LITTLETON, Colorado, April 26 -- Arapahoe County issued the following news on April 25, 2024: Arapahoe County this week unveiled new website exercises and tools to help residents better understand the sustainable funding challenges the county faces in the months ahead. County commissioners are asking residents to consider either reducing or eliminating many essential services or to consider other alternative funding sources to sustain these services. Last month, the county launched www.acbudget  more

OAKLAND, California, April 26 -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: During National Infertility Awareness Week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Access to Family Building Act. The Act would guarantee the right to access assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide. ART has provided thousands of people in diverse situ  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 (TNSres) -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The House today passed bipartisan legislation sponsored by Representative Meghan Lukens to improve access to housing for survivors of domestic violence. HB24-1431 passed by a vote of 54-8. "Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness, especially for women and children, and it's critical that they have a safe place to call home when they leave their abuser," said Rep  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release: The House Finance Committee today passed legislation that would support both the realization of mountain passenger rail and economic diversification efforts in transitioning coal communities in Northwest Colorado. SB24-190 passed by a vote of 8-2. "From new job opportunities to more transportation options, our Western Slope communities would greatly benefit from this bill," said Speaker Julie McCluski  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release: The House today passed legislation to improve accessibility at Colorado's airports by increasing the number of accessible restrooms and walkways, including the voices of Coloradans with disabilities when redesigning large hub airports, and requiring reporting for non-compliance. HB24-1452, sponsored by Representative David Ortiz and Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, passed by a vote of 43-18.   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The House today passed legislation to expand wildfire prevention efforts through community education. HB24-1024, sponsored by Representatives Tammy Story and Elizabeth Velasco, passed by a vote of 49-13. "Many Colorado communities are in wildfire-prone areas, but the Marshall Fire tragedy taught us that we must be prepared for the worst because wildfires can quickly spread into our n  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The House today passed two bills aimed at building strong career pathways for students and Colorado's health care workforce. HB24-1364, sponsored by Speaker Julie McCluskie and Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, would streamline career pathways for high school graduates. SB24-018 sponsored by Representative Judy Amabile would make it easier for licensed physician assistants to  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 (TNSres) -- The Colorado House Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The House today passed two bills to support Colorado's educators. The 2024 School Finance Act (SB24-188), sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan and Shannon Bird, would fully fund Colorado's public schools and increase per pupil funding to record-levels. HB24-1320, sponsored by Representatives Meghan Lukens and Elizabeth Velasco, seeks to improve educator safety in c  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, D-Colorado, issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Today, as acting Governor, Lt. Governor Primavera signed the following bills into law during a ceremony. * HB24-1072 Protection of Victims of Sexual Offenses, sponsored by Representatives Shannon Bird and Lisa Frizell, and Senators Barbara Kirkmeyer and Rhonda Fields. This bill was passed with bipartisan support. * HB24-1017 Bill of Rights for Foster Youth, sponsored by Re  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, issued the following news release on April 23, 2024: Today, as acting Governor, Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera verbally declared a disaster emergency to support the response and recovery for the U.S. Highway 50 bridge over Blue Mesa Reservoir at Dillon Pinnacles. This establishes a coordinated framework for an interagency, statewide response to build on the leading efforts of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), engage othe  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Legislation to improve protections for gig workers by increasing wage and task transparency cleared the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee today. Delivery Network Companies (DNCs) are entities that operate online apps or platforms that allow users to order goods for delivery, such as UberEats, DoorDash, and GrubHub. Sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, and   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Legislation sponsored by Senators Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, and Faith Winter, D-Westminster, to increase the use of transit cleared the Senate today. SB24-032 would create the Youth Fare Free Transit Grant Program to provide grants to transit agencies around the state for fare free year-round transit services for Coloradans ages 19 and younger. The bill would also extend the succes  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation sponsored by Senators Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, and Tony Exum Sr., D-Colorado Springs, that would expand housing options and save people money on housing by legalizing ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) cleared the Senate Local Government & Housing Committee today. HB24-1152 would allow homeowners in subject jurisdictions to build an ADU with fewer obstacles and create a ne  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Today, the Senate passed Senator Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Assistant Majority Leader Faith Winter's, D-Broomfield, legislation that would better protect students by developing best practices for public schools to effectively respond to reports of harassment or discrimination. SB24-162 would require the Department of Education to partner with an organization to develop best pr  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation to protect communities from aviation lead and noise pollution cleared the Senate Finance Committee today. Sponsored by Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, and Senator Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, HB24-1235 would help ensure communities are protected from aviation noise and lead pollution by requiring airports to have effective noise mitigation plans and easing the   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Today the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee advanced Senators Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and Lisa Cutter's, D-Jefferson County, legislation to create the Office of Sustainability to coordinate efforts to implement Colorado's climate goals. "Colorado has passed nation leading policy in recent years to set reasonable and reachable climate goals and put us on a path to a sustaina  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, that would refer a ballot measure to Colorado voters to allow the state to keep and spend additional sports betting tax revenue on water conservation projects cleared the Senate Finance Committee today. "Water is Colorado's most precious natural resource, because it powers everything we do, from agriculture to our   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Today the Senate Local Government and Housing Committee advanced legislation to give local governments the right of first refusal to purchase existing subsidized housing and preserve Colorado's limited affordable housing stock. Sponsored by Senators Faith Winter, D-Broomfield, and Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont, HB24-1175 would also give local governments the right to make the first  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation sponsored by Senator Chris Hansen, D-Denver, that would encourage responsible gun ownership by requiring gun owners to have liability insurance for their firearms cleared the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee today. "Gun violence unfortunately impacts every corner of our state, and we must do more to protect victims from the severe financial repercussio  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: The Senate today approved Senators Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, and Chris Hansen's, D-Denver, bill that would address housing affordability in Colorado by providing temporary tax relief. SB24-146 would provide a non-refundable income tax credit for renters with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of up to $75,000 for single filers and $125,000 for joint filers. The bill offers $2,000 for   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation aimed at boosting substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and saving lives in Colorado cleared the Senate today. SB24-047, sponsored by Senators Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont, and Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, would support Coloradans with SUDs by updating the Colorado Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to improve data collection and access, and by creating the Substance  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Legislation that would save Coloradans money on housing by eliminating parking minimums for residential properties cleared the Senate Local Government & Housing Committee today. HB24-1304, sponsored by Senators Kevin Priola, D-Henderson, and Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, would prohibit a county or municipality from enforcing minimum parking requirements for residential and commercial p  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The Senate Business Labor & Technology Committee today passed legislation sponsored by Senator Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, to bolster workers' compensation benefits. HB24-1220 would increase workers' compensation disability benefits limits on temporary injuries to $185,000, and permanent injuries to $300,000. Currently, workers' compensation disability benefits are determined by th  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Today the Senate passed Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet's, D-Commerce City, bipartisan legislation to improve children's health care in Colorado. SB24-059, also sponsored by Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Weld County, would establish the Office of the Children's Behavioral Health Statewide System of Care in the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to develop and implement a comprehen  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Today, the Senate advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, to increase access to telehealth services in rural and underserved areas. Cosponsored by Senator Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, SB24-168 would direct the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to reimburse the use of telehealth monitoring for outpatient services for Medicaid patients   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 26 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez's, D-Denver, legislation to establish standards and requirements for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in Colorado. Algorithmic discrimination has been shown to make biased determinations in cases involving hiring practices, housing applications, financial services, an  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: The Senate today approved legislation that would add protections against deepfake media in our elections. HB24-1147, sponsored by Senators Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and Janet Buckner, D-Aurora, would create new regulations around AI-generated content in electioneering communications. Deepfake media that includes a candidate for elected office would be required to include a disclaimer   more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation sponsored by Senator Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, to better protect patients in eating disorder treatment and recovery programs cleared the Senate today. Eating disorder treatment facilities currently operate under a variety of health care licenses issued by multiple state agencies. SB24-117 would require all eating disorder treatment and recovery centers to hold a d  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Today the Senate advanced a pair of bills to support Colorado kids by requiring more inclusive reporting in the child welfare system, and streamlining child support processes for children in foster care. SB24-200, sponsored by Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, and Senate President Pro Tem James Coleman, D-Denver, would address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) di  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: The Senate Local Government and Housing today approved two bills to keep Coloradans housed and strengthen protections for residents of mobile home parks and HOAs. HB24-1294, sponsored by Senator Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, would close gaps in the Mobile Home Park Act that have left mobile home park residents vulnerable to displacement and financial harm. Specifically, this bill  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: The Senate today passed legislation to establish the right to repair for electronic devices. HB24-1121, sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, and Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County, would extend current right to repair laws to certain electronic equipment, including cell phones, gaming systems, computers and televisions and would require original equipment manufacturers (OEM  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The Colorado Senate Democrats issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Legislation that establishes a Bill of Rights for Foster Youth was signed into law today. Sponsored by Reps. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, and Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie, and Senators Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and Dafna Michaelson Jenet, D-Commerce City, HB24-1017 outlines critical rights to empower and protect foster youth, including freedom from discrimination, harassment, access t  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 25 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Access to Family Building Act, which would guarantee nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF). In the wake of a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that jeopardized essential reproductive health services by clas  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 25 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general in filing a letter with the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in support of proposed rules entitled "Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Residential Real Estate Transactions." In the letter (https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/2024.04.09%20  more

BRENHAM, Texas, April 26 -- The Lower Colorado River Authority issued the following news release: The City of Brenham will purchase two mobile electronic message boards thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority. The Community Development Partnership grant, along with $11,000 in matching funds from the city, will enable Brenham to purchase two mobile message boards that can be used during emergencies, disasters, bad weather and community events. Dane Rau, Public Works d  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 26 -- The Lower Colorado River Authority issued the following news release: A $50,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority will help the Ledbetter Volunteer Fire Department outfit a recently purchased firetruck with new, more effective rescue tools. The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $53,593 in matching funds from the department, will pay for battery-powered extrication tools, including a cutter, spreader and ram that help first respon  more

BRENHAM, Texas, April 26 -- The Lower Colorado River Authority issued the following news release: The Unity Theatre Company will replace 22-year-old carpeting and seating in the Main Stage theater, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Brenham. The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $18,385 in matching funds from the theater, will pay for new carpet and supportive seating to create a more comfortable and inviting atmosphere f  more

LANSING, Michigan, April 26 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release on April 24, 2024: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, alongside 23 attorneys general and four cities, filed a motion this week to intervene in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to help defend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s final rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles emissions standards for model years 2027-2032 (Final Rule). The Final Rule sets s  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, April 26 -- North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein issued the following news release: Attorney General Josh Stein urged Congress to pass the Access to Family Building Act and guarantee women's right to access assisted reproductive health care, including in-vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide. Following a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that jeopardized essential reproductive health services, Attorney General Stein and a coalition of 21 attorneys general are a  more

NEW YORK, April 26 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Access to Family Building Act, legislation that would guarantee the right to access assisted reproductive technology (ART) like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide. ART has provided thousands of people in diverse situations the opportunity to grow their families, in  more

OMAHA, Nebraska, April 26 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska issued the following news release: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced on April 24, 2024, Fausto Antonia Castro Mendoza, 37, of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, after having pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Castro Mendoza to 210 months' imprisonm  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 25 -- The U.S. Army Medicine issued the following news: By Otis Toussaint In a presentation at the Quad A conference in Denver, Colorado, Lt. Gen. Mary K. Izaguirre, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM), delivered an address outlining the critical partnership between Army Medicine and Army Aviation. She spoke to fellow general officers, coalition, and allied partners, and she underscored the pivotal role they all p  more