Standing for Working Families and Public Safety

You’ve probably heard that Governor Jared Polis is considering bringing back the legislature in mid-August for another special session. This time, they want to consider how to take more of our hard-earned dollars to pay for their failure to balance the state budget. One of the most predicted bills of the special session is one to tax tips (even though the federal government just passed a tax exemption for tip-earners) and to speed up the state’s collection of taxes on overtime (even though there’s also a new federal exemption on overtime workers). You heard that right: the state already decided to tax overtime through HB25-1296 during the regular session. Liberal legislators heard that our first responders, healthcare workers, and other working families were getting a federal tax break, and they ensured the state would charge taxes anyway.

Advance Colorado already filed a ballot measure to stop the state from balancing their budget on the backs of working families. Our measure would exempt overtime and tips from state taxes and push the legislature to solve their own wasteful spending problems instead.

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We’ve also said that – if there is a special session – public safety should be top of the list.You’ve probably heard about the horrifying case of Solomon Galligan, who just had his charges dropped after attempting to kidnap an elementary-age boy outside of his school. Colorado law requires that if an offender isn’t “mentally competent” within a year after committing certain violent crimes, all charges must be dropped. This is the FOURTH time this has happened with Mr. Galligan, and he’s gone after children before. Due to the lack of space in mental facilities, dangerous offenders like him often end up right back on the streets.

District Attorneys across the state agree that the legislature should solve this problem immediately and end the loophole that allows dangerous, violent criminals to have their charges dropped with no consequence.

DA Michael Allen says, “The Colorado legislature continues to value dangerous offenders over victims by creating safe harbors designed to protect defendants, and their statutory schemes have been signed into law by Governor Polis. Coloradans will continue to suffer until our legislature and governor put a real priority on public safety.”

DA George Brauchler says, “Colorado’s offender-friendly competency laws create a vehicle for dangerous criminals to avoid accountability for their crimes. Mandated dismissal for any charge and no promise of restoration means these criminals can re-offend over and over again with impunity. Coloradans deserve a change and now.”

New Episode of The Advance Colorado Rundown

Kristi Burton Brown interviews Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee. He shares a firsthand account of how the leaders of this committee shut down public safety legislation — including ideas that are extremely popular with the public. Rep. Caldwell also gives a behind the scenes look at how HB 1312 drew national attention to parents’ rights.

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MICHAEL FIELDS’ OP-ED

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