A spokesman for the Governor has criticized Republicans for attempting to politicize the tragic situation of last month’s North Fork fire. GOP lawmakers have announced a commission to try and find a way to compensate victims who their lost homes.  Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

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Colorado Republicans will head to the national convention this summer with delegates split between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Bente Birkeland talks to statehouse reporters about why some members of the GOP are not coalescing around their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, and what it could mean come November.

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Governor Hickenlooper has announced the route for a bike race along the eastern plains this fall that’s billed as “a bike race for the rest of us”. He says the goal of “Pedal the Plains” is to create a family friendly route that’s as much fun off the bike as on, and promote the [...]

Additional legislation to deal with hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas regulations is unlikely in the final weeks of the state’s annual legislative session. A task force convened by Governor Hickenlooper to examine the issue is not recommending new laws. Bente Birkeland has more from inside the state capitol.

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The state budget cleared the house with near unanimous support. The Colorado senate will now take up the budget bill. As part of our capitol conversation series, Bente Birkeland talks to statehouse reporters about why this budget is so well-liked, and what makes it unusual.

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During the legislative session there have been a host of bills on criminal justice. Many of these measures are controversial and have sparked heated debates. Bente Birkeland talks to capitol reporters about reforms to the justice system as part of our capitol conversation series.

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There was a time just a few years ago when the state capitol didn’t have wireless internet access. But things have certainly changed with almost everyone plugged into smart phones and iPads. And not only that, many lawmakers spend a good chunk of each day on twitter. State capitol reporter Bente Birkeland takes a [...]

Colorado’s four-year public colleges will soon be a rarity. That’s because most colleges don’t want to be colleges any more, and are asking the legislature to switch their names. State capitol reporter Bente Birkeland takes a closer look at the reasons behind the requests…

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State lawmakers are scheduled to introduce next year’s budget on Wednesday. It funds everything from schools, to roads, to prisons, and has been at the center of tense negotiations. As part of our capitol conversation series Bente Birkeland talks to statehouse reporters about the politics involved.

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After a heated debate over proposed cuts to state agencies, lawmakers on the joint budget reached a compromise on Thursday. The committee is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and is pushing up against a deadline to introduce the budget next week. Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

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