April 08, 2015 11:56 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (April 8)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Only five games left in this disaster of an NBA season for the Denver Nuggets, but at least they have a decent chance at the #1 overall pick in the draft. It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► The “long bill” is on its way to the House floor as the legislature tries to agree on a $26 billion state budget.

► Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush spent some time in Colorado yesterday not running for President in 2016. Though Bush hasn’t formally announced that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination, he sure picked up a lot of press for his visit to the 38th state. Colorado Republicans, meanwhile, are not sold on Bush as a candidate for President.

► Who wants to buy a $1.7 billion, incomplete hospital? Anyone? Republican Rep. Jeff Miller, the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, suggested that the federal government might try to sell the still-being-constructed VA Hospital in Aurora.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Governor John Hickenlooper will not ban state employees from traveling to Indiana in the wake of the Hoosier state’s disastrous attempts to push forward a “religious freedom” law that would have made it easier for businesses to discriminate. Hickenlooper is comfortable with the “RFRA fix,” as is Denver Mayor Michael Hancock; Denver has lifted its employee travel ban, so you’ll need a new excuse to not go to Indiana.

► Senate Republicans shot down Colorado’s Pay Equity Commission for the second time. 

► The State House approved a measure to require pot shops to post warnings for pregnant women about the potential dangers of marijuana. The bill was revised after a ludicrous attempt to require pot shops to inquire if potential customers were pregnant. 

► A Senate committee gave initial approval to a ballot measure that would eliminate “elected” county surveyors. The committee heard testimony yesterday from county surveyors who insisted that their jobs were not irrelevant.

► Former Republican Attorney General John Suthers will face Mary Lou Makepeace in a May 19th runoff election to determine the next Mayor of Colorado Springs. Suthers heads into the runoff with a clear advantage, having earned more than 46 percent of the vote after Tuesday’s tally. Elsewhere, Colorado Springs City Councilmember Helen Collins survived a recall attempt over concerns about her ties to TABOR daddy/convicted felon Doug Bruce.

► The City of Ft. Collins elected a new mayor and city council on Tuesday.

► Anti-choice advocates continue to push for a “fetal homicide bill” in the state legislature.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The National Rifle Association (NRA) has banned “operational” guns at its annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee this week. We did not make that up.

► Republican Presidential candidates Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are running around the country giving the same basic speech, apparently.

► More voters than ever before now consider themselves to be “independent,” according to a Pew Research study.

► Senate Republicans shot down Colorado’s Pay Equity Commission for the second time.

ICYMI

► Just two days after Easter Sunday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel defeated Jesus. Emanuel easily defeated Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in Tuesday’s runoff election for Mayor of Chicago.

► Democrat Michael Carrigan raised a record amount of money in his first quarter as a candidate for Denver District Attorney.

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