State lawmakers split town early Thursday and said they won’t be back in session Friday or Saturday because of the violent protesters who swarmed the Capitol grounds.

The protesters’ message got all muddled by the violence and destruction of property, particularly to the state Capitol.

By all appearances, they intended to convey that if roving gangs of thugs cause violence and destruction because they’re mad at the police, the police will teargas them.

Lost in the melee was any mourning of the tragic death of a man by the hands of a police officer in Minnesota.

The legislature is already behind on their work because of COVID-19, and now that protestors are ignoring the social distancing and COVID laws with their antics, lawmakers are still too scared to stay in the Capital and do their jobs.

House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, and Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, confirmed the decision to The Colorado Sun late Thursday.

“It’s best to let there be space and time for the protests to play out,” Becker said in an interview.

The Democrats left town so fast, they forgot to tell us about the big ole pay raise and hefty retirement bump they passed for themselves.

State Sen. Rob Woodward from Larimer County exposed the Democrats’ actions, pointing out the irony of lawmakers giving themselves raises while hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are now unemployed.

[note: embedded news report and hyperlink at linked website news report]

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Colorado's budget writers didn't know Gov. Polis was spending federal CARES Act money

Gov. Jared Polis said one thing and did another. Colorado's governor seized control of federal COVID-19 relief funds after saying the legislature would manage them.

Author: Marshall Zelinger
Published: 9:18 PM MDT May 19, 2020
Updated: 9:18 PM MDT May 19, 2020

DENVER — Last month, Republican Congressman Scott Tipton wrote a letter to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis asking how Colorado's CARES Act funds would be spent.

When that letter came up in a press conference on April 17, Polis said the legislature would manage the money.

"Look, Scott. You used to be in the state legislature. You know how this works," Polis said of the money. "The legislature has the power of the purse. The [Joint Budget Committee], the members of the legislature are going to work through this. And that means they're going to have their competing interests that they're going to need to balance. They're going to be hearing from their mayors and their counties saying we need help. They're also going to be hearing from school districts and others that get funded by the state, saying, 'Wait a minute. If you're sending money there, it means there's less money for schools.' That's the work that we do in representative government. We, of course, look forward to working with the [Joint Budget Committee] and with the legislature."

Now, in mid-May, the governor has changed course.

Using Executive Order 70, Polis allocated the CARES Act emergency COVID-19 funding from Congress, totaling $1.67 billion, one month after saying the legislature and the Joint Budget Committee would handle that money.

Monday night's executive order spelled out how the $1.67 billion would be split among state departments.

A snapshot of some of the spending:

$510 million will go to the Colorado Department of Education for K-12 funding, but the spending must be on compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures.
$450 million will be for the Colorado Department of Higher Education for spending that is also compliant with COVID-19 related public health measures.
$275 million is for local governments that did not receive CARES Act funding directly.
$70 million will go to the general fund, which lawmakers have discretion over.

Colorado's budget is normally passed by the legislature after the governor provides a road map. Normally, the governor would present a budget proposal in November to the six lawmakers who make up the Joint Budget Committee (JBC). The JBC would then take that proposal and recommendations from each department in the state (e.g. Education, Higher Education, Public Safety, Corrections, Health and Human Services, etc.) and decide what money goes where. In March, the JBC sends the finalized budget called "The Long Bill" to all 100 lawmakers. The House gets one week to debate, add and subtract, and then the Senate does the same. Ultimately, the governor is presented a budget to sign, veto or line-item veto, meaning he can subtract certain items, but he can't unilaterally add money.

That's, essentially, what Polis did on Monday night, with little to no notice to the JBC members.

"I read the press release on social media," said JBC member Rep. Kim Ransom, R-Douglas County.

"We didn’t have a ton of advanced notice," said JBC vice-chair Sen. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City.

Some Democrats did, however. House Speaker Rep. KC Becker, D-Boulder, and Senate President Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, were both quoted in the governor's news release.

"I actually had a call from the governor, just about the same time the press release came out," said JBC member Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale.

Rankin thought he was calling about a waiver requested by Garfield County.

"It was a shocker to me, and I reacted by saying, 'Governor, you told us that the legislature and the JBC would be in control," said Rankin. "He said that we didn’t have time to wait for the legislature, we had to get the money out."

"We probably should have been consulted," said Ransom. "The executive and legislative branch should be coequal branches of our state government, and so I thought it was appropriate that it would have gone through the legislature."

"The CARES Act legislation, as it’s written, I would say, is ambiguous on who has the ability to allocate that funding," said Moreno. "The CARES Act funding was never going to solve all of our issues anyway, so in a lot of ways the governor perhaps did us a favor."

The funding allocated by the governor is required to be used by the end of 2020. Colorado's budget year goes from July 2020 to June 2021.

"Think about this, he gets to spend $1.6 billion, we must cut $3.3 billion," said Rankin.

"Sometimes, the actual letter of the law or the nuance of who gets to spend the dollars, sometimes those things are sacrificed in the goal of getting the money out and getting the relief to Coloradans," said Moreno.

The CARES Act money also has to be used to "facilitate compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures." It's fairly broad. That money will likely help departments like K-12 pay for laptops and iPads for students, online technology and additional cleanings of school buildings, funds that could become new normals for future budget years that the JBC must figure out how to pay for.

"We hope that in the future we’ll be able to really help figure out how to best allocate those funds, but where those funds are going are exactly where they are needed right now," said JBC Chair Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo.

Looking at the big picture and whether there's a check on the governor's check-writing ability, lawmakers won't be back in session until Tuesday, and it's not clear if they could undo his actions even if they wanted.

"I don’t believe we do because we actually are in a state of emergency right now and the legislature’s not in session," said Ransom.

"We are going to be working on measures, perhaps legislation, to really make sure that that accountability exists," said Moreno.

Next with Kyle Clark asked the governor's office what changed between his comments one month ago and his executive order on Monday.

In a statement, spokesman Conor Cahill wrote:

“This global pandemic has created unique challenges for hardworking Coloradans and our local communities so there is no time to waste. And we need to go on learning and living and the Governor is helping us get back to something as close to normal as possible. The Governor acted quickly and urgently to get the CARES act money out the door to our local communities and schools, and was proud to work with legislative leadership in announcing the money going out. This much needed funding will quickly support the State’s strong response to COVID-19, help parents return to work by ensuring rural, urban and suburban schools and local governments have the tools they need to adapt to this new reality, and provide a much needed boost to economic activity in Colorado. The administration works closely in a bipartisan way with the federal delegation and legislative leadership to help the state respond to the challenges created by this pandemic.”

As far as Tipton, a member of that federal delegation mentioned in Polis' statement, he criticized the governor in a statement on Tuesday, saying, in part:

“Governor Polis’ executive order directly contradicts what he previously told me. In April, I wrote to the Governor asking him to address rumors on his plans for the state’s share of the CARES Act relief funds. He criticized me for questioning the potential use of the funds, said I did not understand how the state budget process works, and said the legislature not the governor would decide how the funds were spent. Now he has unilaterally through an executive order decided how he would use the funds. Either the Governor has forgotten his own accounting of how the state budget process works, or his response in April was an effort to deflect and distract from the question of if he would distribute the funds to local governments for COVID related expenses, as so many have requested. Nothing about this executive order is collaborative or bipartisan, and local officials I have heard from-on both sides of the aisle-have expressed frustration about being kept in the dark. I hope the Governor has answers to the questions our communities will undoubtedly ask about the use of the relief funds.”

[emphasis added]

I have to admit that, at times, I'm not a very compassionate human...in this case, if anything good can come from the pandemic, I take some perverse pleasure in watching the Democrats weep, wail and moan as they are forced to cut spending, especially spending for their pet projects. It's almost the Democrat equivalent to Old Yeller.

[note: pics and hyperlinks can be found at the linked piece website]

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Colorado’s $30.3 billion coronavirus-sickened state budget explained in 10 numbers

The state budget includes a $200 million IOU for unspecified legislation that will eliminate tax breaks or raise fees, leaders said

MAY 29, 2020 3:40AM MDT

John Frank
@ByJohnFrank
The Colorado Sun — johnfrank@coloradosun.com

C olorado lawmakers will begin debate Monday on the $30.3 billion coronavirus-sickened state budget — and no one is happy.

“Do we love this budget? No,” said state Rep. Daneya Esgar, a Pueblo Democrat and chairwoman of the Joint Budget Committee. “This budget is hard. There are a lot of cuts in this budget.”

The cuts in the spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 are unprecedented at 16% over two years and so are the moves lawmakers used to draft a budget.

The extraordinary nature of this year’s budget package is expected to generate significant debate. On Thursday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers peppered state budget writers with dozens of questions and expressed concerns about how the cuts were made. Earlier in the day, House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, said in an interview the cuts were “brutal.”

The budget bill starts in the state House with two days of debate and votes before moving to the state Senate.

Here’s a look at the 10 most important budget numbers and how they will shape the debate to come.

$3 billion

The number that loomed large in the deliberations on the state’s spending plan is the $3 billion estimated budget shortfall for the current and next fiscal year.

It’s the ballpark figure that emerged from two economic forecasts presented earlier in May showing a deficit that amounted to $2.7 billion or $3.1 billion compared to a year earlier. Colorado lawmakers took the more optimistic projections for a lower deficit, giving them $437.5 million more to spend in the budget.

Still, the new economic landscape represented quite a whiplash for lawmakers. When the legislative session began, economic projections showed an estimated $4 billion more for the current and next fiscal year than what lawmakers had to spend once the coronavirus crippled the economy.

$30.3 billion

The size of the state budget is a tricky figure to calculate. The legislative budget documents list the operating budget at $31.7 billion, but that includes double-counted dollars and excludes spending on state capital construction projects.

Once you do the math, the state’s budget for fiscal year 2020-21 is $30.3 billion, according to The Colorado Sun’s analysis and confirmed by legislative budget analysts. It’s about 3% less overall compared to the prior year’s spending plan.

The largest portion of the total budget is the general fund at $10.9 billion. Fueled by state tax revenues, the general fund represents the discretionary spending that lawmakers approve each year.

All together, the state budget package spans 43 bills this year, the most in recent memory.

$380.4 million

To balance the budget, it took more than just spending cuts. The legislative budget committee voted unanimously to pull $380.4 million from various state cash and trust funds, including money from BEST school construction, the unclaimed property trust fund and oil and gas severance taxes.

These diversions to the general fund lessened the amount of cuts lawmakers needed to make, but they generated controversy, too. The two Republican lawmakers on the budget committee voted against an additional $32 million in transfers. The additional transfers will move forward in separate legislation but are necessary for a balanced budget.

$137 million

One of the most significant cash fund transfers came from marijuana tax revenue. A budget companion bill will change state law to allow spending the tax dollars in the same year they are collected, a one-time move that allowed for a larger transfer.

All told, the budget transfers $137 million from the account to cover other operational expenses, a significant shift in policy. The funds are traditionally earmarked for addressing enforcement and regulation of marijuana legalization, as well as related programs. In addition, to make the money available, lawmakers had to eliminate initiatives that relied on the money, including substance abuse treatment.

$202 million

For the first time, according to budget analysts, the lawmakers put an IOU in the budget. It’s a $202 million placeholder for unspecified legislation that will either reduce spending or increase state revenues through additional fees or taxes.

The $32 million in cash fund diversions that didn’t get unanimous support in the budget committee are expected to be part of this total.

But the other components are unclear, and Democratic leaders declined to offer specifics on their plans when pressed on the question.

“These are pretty unprecedented times and there just aren’t a whole lot more options that the JBC could take, and there are more obvious options that the legislature could take to balance the budget,” said Becker, the House speaker.

The move essentially means the budget is not balanced because it will take other legislation to do so. Republican Rep. Richard Champion blasted Democratic leaders for their approach. “Goodness gracious, that is horrible,” the first-term lawmaker from Columbine Valley said.

One option on the table is the temporary suspension of a tax break for older Coloradans and disabled veterans. The voter-approved senior homestead exemption allows those eligible to not pay taxes on 50% of the first $200,000 in actual value on their homes.

The state reimburses local governments for the lost property tax revenue and it is expected to cost $164 million next year. Even though some Republican lawmakers acknowledge it’s ballooned out of control, GOP lawmakers are expecting to fight to preserve the tax break. Rep. Lori Saine, R-Firestone, urged her colleagues to “find places to cut rather than balancing the budget on the back of our seniors.”

In 2010, amid the Great Recession, lawmakers suspended the tax break for three years to save state dollars.

36%

The single largest part of the state’s discretionary spending is K-12 education at more than 36%, or roughly $4 out of every $10 from the general fund.

So it’s no surprise that it took a big cut for the next year at about 10%. The budget includes a $724 million reduction in state spending on education. The details on how the state makes the cuts will appear in the forthcoming School Finance Act.

The state constitution requires increases in education spending each year, but since the Great Recession, lawmakers couldn’t meet the obligation. And the cut could only add to the gap between what the state provides and what’s required — known as the negative or budget stabilization factor — which is currently $572 million.

“We are currently underfunding K-12 by the millions into billions of dollars from the last decade from not being able to pay off the BS factor,” acknowledged Rep. Julie McCluskie, a Democratic budget writer from Dillon.

93,137

The huge spike in unemployment and other economic factors are leading Gov. Jared Polis’ administration to forecast a surge in Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income residents. In March, the monthly enrollments increased to 40,899. By June, the administration predicts the number will increase to 93,137.

The expected enrollment increase forced lawmakers to pump an additional $1.3 billion — including $393 million from the general fund — into the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. The agency’s overall 12.4% budget boost is one of the only increases in the bill.

One move lawmakers took to compensate is to increase copays on the people in the program. The copay on prescription drugs will increase from $3 to $4 and physician visits will increase from $2 to $4. Other services — including dental and nonemergency medical transport — will get copays for the first time at $4.

Budget writers approved the move to save $8.8 million — including $2.1 million from the general fund — despite the fact department studies show that copay increases as little as $1 can reduce how often people utilize services, such as vaccinations, prescription drugs and preventative care.

$140 million

One of the most profound effects of the spending cuts is how they devastated much of the Democratic agenda that Polis and lawmakers pushed in the 2019 session after winning the majority at the Capitol.

The budget includes cutbacks to nearly 100 new laws approved in the prior session and amounts to more than $140 million, according to a new analysis by The Colorado Sun. Even before now, the additional spending from the monumental 2019 session concerned budget writers, but the new programs were the first to be targeted.

In some situations, the funding for the new initiatives was delayed or reduced, but in other cases, it was eliminated. Only a few managed to get money from other sources.

The cuts included money to build more roads, increase affordable housing, forgive student debt for teachers, address opioid abuse and boost treatment and mentor ninth graders in order to boost high school graduation rates.

$274 million

In one of the tougher decisions for lawmakers, the budget bill suspends a $225 million payment designed to shore up the state’s pension system, known as PERA. The payment was put into law as part of a landmark deal to make the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association solvent within 30 years. But now it will take an additional eight to 10 years because of the canceled payment, lawmakers said.

The move — outlined in House Bill 1379, a companion measure to the budget — includes another $48.9 million reduction in payments.

Updated 7 a.m. May 29, 2020: This story was updated to reflect the postponement of the legislative session to Monday, June 1 after protests rocked the Capitol. The budget debate is expected to begin when lawmakers return.

'bout damn time.

===================

Loveland Senator tells Polis ‘time’s up,’ files joint resolution to revoke Governor’s disaster declaration

June 3, 2020 By Sherrie Peif

DENVER — Sen. Rob Woodward, R-Loveland notified Gov. Jared Polis Wednesday morning that he has filed a joint resolution to revoke Polis’ Disaster Emergency, which was declared March 26, and which has been renewed every 30 days since. The disaster declaration grants the governor additional emergency powers under state statute.

Woodward, along with co-sponsors Sen. Bob Rankin, R-Carbondale, Rep. Mark Baisley, R-Roxborough Park and Rep. Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, say it’s time for the governor to let them do their jobs. Republican Senators Bob Gardner, Dennis Hisey and Kevin Priola are also listed on bill that was filed Tuesday.

“The legislature allowed you significant leeway to respond to COVID-19,” Woodward said in communication to Polis, a copy of which was sent to Complete Colorado. “In March, you declared a Disaster Emergency that was supposed to last 30 days. You then renewed that declaration two more times through June 6. During that time, you have taken the liberty to assert many powers historically reserved to the legislature: amending and suspending statute, spending state money, and much more. Furthermore, some would argue that you have exceeded your executive authority and infringed upon the Liberties of the people of Colorado. Your time is up.”

The Joint Resolution terminating the declaration will restore the balance of power Coloradans deserve, Woodward said.

“Because you refuse to relinquish power on your own, this is the only path to bring an end to your overreach,” Woodward said. “It is time for you to go back to acting like the Chief Executive, and it is time for the General Assembly to reclaim its role as the representative legislature of the people.”

Woodward acknowledged in his notification that the state has a long road ahead, but emphasized that it is “important that each branch of government limits itself to only those powers delegated by the People. Only then can we join together to address the health, economic, justice, and civil unrest plaguing our state.”

The resolution outlines that Polis has issued at least 85 executive orders since March 26, in addition to several public health orders “that have had far-reaching effects on the people of Colorado, including but not limited to, directing stay-at-home orders, directing noncritical businesses to close, directing employers to reduce in-person work, suspending normal in-person instruction of students, ordering the temporary suspension of all voluntary or elective surgeries or procedures, and ordering the issuance of a public health order requiring certain Coloradans to wear non-medical mask coverings.”

It also covers several other directives under Polis that are legislative powers under state law. The declaration would be revoked upon passage of the resolution in both chambers. It does not require the governor’s signature; however, it does require the signatures of Speaker of the House, K.C. Becker and Senate President Leroy Garcia, both of whom are Democrats.

The full resolution can be found by clicking here.

JR20 Bill Paper

quote:

Originally posted by CQB60:
Colorado is about to get a whole lot more expensive to live in. Just like California, 15 years ago..

Sums up the entire thread.
This is what happens when Democrats control a state. If it's any consolation, Illinois is farther down this path.

Democrats at War
By David Horowitz

The Democrat party is at war with America. That is the clear message of the Democrats’ responses to the crises that have engulfed our nation over the last six months, made our streets war zones, and destroyed the small business communities that are the lifeblood of our system. When the country was attacked by a deadly virus from China in January, the Democrats attacked the president’s efforts to stop it at the border, then blamed him for the 100,000 deaths that followed. Yet Democrat governors controlled the health systems of every major center of the covid19 devastation and were 100% responsible for any policies that failed.

When the president attempted to re-open the economy in May, Democrat governors and mayors issued draconian orders to arrest individuals violating their “social distancing” injunctions by strolling in parks, lounging on beaches and – worst of all - attempting to revive their barbershops and salons. As a direct consequence of these imposed shutdowns forty million Americans lost their jobs. To many of us, the Democrats’ purpose was clear: to depress the economy and blame the consequences on the president. This became the incessant theme of their political utterances and ads.

Yet these seditious Democrat attacks on the commander-in-chief in the midst of the war against an invisible enemy maintained a cover of plausibility because of the uncertainties surrounding the virus and how it was spread. This mask was dropped when a civil insurrection erupted in the wake of the horrific police murder of George Floyd. In its wake America’s streets were filled with massive crowds of protesters and as it turned out domestic terrorists. These terrorists, led by the communist organization Antifa, used the protests as a cover for violent and hate-filled attacks on ordinary citizens and their businesses. As these attacks escalated into the torching of city centers and the devastation of poor communities, the hypocrisies of Democrats and their true agendas became inescapably clear.

Virtually all the mayhem was centered in Democrat-controlled states and cities. The same mayors who had jailed local business people and ordinary citizens for congregating in groups of more than ten were utterly silent as crowds of thousands formed to tear their cities apart. Meanwhile not a single word was uttered, not a single arrest made, by these same Democrat governors and mayors to prevent the protesters and rioters from violating the social distancing ordinances they had used to close churches and houses of worship the week before. While stores, apartment buildings and even police stations were torched by violent radicals, while ordinary citizens were being terrorized, Democrat governors were reluctant to call out their National Guard and nip the riots in the bud.

https://www.americanthinker.co...mocrats_at_war_.html