Capitol Coverage

Gov. Jared Polis signed a $5.4 billion transportation package on Thursday, one he said will benefit the very stretch of road the outdoor signing ceremony took place under

Colorado lawmakers ended a tumultuous, impactful session Tuesday night after passing dozens of new laws that are poised to change everything from how the state pays for roads to who can purchase guns.

Even some Democrats who voted to send the bill to Gov. Jared Polis are questioning whether the bill will actually do what supporters say it will.

Is it possible to know how your state representative will vote on a bill before it gets debated? What started off as a casual bet between two reporters has shed light on a little-known tool that can pretty accurately predict such outcomes.

The visible signs of a deadly pandemic are fading quickly inside the state Capitol. Staff have removed the yellow caution tape that blocked the basement cafeteria for many months. Swarms of lobbyists and tourists are back. And people like Brett Frizzell are even taking off their masks deep inside the poorly ventilated building that historians once labeled a “disease breeding ground.”

A bill that would funnel millions of dollars into a wide range of services from medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, to vouchers for mental health care in rural areas, to screening for mood and anxiety issues for some new mothers passed in the Colorado Senate on Tuesday and now heads over the House for consideration.

Together, the measures would temporarily prevent people convicted of some violent misdemeanors from purchasing guns, create a new state office focused on preventing gun violence and allow cities to adopt stricter gun laws than the state.

A gun-owning Democrat who leads horseback adventure in San Miguel County is torn over the idea of an assault weapons ban. A former corrections officer living in Cortez says lawmakers should focus on strengthening laws already on the books.

Congressional redistricting commissioners convened for the first time last week to hear about each other’s political backgrounds, learn more about the process ahead of them and the unique challenges they may face in this once-a-decade task. Commissioners are responsible for redrawing the state’s districts after the decennial census results are released.

Gov. Jared Polis says he expects all Coloradans ages 16 and up will be eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine starting in mid-April. The timeline is more aggressive than the May 1 deadline President Joe Biden set for states to expand vaccine eligibility to all adults.