Colorado Capitol

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Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the Colorado House of Representatives are blaming each other for sowing discord in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah last week.

High school students from across Denver held a rally on the Capitol steps Wednesday in the wake of the state’s latest high school shooting.

In a tense and, at times, dramatic special session, lawmakers pushed through bills to tackle a billion-dollar budget hole, SNAP cuts, and more.

Democrats at the Capitol also pushed back the start date of Colorado’s first-in-the-nation AI law, shored up subsidies on health insurance and tweaked a pair of measures on the November ballot.

The moves comes after the Berthoud Republican abruptly resigned from the state legislature last week in an apparent attempt to avoid a censure.

The move came after a deal between consumer advocates, the tech industry and others on how to move forward on the measure fell apart.

Two bills passed in Colorado’s special session aim to safeguard safety-net programs. One boosts state funding for SNAP food assistance, the other guarantees Medicaid coverage at Planned Parenthood clinics.

If the agreement holds, it would end nearly two years of negotiations on how to try to prevent AI from harming people when they do things like apply for jobs, seek out loans and pursue a college degree.

Lawmakers say some special sessions feel more "special," or necessary, than others.