By Don Knox
State Bill Colorado
At least five people, up from three last week, are vying for the Colorado House seat that Republican Don Marostica vacated when he was named the state’s top economic-development officer.
FTS managing editor Brad Jones visits with 1310 KFKA talk show host Amy Oliver to talk about recent stories penned by Face The State. This week: Who will replace state Rep. Don Marostica, who leaves the General Assembly to join the Ritter administration? And are school fees fair to parents and students stuck with shelling out hundreds of dollars every year?
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Another week, another legislative vacancy.
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Republican state Rep. Don Marostica announced Thursday he will resign his position to accept an appointment from Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, to head the state's Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Party leaders now prepare to appoint what will be the eighth member of the General Assembly seated by a vacancy committee.
Don Marostica is back in the news, but this time he's defending taxpayer protections.
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Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, found himself on the outs with his own party last session for siding with Democrats on key budget issues and his sponsorship of Senate Bill 228, which eliminated the 6 percent growth cap on general government spending.
Face The State recently caught up with Marostica, who was appointed to serve on the legislature's Long-Term Fiscal Interim Committee.
Staff writer Rachel Boxer helps analyze Senate Bill 228, signed into law this week, and its effect on the state budget. Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, says the law would mandate spending on transportation and capitol construction projects, but those requirements may never materialize if the economy continues to sour. Also, SB 228 may lay the groundwork for accelerated growth in the size of state government, and Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry isn't sparing with his criticism.
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By Andrew Ripemoff
In an effort to duplicate the wildly successful California budget process, Governor Bill Ritter signed into law on Tuesday a bill repealing Colorado’s Arveschoug-Bird Amendment.
Gov. Bill Ritter will sign legislation to place the state's checkbook online, though he'll do so without the same public ceremony that marked the signing of an executive order intended to head off the very legislation he'll now enact into law.
According to Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, it is nearly impossible to calculate how many state employees there are.
Gov. Bill Ritter attempted to head off Republicans' legislative efforts to place state spending records online by issuing his own executive order, but bill sponsors say they will still push for a state statute despite his action.
For weeks now, state Rep. Scott Tipton, a Cortez Republican, has been working to raise awareness about pollution coming out of the Four Corners Power Plant. He’s done the all the heavy lifting to draw attention to the issue, including the research and media outreach.
While Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, stands by his pledge to put the state's checkbook online, one Republican is still moving forward with a bill that seeks to do just that.
A northern Colorado lawmaker is apologizing for some embarrassing name-calling.
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State Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, has angered his Republican colleagues by signing on as the co-sponsor of a Senate Bill 288, a measure that will eliminate the Arveschoug-Bird Amendment, which caps general fund growth at 6 percent each year. House Minority Leader Mike May said the move undermines the caucus and puts transportation dollars at risk. He is absolutely right.
The capitol was abuzz this week with controversy sparked by state Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, who called two high profile conservative leaders "losers" and "has-beens."
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Republicans are alleging that one of their own has turned on basic party principles by co-sponsoring a bill they say will allow for irresponsible growth of Colorado’s general fund.
We'll have to wait at least another year to fix Colorado's ridiculous indoor smoking ban.
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As Republicans pick new local leadership and prepare to put the ugly 2008 election behind them, top 2010 contenders are making their intentions clear. Former state Sen. Mark Hillman of Burlington, previously speculated as a 4th Congressional District candidate, has declared he will not run for office, while former Congressman Bob Beauprez has publicly indicated his interest in a run against Sen. Michael Bennet or Gov. Bill Ritter.
Democrats are paying a lot of lip service to the issue of transparency at the Capitol this year, both in Colorado and Washington D.C., but they are failing to deliver on their rhetoric.
In a world where "government corruption" is nearly synonymous with "Louisiana politics," a recent national study concludes that the state's parishes are making big progress toward improving government transparency and accountability. In Colorado, meanwhile, Gov. Bill Ritter has been touting transparency, adopting a plan to post the state checkbook online. The glaring difference between the states: Louisiana's statewide government spending database has been online since November of 2008.
As state lawmakers prepare to address Colorado's $604 million budget shortfall, CU President Bruce Benson is pushing for more autonomy for the school should state funding dry up. The move, however, wouldn't be as simple as doing without taxpayer dough.
FTS managing editor Brad Jones visits with 1310 KFKA host Amy Oliver for a look at state politics. This week: The legislature is back in session, but are they focusing on the truly important issues? Also, just how long will it take to place the state's spending online?
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