The prospect of a special legislative session became imminent tonight after the Republican-led House attached a payday loan amendment to a bill implementing state agency rules.

Democrats accused Republicans of “hijacking” Senate Bill 78, the annual rules bill, throwing in jeopardy hundreds of regulations affecting everything from environmental standards to certification of barbers. Republicans, though, said it would be the Democratic-controlled Senate endangering state regulations if it refused to go along with the GOP amendment.

The intense partisan fight on the House floor even drew in Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat who has sought to avoid partisan battles.

“The governor feels strongly that it’s irresponsible to play games with this bill, as it impacts Colorado’s economy and everything from hunting licenses to oil and gas permits,” said Eric Brown, Hickenlooper’s spokesman. “Holding up this bill is not good government. Payday lending is a separate issue, and one the governor would consider. But using it as a poison pill to play politics is not acceptable.”

Read more…

The Colorado Springs Gazette’s editorial board last week took issue with the federal government’s newest enforcement take on medical marijuana, and in the process took a shot at Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

Thus began a skirmish between the two conservative entities — meaning, the Gazette, which is Libertarian leaning, and Suthers, a law- and-order Republican.

The back and forth gets interesting. Medical marijuana is one of those topics that will cause disagreement even among those who might typically find much common ground.

Suthers responded in a letter that the Gazette printed, but added an editor’s note that takes on the assertions Suthers made.

The editorial, written by Wayne Laugesen for the board, was a scathing criticism of the decision by President Obama’s Justice Department to take a stronger enforcement tack on medical marijuana operations. Read more…

From the start of the Denver mayoral campaign–and even as recently as the day after emerging as the leading vote-getter in last week’s election–Chris Romer said one of the first things he would do upon taking office is eliminate the Manager of Public Safety position.

Curtis Hubbard

Chris Romer

That changed this morning, when the Romer campaign said it was revisiting the issue.

“There was a big discussion with Theresa Spahn and James Mejia as part of a larger discussion about the position, and at this point there’s going to be some evaluation and so we’re not calling for it to be eliminated right now,” said Romer spokeswoman Laura Chapin.

When Romer raised the issue of abolishing the position, which serves as the civilian authority over the city’s police, fire and sheriff’s departments, in the first mayoral debate with Michael Hancock, the latter said it was an example of Romer being unfamiliar with how city government works.

“If anything, we need a stronger Manager of Safety, not no one,” said city concilman Doug Linkhart, who gave his endorsement to Hancock last week. “If a school isn’t performing well, you don’t eliminate the position of principal, you get another one.”

Like Linkhart, Mejia and Spahn also fell by the wayside in last week’s election, but have given their support to Romer. Chapin said it was at their urging that Romer agreed to take a second look at his initial position regarding the manager of Public Safety.

“They want to take a long-term look at the process, especially given Theresa’s background in law enforcement,” Chapin said of Spahn, a former magistrate judge.

“This is very much, as Chris likes to call it, a ‘team of rivals,’ a case of the best minds going to work…that was really why they endorsed him–his willingness to integrate everyone’s best ideas.”

Saul Loeb/AFP, Getty Images file

The CIA has agreed to allow members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to see photos of a dead Osama bin Laden.

WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency agreed Tuesday to allow members of the Senate Intelligence Committee to see photos of a dead Osama bin Laden to further confirm the Al Qaeda leader’s death, Sen. Mark Udall told the Denver Post this afternoon.

Udall, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said he had been urging the White House to release the photos to members of his committee to “provide more credibility,” to what happened.

“I think it just adds to the weight of the mission and adds to the weight of the evidence,” Udall said Tuesday. “We can add heft to the report.”

Read more…

Update 8:41 p.m. | Updated with House redistricting bill being killed.

Efforts to resolve redistricting in Colorado for this legislative session have ended after a House bill was killed, meaning lawmakers are headed to court or a special session to resolve the issue.

MORE: Updated coverage on the redistricting bill’s death

Earlier, war erupted erupted after Senate Republicans briefly demanding every bill be read at length until Senate Democrats agree to hear a House GOP redistricting bill headed their way.

Minority Leader Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, decided to use the rarely used stalling tactic after he asked Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, if the House bill was going to be scheduled for a committee hearing.

Read more…

Ian Silverii, House Democrats

A Capitol prankster decided to have a little fun with a photo of Reps. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, and Claire Levy, D-Boulder.

With the 2011 legislative session winding down — it ends tomorrow — The Spot looks back at a moment in time captured in a photograph:

Perhaps it’s because they’re both lawyers and serve together on the House Judiciary Committee, but Reps. Mark Waller and Claire Levy have become good pals and unlikely allies.

Unlikely because he’s a Colorado Springs Republican and she’s a Boulder Democrat.

Ian Silverii, with the House Democrats press office, took a photo of the two, copied it, drew a heart around then stuck it on Waller’s office door. Levy said they should have had a cutline contest.

Litigious environment: An 11-year-old boy whose Gold Hill neighborhood burned in the Fourmile Fire has joined with a friend afraid of losing favorite hiking trails and an 18-year-old student with a growing asthmatic condition in a lawsuit against the state for failing to protect the environment. The lawsuit is part of a coordinated youth effort to sue government leaders or file administrative actions in all 50 states. A nationwide team of legal experts has been assembled through the nonprofit organization Our Children’s Trust to represent the young people in their lawsuits. The Daily Camera

Map quest, take 1: With two days left to complete a congressional redistricting compromise, a standoff persists between Republicans and Democrats. On Monday, both parties gave preliminary approval to their own redistricting plans and reiterated objections to the other party’s. The Chieftain

Map quest, take 2: Republicans and Democrats moved further away from a compromise on new congressional districts Monday with only two days left to reach a deal. Durango Herald

Map quest, take 3: Aurora and other cities in Colorado are being tossed around congressional districts like pawns in the game of redistricting. Aurora Sentinel

Map quest, take 4: With the clock ticking, Colorado’s Republicans and Democrats on Monday again failed to strike a deal on new congressional district lines. Associated Press

Boulder tells White House what works: The government should help entrepreneurs by easing the application process for research grants, eliminating taxes on sweat equity and putting Small Business Administration loans in the hands of startup-savvy investors, Boulder-area business leaders told White House officials Monday. The Daily Camera

Springs awakening: On Monday, the two mayoral candidates outlined their plans to keep young professionals from leaving Colorado Springs during a forum that sought to engage that demographic through two of their favorite communication tools: Facebook and Twitter. The Gazette

Ft. Lyon frustrations: A Bent County commissioner and the mayor of Las Animas said Monday that they remain frustrated and disappointed about Gov. John Hickenlooper’s 2011-12 budget, which officially approves the closure of Fort Lyon Correctional Facility. The Chieftain

Ordering up a recount: One of Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland’s most outspoken political foes in recent years will pay for for a recount of ballots cast in last Tuesday’s mayoral election. Aspen Times

Jared Petsche, Senate Minority Office

Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, speaks on a redistricting bill during a marathon debate tonight.

I missed the infamous “midnight gerrymander” in 2003 but perhaps I witnessed the infamous midnight filibuster of 2011.

A wild debate on redistricting played out in the Senate Monday night and early today, with Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, yelling “stalling” at Democrats and Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, playing the theme song from “Jeopardy!” over and over again on his iPad.

But Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said it was Republicans who filibustered, talking at length but never introducing their map. He said that’s the same thing they did in redistricting hearings that stalled.

Read more…

Agree or disagree with the finding in the Denver jailhouse death of inmate Marvin Booker, I think you have to give credit to caretaker Mayor Bill Vidal for making the resolution of high profile police disciplinary cases a priority.

Vidal, appointed to the job after Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper was elected governor, could have ridden out his six-month term by maintaining the status quo and leaving the tough calls to the next mayor, who Denver voters will elect in a few weeks.

Instead, he pledged to resolve some of the troubling and controversial police disciplinary cases hanging out there. We wrote an editorial back in January, lauding him for that pledge.

Since then, the police beating of Michael DeHerrera was resolved with the firing of the two officers involved.

You may remember that was the case in which DeHerrera was beaten by two officers outside a LoDo club, an unprovoked thrashing that was caught on surveillance tape. Read more…

WASHINGTON — The liberal group MoveOn.org has targeted Sen. Mark Udall for his support on the Balanced Budget Amendment, saying that the requirements to achieve this would dramatically gut Medicare.

In a letter to MoveOn supporters, the organization says the plan Udall was co-sponsoring would “trigger massive cuts to Medicare within a few years—that’s the Medicare kill switch. And Republicans will use the cover of having a Democrat join them to try to force the kill switch into the upcoming, must-pass bill to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its debts.”

In addition to the Friday email, MoveOn sent a letter to all members of Congress Monday, signed by 75 mostly left-leaning economists, saying Udall’s plan would “also hamstring the government’s ability to increase federal spending when necessary to boost the economy in the face of a downturn.”

The letter also calls out Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri for supporting another measure that caps government spending as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product.

“They’re giving bipartisan cover to Republicans whose goal is to abolish Medicare,” said Daniel Mintz, of MoveOn.org. “We want them to stop doing that. They need to stand up for working folks.”

Udall said in a statement Monday that he’s a “strong supporter of Medicare.”

“The Republican House budget plan, which I oppose, would end Medicare as we know it in favor of private vouchers that would triple out-of-pocket costs for seniors. While ensuring the sustainability of Medicare will require tough decisions and belt tightening, make no mistake: I’m bound and determined to save Medicare and other important seniors programs for generations to come.”