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A seminal moment in the defense of public lands

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Last week I joined a diverse group of Coloradoans in Washington, D.C. visiting Colorado congressional delegation offices to express our support for public lands, with a focus on national monuments.   Our group included Sarah Shrader, owner of Bonsai Design and founder of the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition; Bradley Noone, with Vet Voice Foundation and a whitewater raft…

Pettersen introduces bill for rural water infrastructure funding

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The office of Rep. Brittany Pettersen announced in a Feb. 23 press release that bipartisan legislation, the Rural Water Security Act, was recently introduced to the Colorado congressional delegation by Pettersen and Rep. Jeff Hurd.  Colorado currently is excluded from Section 595 from the Water Resources Development Act, which delivers federal support for water supply and…

Colorado Democrats tell ICE to ‘immediately abandon’ Hudson detention center plans

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A trio of Colorado Democrats is urging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “immediately abandon” its plans to open an immigrant detention center in a dormant prison in Hudson. Located about 30 miles northeast of Denver, the 1,200-bed Big Horn Correctional Facility, formerly known as the Hudson Correctional Facility, has sat empty since it was shuttered in 2014. It’s one of…

Colorado lawmakers react after Supreme Court rejects President Trump’s tariffs

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DENVER (KDVR) — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a bulk of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports from many foreign trading partners. The Supreme Court justices ruled 6-3 that his expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs without Congressional approval was unlawful. The act gives the sitting president authority to regulate…

Rep. Pettersen’s bill package advances to address housing shortage, affordability

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U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, passed three related bipartisan housing bills out of the U.S. House last week, an effort to address inventory shortages in Colorado and across the nation. “The No. 1 financial pain point I hear about from people in every corner of our district is that housing in Colorado is too expensive,” Pettersen wrote Tuesday in a district newsletter. “That’s…

Colorado legislators, friends and family pay tribute to late Sen. Faith Winter

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Colorado legislators on Friday, joined by current and former lawmakers, memorialized the late Sen. Faith Winter, noting her contributions to public policy in transportation, family and medical leave, and climate legislation. Winter died in an auto accident on Nov. 26 at the age of 45. Winter’s legacy in the General Assembly, where she served from 2015 through 2025, included the passage…

U.S. House votes against Trump’s tariff on Canada with help of Hurd and five other Republicans

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The U.S. House delivered a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada on Wednesday evening. The chamber passed a resolution disapproving of the emergency that underlies Trump’s 25 percent tariff the administration placed on Canada, 219-211, with six Republicans voting with almost all Democrats for the measure. Colorado GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd was one of the Republicans who voted to…

Federal bill inspired by river district, state programs

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Bipartisan congressional legislation to help entities pursue federal water funding is modeled after similar Colorado initiatives, including one spearheaded by the Colorado River District through its now-5-year-old, voter-funded Community Funding Partnership Program. U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and U.S. Reps. Brittany Pettersen, D-Jefferson County,…

Last year's shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado leads to proposed legislation

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State and federal lawmakers in Colorado on Monday went to Evergreen to call for changes to laws regarding how quickly social media and telecommunications companies have to respond to requests for information regarding credible threats. "This is such a critical step in addressing that," Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat who represents Colorado's 7th Congressional District, which…

Lawmakers want quicker social media warrant responses in wake of Evergreen High School shooting

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Federal and state lawmakers unveiled legislation Monday that was drafted in response to the Evergreen High School shooting, aiming to require social media companies to respond more quickly when investigators are checking out potential warning signs in online posts. U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen unveiled a federal bill that would require social media companies to respond to warrants…