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May 24, 2021 11:09 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Monday (May 24)

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  • by: Colorado Pols

The end is near…for the 2020-21 school year, that is. Let’s Get More Smarter; if you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of an audio learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter

 

CORONAVIRUS INFO…

*Colorado Coronavirus info:
CDPHE Coronavirus website 

*Daily Coronavirus numbers in Colorado:
http://covid19.colorado.gov

*How you can help in Colorado:
COVRN.com

*Locate a COVID-19 testing site in Colorado:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 

*Coloradans can now get a COVID-19 vaccine at one of six locations without a prior appointment. 

 

Colorado officials are announcing plans for spending $3.8 billion in federal stimulus money. As Alex Burness writes for The Denver Post:

Colorado’s top Democrats, both state and congressional, assembled on the steps of the State Capitol Building on Monday morning to explain their plan. About $2 billion will be allocated in the coming weeks, while the remainder will be spent next session.

“We don’t need to passively look toward better days,” Gov. Jared Polis said. “We have to actively bring them into existence.”

Some of the bigger spending proposals include $1 billion to fortify the state budget via K-12 spending; $817 million on COVID-19 recovery and relief; roughly $550 million to “build housing supply” and “remove barriers to increase housing affordability and address homelessness”; approximately $550 million to address mental and behavioral health; and $414 million for “shovel-ready” transportation, infrastructure, parks and agricultural projects.

 

Carrot or stick? Governor Jared Polis chose the carrot as his preferred method for encouraging more Coloradans to get back to work. In related news, Colorado’s most recent unemployment numbers are about the same as they were in March.

 

 The number of COVID-19 outbreaks in Colorado fell last week for the first time since late March. In an effort to get more Coloradans vaccinated, the state appears to be leaning toward implementing a lottery-type sweepstakes that has proven popular in Ohio.

 

Time is running out on the 2021 legislative session, and Republicans are working hard to waste every last minute. Here’s more on what’s happening in state legislative news:

Colorado Public Radio examines discussions underway around a big climate change bill in the legislature — particularly how it pertains to a ginormous coal plant in Pueblo.

Governor Jared Polis will sign the following bills on Monday: HB21-1099 (Policies And Procedures To Identify Domestic Abuse); HB21-1212 (Diversity Of Governor’s Appointments To Boards); HB21-1056 (Cost Thresholds For Public Project Bidding Requirements); and HB21-1186 (Regional Transportation District Operation).

Colorado Newsline looks at changes to legislation attempting to “de-populate” Colorado’s prison system.

CBS4 Denver takes credit for legislation dealing with regulations in assisted living centers.

Westword is tracking the progress of all the weed bills.

 

More political (and coronavirus) news is available right after the jump…

 

And Now, More Words…

 

As Greg Sargent writes for The Washington Post, the effort to give statehood to Washington D.C. picked up another strong argument recently.

 

Today is the birthday of Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs). No word on whether Congressional staffers are required to buy him a birthday gift (staff are apparently required to buy Christmas gifts for Lamborn and his wife).

 

► President Biden continues to enjoy solid approval ratings, according to polling results from John Zogby Strategies. From Forbes.com:

Overall, the new poll shows the President with a 59% approval rating, while 40% disapprove. The nationwide poll of 1,011 likely voters was conducted online on Thursday, May 20. (See Methodology here).

Mr. Biden is holding on to his nearly universal support among Democrats (96% approval, 4% disapproval) and still claims solid majority support among independents (55% approval, 42%). Regardless of ongoing criticism from the left of his party, his approval ratings are extremely high among self-describes progressives (very liberal, 92%) and liberals (94%) – and he gets high marks from moderates, too (67% approval, 32% disapproval). Significantly, the new poll reveals that one in four Republicans (24%), 28% of self-described conservatives, and 29% of very conservative voters approve of his job. Mr. Biden only won 6% of the Republican vote and 11% of conservatives in 2020.

 

Colorado Newsline looks at how different Congressional members are approaching the reintroduction of earmarks.

 

The Colorado Sun profiles three candidates nominated by Colorado’s U.S. Senators to fill a vacancy on Colorado’s U.S. District Court.

 

Denver7 reports on problems with Colorado’s funeral industry.

 

As POLITICO reports, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Greeley) is raking in the campaign cash for shaking his fist at big tech:

Buck, the top Republican on the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, has raised tens of thousands of dollars from companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and Fox Corp. since June 2019, a POLITICO analysis of campaign finance disclosures shows. Buck has pushed for laws and rules that could boost the companies’ abilities to compete with the likes of Google and Facebook. His increasingly aggressive stance has also won him praise as a trailblazer among GOP trustbusters, part of a notable shift in his party’s attitudes toward reining in corporate monopolies.

The figures offer a reminder that the battle in Washington over the power of Silicon Valley’s reigning titans is hardly a one-sided affair when it comes to political spending. Instead, the debate in Congress about overhauling U.S. antitrust laws has inspired some complex corporate maneuvering behind the scenes, especially as money from “Big Tech” becomes increasingly toxic politically. And that has opened a path for politicians like Buck, a free-market conservative and member of the House Freedom Caucus.

 

The El Paso County Republican Party backs off a Facebook post promoting QAnon conspiracy theories.

 

Judith Kohler of The Denver Post looks at the impact of new oil and gas regulations in Colorado. The big issue now: How to deal with leases that existed under older regulations.

Tougher protections for air quality and wildlife, more stringent requirements for well construction and other changes in operations do apply to sites approved under the old rules. But permits approved before Jan.15 fall under the looser setback limits. And there are thousands of them…

…The 2019 law changed the mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The COGCC went from balancing oil and gas development with protecting the public and environment to regulating the industry in a way that protects the public and the environment.

The COGCC and the state Air Quality Control Commission spent more than a year writing new rules and holding public hearings.

 

Colorado regulators have agreed to a third-party’s recommendations on regulation changes for the Suncor refinery in Commerce City.

 

We’ve seen a lot of moisture along the Front Range recently, but not enough to significantly impact drought estimates in Colorado. The problem is particularly worrisome on the Western Slope.

 

The Washington Post reports on the bizarre actions of an obscure “security” wing of the Commerce Department.

 

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney needs to work on her talking points about Republican claims of election fraud:

 

Conservatives across the country are really riled up about the mythical dangers of “Critical Race Theory.”

 

 

Say What, Now?

 

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Donald Trump, and Rosie O’Donnell walk into a bar…


 
 

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

Marvel at the complexity of this CBs4 Denver headline:

Via CBS4 Denver (5/21/21)

 

 

A Republican Senate candidate in Ohio learns firsthand about the pitfalls of not pretending that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

 

 

 

ICYMI

 

► The sole remaining statewide elected Republican official in Colorado wants to run for Governor in 2022, but Heidi Ganahl will need to first figure out how to extract both feet from her mouth following a weird position she took related to CU’s President.

 

► This week on The Get More Smarter Podcast, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii discuss why “The Big Lie” is The Only Truth for Republicans, and “Canadian Jason Bane” returns as a guest to update us on his outlook in a post-Trump world.

 

Don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter

 

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