tagged w/ Bill Ritter
-
A standoff in the House over eliminating tax breaks for a slew of items ranging from software to soft drinks lasted late into the night Friday.
After eight hours of debate, the House had given initial approval to eight bills eliminating sales-tax exemptions. The House must approve the bills once more before they can move to the Senate.
Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, wants to eliminate or suspend 13 tax exemptions and credits to generate somewhere between $125 million and $140 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins in July. He also wants to speed up the expiration date for seven of the tax exemptions to March 1 in order to generate $18 million to help balance the budget in the current fiscal year.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14298635A standoff in the House over eliminating tax breaks for a slew of items ranging from... more
-
-
President Barack Obama on Friday stood behind Stephanie Villafuerte, his nominee for Colorado U.S. attorney, while state Republicans called for her to either withdraw her nomination or answer questions about whether she may have acted inappropriately during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
Villafuerte, currently Gov. Bill Ritter's deputy chief of staff, has refused to explain what types of conversations she had with representatives from the Denver district attorney's office in the days before and after a restricted federal database was accessed, perhaps for political purposes.President Barack Obama on Friday stood behind Stephanie Villafuerte, his nominee for... more
-
-
Western Slope politicians and organizations are hoping that battles over the state budget don't boil down to a rural-urban divide.
If that happens, rural communities have more to lose, said state Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, a member of the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee.Western Slope politicians and organizations are hoping that battles over the state... more
-
-
From the article...>The Colorado House of Representatives has voted by the narrowest of margins to abolish the death penalty, using the savings to fund cold case investigations.
The measure must still pass the state Senate, The Denver Post reported Wednesday. Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat and former prosecutor, has not said he would sign it.
Rep. Edward Vigil, a Democrat, cast the vote Tuesday that put the bill over the top 33-32. He delayed almost a minute before deciding to approve the measure.
"Hopefully this will make us a better society in Colorado by not having a death penalty, though I have my reservations," Vigil said, explaining his vote.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in 1976 while throwing out all existing laws, the majority of states have passed new legislation. Only one, New Jersey, has repealed its capital punishment law.
House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, a Democrat, argued that Colorado has executed only one person under its modern death penalty law while spending millions of dollars on appeals. Opponents of repeal argued that some crimes are so heinous that death is the only option.
///
If you feel strongly one way or another, contact Colorado elected officials:
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CO-Portal/CXP/1165693060260From the article...>The Colorado House of Representatives has voted by the... more
-
