Elected officials in Douglas County are working together on a piece of legislation that would modify assault in the second degree and bring more protection to domestic violence victims as well as first responders and medical professionals. 

“The cost to society, domestic (violence) victims, the court system and corrections increases dramatically if the assault results in homicide,” Rep. Anthony Hartsook (R-Parker) said. “This legislation is designed to get those threats off the streets before they result in a homicide.”

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The Colorado House’s Republican leadership has announced its members’ committee assignments for the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 14.

“These committee assignments showcase our readiness to bring accountability and common sense back into the legislative process,” said Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colorado Springs. “The members chosen for these committees understand the challenges families are facing, and they are prepared to scrutinize every proposal through the lens of affordability, safety, and responsible government. House Republicans will be an active and effective voice for the millions of Coloradans who expect better results from their state government.”

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Colorado lawmakers are stuck in a cycle of annual budget shortfalls of roughly $1 billion, predominantly caused by the skyrocketing cost of Medicaid.

That was the warning last week from the top nonpartisan staffer for the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, which is tasked with drafting the state budget. JBC Staff Director Craig Harper called the trend “alarming.”

The shortfalls come from how much money lawmakers have to spend each year growing more slowly than the cost of maintaining existing state programs and services.

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In two months, the second regular session of the 75th Colorado General Assembly will open, and Joint Budget Committee (JBC) director Craig Harper said the conditions won’t be much unlike the prior session a year ago.

The state is expected to be facing an $850 million shortfall.

Members of the JBC organized Wednesday and heard a $50.7 billion budget proposal from Gov. Jared Polis, which cuts from Medicaid but not from what some criticized as an inflated state government.

“At a time where we’re making cuts, we’re adding 355 new employees,” said Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction. “I wonder when are we going to get serious about looking at our own internal efficiencies, department by department.”

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The student government at Fort Lewis College in Durango made national news the other day when it voted to block a conservative group from organizing a campus chapter. Then, just last Friday, the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College reversed itself and voted unanimously to let Turning Point USA set up shop after all.

“It was strange,” chapter organizer Jonah Flynn, a Fort Lewis senior, told Fox News over the weekend. “They put us in a tiny room, with at least 100 people being forced to wait outside. Tons of local conservatives, students and community members. Inside the meeting, we got to speak briefly, and they immediately voted and unanimously approved it.” 

The one-eighty was fast if inevitable. Given the drama preceding the original vote to bar Turning Point — an hours-long public hearing; sobbing campus activists; denunciations of “hateful” remarks by the group’s slain co-founder, Charlie Kirk — you might expect a bit more grandstanding before the elected student leaders caved.

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Colorado is planning to invest up to $12 million to fund additional commitment beds for individuals declared incompetent to proceed to trial, Gov. Jared Polis has announced.

In a recent news conference on the state budget, Polis announced plans to request $8 million to $12 million in general fund dollars for additional civil commitment beds in mental health facilities statewide to accommodate individuals who are declared incompetent to stand trial by a judge.

The funding request will be outlined in legislation sponsored by Sen. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, possibly alongside House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colorado Springs, and Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa.

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Republican legislators criticized the student government at Durango’s Fort Lewis College for rejecting a proposal to establish a Turning Point USA chapter on campus.

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative issues on high school and college campuses. Its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated during a campus event in Utah in September.

According to the 

Durango Herald, more than 30 students spoke on the matter during a four-hour-long meeting last week, with most expressing opposition to the proposal.

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When lawmakers pass a new bill, there’s one question we should all ask before we vote: Who’s going to pay for it?

Too often, that question goes unanswered. Across Colorado, local governments are being asked to carry out new state laws — on everything from wildfire codes to building standards — without the funding to make them possible. These are called unfunded mandates, and they’ve quietly become one of the biggest threats to local budgets and the essential services people depend on.

In Mesa County alone, these mandates now cost nearly $10 million each year. Statewide, the total is estimated at more than $360 million — money that could otherwise fund deputies, road repairs, or mental health programs. Instead, it covers the cost of laws the state created but didn’t fund.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — October 7 is Tuesday, marking two years since the October 7th attacks that left 1,139 dead in Israel and kicked off a war that has killed tens of thousands in its wake in the Middle East.

Locally, First Amendment Media, along with community leaders, will be hosting a "Remember October 7th" candlelight vigil in Acacia Park to remember and honor the lives lost on October 7th.

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(COLORADO) — Colorado House Republicans elected State Representative Jarvis Caldwell from Monument as their new leader on Saturday, Sept. 20, following the resignation of former leader Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs.

The election took place remotely on Saturday at 8 a.m., marking a significant change in leadership for the Colorado House Republicans. Caldwell, who is in his first year in the House, will step into the role after Pugliese resigned last week, citing a toxic environment at the Capitol as her reason for stepping down.

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Balancing a budget, doing taxes, investing. All things many adults know how to do — but young people? Many aren’t so sure. There’s a bipartisan push to change that situation – but it's run into some opposition in the mad dash to the end of the legislative session.

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Colorado parents who call their gender-confused kids by their birth names and sex could be punished by the courts in custody disputes, according to a Democratic bill quickly making its way through the state legislature.

House Bill 25-1312 would require courts making child-custody decisions to consider “deadnaming” or “misgendering” as types of coercive control. It says that courts “shall consider reports of coercive control when determining the allocation of parental responsibilities in accordance with the best interests of the child.”

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DENVER, Colorado — Colorado legislators are split over House Bill 25-1312, which seeks to expand anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals and clarify how gender identity issues are handled in custody disputes.

Democratic Rep. Rebekah Stewart, one of the bill's sponsors, explains that the bill really includes "three buckets," with the most controversial addressing child custody and family law. 

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DENVER — A new bill could help businesses throughout Colorado save money by prohibiting credit card companies from implementing transaction fees on tips and sales tax.

This would come as relief to small businesses who are struggling financially and facing the challenges of food prices and minimum wage costs.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -In a 6-3 vote a Colorado House Committee votes to kill a bill that would have increased the penalties for theft in Colorado.

“They were worried that we were gonna put people who shoplift five dollars in jail and that’s not anything to do with my bill. I think that we tend to put criminals' rights over victims' rights. They were saying that when we take freedoms away from people that we have to be very careful when doing that,” said Colorado Representative Brandi Bradley…

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Nearly a third of Colorado's 65 House members are new to the statehouse this year. They come from all walks of life and bring a variety of experiences to their new jobs, which, in the end, will likely shape the policy proposals they bring to the chamber floor. It’s a demanding job, with a steep learning curve.

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About one quarter of Colorado legislators next session will be new to the Capitol building. The bulk of them will be representatives stepping into their first term in office.

Seven current representatives will also shuffle to the Senate. That includes Democratic Sens.-elect Marc Snyder, Cathy Kipp, Judy Amabile, Lindsey Daugherty and Mike Weissman, and Republican Sens.-elect Lisa Frizell and Marc Catlin.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -Following the last legislative session when democrats introduced a group of gun bills, two state republican representatives are standing up what they call a “Second Amendment Caucus.”

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Imagine being stuck to a dialysis machine for over 12 hours a week. Imagine praying each day that an organ becomes available so you can live to see your son’s high school graduation or your daughter’s wedding. Imagine your child is waiting for an organ, uncertain if they will ever make their high school graduation or wedding…

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DENVER — A bipartisan bill that aims to make it easier for veterans to become police officers in Colorado passed out of the House of Representatives after a 59-5 vote on Monday… READ More—>