The escalating political pressure comes at a critical juncture for the prison system, whose officials warn lawmakers they could run out of space to hold people as soon as next year. But after prior cries of alarm proved premature last summer, lawmakers are approaching the latest projections with skepticism, and instead pushing forward with sweeping reforms aimed at forcing the department’s hand. “We can no longer give the Department of Corrections blank checks,” Rep. Leslie H

On Friday, May 11, 2018, Governor Hickenlooper signed two bills into law. To date, he has signed 225 bills into law and sent two to the Secretary of State without a signature. The bills signed Friday were HB 18-1253, “Concerning Implementation of Recommendations of the Committee on Legal Services in Connection with Legislative Review of Rules of State Agencies,” by Reps. Pete Lee & Leslie Herod and Sen. Bob Gardner, and HB 18-1307, “Concerning Restricting the Availability to

The good, the bad and the ugly: Last week, Colorado Politics told you what legislation got done and didn’t get done at the Capitol during the 2018 General Assembly session, which ended May 9. Now, we take a look at the lawmakers who were winners and losers during the four-month-long session. Read full article #MeToo #harassment #PERA #expulsion #civilrights

“It’s not a High Tea in terms of consumption of getting high,” remarked Susan Squibb, founder of the event, “We welcome children and families as a celebration of mothers and fertility and creativity, and we don’t allow consumption.” Events like Mother’s High Tea “let everyone know how important it is to have cannabis education for all ages,” added Rachael Carlevale, Ganjasana Founder and member of the Mother’s High Tea Leadership Committee High Tea normalizes the conversation

"I think the commission right now is fair and balanced," said Rep. Leslie Herod, Democrat from Denver. She sponsored House Bill along with House Speaker Crisanta Duran and State Senator Robert Gardner. But Republican State Senator Robert Gardner said that many of his colleagues felt the commission had a blind spot towards conservative viewpoints. The senators wanted the legislature to exert more control over who got picked to serve on the panel. "That certainly is what my con

The seven-member commission hears civil rights cases in the state. Lawmakers agreed to limit how many from each party can serve – and they added a business representative. Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod says it’s an important compromise. “We put together I think, a balanced proposal. 1:55- It was a big issue to add a business member. It was a big issue to change the makeup of the commission and to give away the majority power of the majority party.” Some GOP changes to the nomi

It's been one wild ride through Colorado's 2018 legislative session, especially if you're interested in marijuana. Almost thirty pot-related bills were introduced this year, with the majority of them passing. The proposals included some controversial measures, such as at-home marijuana delivery, dispensary tasting rooms, providing medical marijuana for autism patients and the development of a tracking agent that would be applied to commercial pot plants and products. Although

Students of color, critics say, are being arrested for misbehavior once handled by school administrators and counselors, thanks largely to an increased police presence in schools. Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod points to a 2016 report by Padres y Jovenos Unidos that said in Colorado, after a decade of steady reductions, the statewide school suspension rate grew by 19 percent during the 2014-15 school year. During that same period, there were 3.5 times more suspensions of bl

The governor currently appoints all seven members of the commission, but that could change under the to-be-debated Senate amendments, which would increase the commission to a nine-member body and divvy up appointments. The governor would appoint five members, and the ranking House and Senate members of the political party opposite the governor's would appoint two members each. The Senate amendments would also require the commission to include representatives of labor unions,

A Colorado House committee has passed a bill that would remove autopsy reports on minors' deaths from the state's Open Records Act. The House Judiciary Committee voted 8-3 on Thursday to refer the bipartisan bill to the full House. Supporters say the bill would protect family privacy and help deter copycat youth suicides. Opponents argue it would hamper efforts by journalists and the public spot trends involving youth deaths, hold elected coroners accountable, and report on t