February 19, 2015 11:23 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Thursday (Feb. 19)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Don't answer your phone before 3:00 pm (EST) today; the Denver Nuggets can't trade you if they can't find you, right? 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…

► Colorado Republicans continue to take their cue from Washington D.C. in using the state budget process to muddle legislation that they don't have the votes to actually defeat. As John Frank of the Denver Post explains, funding for necessary public safety issues is now being held hostage by Senate Republicans:

The party-line Senate vote against a bill that won unanimous approval in the House puts in jeopardy more than $2 million for the Colorado Department of Public Safety and escalates a political tension at the General Assembly that is drawing comparisons to a gridlocked Washington.

► Legislation to allow Coloradans to carry a concealed weapon without a permit gained approval in the State Senate yesterday. Senator Vicki "Lost" Marble, the sponsor of SB-032, needs some better talking points, which is clear after reading this story by Kristen Wyatt of the Associated Press:

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Democrats in the State House put the kibosh on two bills that sought to require a photo ID for voters. Republicans have promised to continue searching for solutions as soon as they figure out a problem.

► The State Senate gave initial approval to legislation sponsored by the "Neville Nutters," Senator Tim Neville and his son, Rep. Patrick Neville. Senate Bill 18 would eliminate late fees for failing to register your vehicle on time. Yeah, rules are dumb.

► A Washington D.C.-based group has announced plans to sue the State of Colorado for legalizing marijuana. The lawsuit from the "Safe Streets Alliance" proves that you don't need to smoke weed in order to forget to do stuff in a timely manner.

► Colorado ranks near the bottom on a list of the most religious states in America. Outside of Utah, the Top 12 most relgious states are all in the South.

► The Denver Post picks up on the campaign finance scandals that could lead to the undoing of Republican State Party Chair Ryan Call.

► Aurora City Council members want to remove the unfortunately-named City Manager Skip Noe.

► Sen. Cory Gardner spoke to small business owners in Ft. Collins yesterday. Gardner backed off a bit from his past support for new water storage projects such as the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP), noting that it will take more than new storage to meet water demands in 2050.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a slight lead in Colorado in a Presidential matchup poll released by Quinnipiac University. Of course, the poll was done by Quinnipiac University, so for all we know, Jimmy Carter was included on the list of candidates.

► RTD plans to survey Denver Metro residents on the possibility of raising rates; they will later pretend to be surprised about the results.

► County Commissioners in Scottsbluff, Nebraska aren't happy about a plan to dump fracking water in Western Nebraska. Fracking sure is swell…until it becomes your problem.

ICYMI

► Denver City Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz has endorsed Republican John Kidd to succeed her in District 2. Faatz has been one of the rare conservative voices on a City Council dominated by progressives, but it would be a surprise if Kidd could pull off a win in Southwest Denver. CLICK HERE for more on the Denver municipal races.

► Mad Mike Coffman might want to consider not talking about VA Secretary Bob McDonald for awhile.