Colorado has submitted a new plan for protecting about 4 million acres of roadless national forest
lands. It’s part of a years long process to try and craft a Colorado specific solution. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture praised the rule but won’t make a final decision on whether to approve it
until [...]

The state senate has initially cleared a bill that would create an ombudsman’s office to field
complaints about Colorado’s child welfare system. Thirty five children linked to human service
departments have died in the last three years. A final vote on the bill is expected in the coming
days. Bente Birkeland has [...]

The state senate is poised to debate Colorado’s annual budget bill that funds state government and
services. Lawmakers are facing a 1.3 billion dollar revenue shortfall. The house has already passed
the budget. Bente Birkeland talks about that debate and takes a look ahead as part of our
weekly capitol conversation.

[...]

After months of buildup, the budget cleared the house on Thursday with little fanfare or debate.
The 18.2 billion dollar budget funds everything from prisons to schools to state employee salaries.
But just as it heads to the senate, lawmakers have already begun multifaceted discussions about
next year’s budget. Bente Birkeland has [...]