An informational and educational resource for the Colorado General Assembly by the Office of Legislative Legal Services.
by Chuck Brackney and Richard Sweetman
Colorado voters will be asked to determine the fate of three proposals on this year’s statewide election ballot. One measure is a referendum sent to the voters by the General Assembly, while the other two are the result of citizen initiatives. (more…)
by Julie Pelegrin
On Sept. 26, the plaintiffs and plaintiff-intervenors in Lobato v. State, and 13 other organizations filed briefs with the Colorado Supreme Court in response to the state defendants’ appellate briefs. The plaintiffs’ briefs and the briefs filed by the amicus curiae (“friends of the court”) argued that, for varying reasons, the trial court was correct in finding that the “Public School Finance Act of 1994” (PSFA) does not meet the state constitution’s requirement that the General Assembly establish and maintain a thorough and uniform system of public education. For this reason, they argued that the Supreme Court should uphold the trial court’s findings and order. For the Office of Legislative Legal Services’ memorandum describing the trial court’s decision, click here. For our August 9 article summarizing the defendants’ appellate briefs, click here. (more…)
by Patti Dahlberg
Fall is officially here, which means that the first bill request deadline is just around the corner! True — December 1 is still a few weeks away, but somehow each year time seems to slip away until this first bill request deadline rudely rears its head amidst holidays and about a million other things that need to be taken care of before session starts. (more…)
By Jennifer Berman and Thomas Morris
During the 2012 interim, the Water Resources Review Committee (WRRC) heard presentations from a variety of stakeholders interested in maintaining the quality and quantity of Colorado’s water supply, including water users, providers, administrators, and experts. The committee also approved six bills and two resolutions to recommend for introduction in the 2013 regular session. (more…)
by Nicole Myers
The Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Pension Reform Commission met once during the 2012 interim for an annual briefing from the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) and to consider one bill recommended by the FPPA Board of Directors for introduction during the 2013 legislative session. (more…)
by Brita Darling
As most schools recently began their new year, the Educational Success Task Force was finishing its major interim work. The task force was created in 2011 and charged with reviewing research concerning academic transition points for students in K-12 and higher education and recommending strategies for identifying and providing developmental education services to ensure that students are successful at navigating through these transition points. The task force includes legislative members and officials from school districts and the executive branch, as well as education advocates. (more…)
by Chuck Brackney
During the 2012 interim, the Transportation Legislation Review Committee (TLRC) met four times to hear presentations from a wide spectrum of individuals and groups involved in meeting Colorado’s transportation needs. It also approved eight bills for introduction in the 2013 regular session. (more…)
by Tom Morris
Getting a large real estate development approved in Colorado just got more difficult, and preliminary development proposals that do receive approval are now more likely to have adequate water supplies at full build-out — at least if a state district court’s interpretation of a recently enacted state law is upheld on appeal. (more…)
by Jennifer Berman
You’re thinking “Gimme a Break, I can’t learn anything about state versus local oil and gas regulation from 1980’s television shows.” But let’s take a Quantum Leap of faith together and I’ll guide you to the Head of the Class on the issue of preemption by using a 1980’s television show analogy. (more…)
by Julie Pelegrin
There’s an old saying: “You can’t play the game if you don’t know the rules.” Although the legislative session is not a game, a legislator who doesn’t know the legislative rules has a difficult time accomplishing his or her legislative goals. (more…)