Latest news with #SeanCamacho
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 lawmakers' vehicles vandalized at Colorado Capitol on last day of session: CSP
DENVER (KDVR) — Two Colorado state lawmakers' vehicles were vandalized at the state Capitol on Wednesday, the last day of the regular legislative session, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Video footage showed a suspect damaging a vehicle belonging to Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat, at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday on the east side of the Capitol's parking lot, CSP said in a Thursday press release. The vehicle had a broken windshield caused by a thrown rock. Lawmakers send rideshare safety measure to governor's desk on last day of session Another vehicle, this one belonging to Republican Senate Minority Caucus Chair Byron Pelton, who is from Logan County, was also found in the same parking lot damaged with an 'expletive' carved into its hood. CSP said they believe the two vehicles were randomly chosen. The video footage showed the suspect leaving the parking lot, walking west on Colfax Avenue to Broadway and proceeding north on Broadway until he went out of the camera's range. CSP believes the suspect is a male and was wearing blue jeans and a dark-colored jacket, carrying a tote shopping bag. Colorado State Patrol investigators are working with the Denver Police Department to identify and locate the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact CSP dispatch at 303-866-3660, referencing case number ES250090. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado's unique tax-limiting amendment could face legal challenge from Legislature
Colorado state Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat, speaks with a colleague on the first day of the 2025 session of the Colorado Legislature on Jan. 8, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Colorado Democrats want to pursue a lawsuit challenging a state constitutional amendment that limits how much tax revenue the state can retain and spend, a Colorado-specific provision that Democrats have criticized for a long time over its restraints on the state budget. House Joint Resolution 25-1023 would direct the Legislature's legal arm to sue over the constitutionality of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. It passed the House Finance Committee on a 7-6 vote on Monday night. 'TABOR is not sacred. The constitution is. When a state law breaks a system of government that the constitution was built to project, we have a duty to challenge it,' said resolution sponsor Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The resolution is sponsored by Camacho, Rep. Lorena Garcia of Adams County, Sen. Lindsey Daugherty of Arvada and Sen. Iman Jodeh of Aurora, all Democrats. It has over three dozen other Democrats signed on in support, including members of leadership in both chambers. The litigation considered in the resolution would challenge TABOR in state district court on the basis that it limits Colorado's functioning as a republican form of government as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. 'Can a state call itself a republican form of government if its elected representatives of the people are constitutionally barred from governing?' Camacho said. 'Under TABOR, this legislature is prohibited from making critical fiscal policies … without launching a costly campaign, raising money and rolling the dice in an election cycle.' A 2011 constitutional challenge to TABOR was dismissed in 2021 in federal court on technical grounds because the court determined the lawsuit had the wrong plaintiffs. Sponsors say the resolution would allow the courts to finally settle the question. 'The courts could come back and say TABOR is 100% constitutional and that would be fine too. But I think we have an obligation to figure out whether or not it is,' Camacho said. Colorado voters approved TABOR in 1992. Broadly, it sets an annual cap on state spending determined by population and inflation. If the state collects more revenue than that cap, it must refund the money to taxpayers through a variety of mechanisms, such as temporary income tax reduction or flat check sent to taxpayers. A recent forecast from the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff predicts that the state will collect about $618 million over the cap set by TABOR in the 2026 fiscal year. TABOR also requires voter approval for tax increases in the state. In 2023, for example, voters rejected a proposition that would have let the state keep more money than allowed under TABOR in order to fund a property tax rate cut. But as the cost of some state programs, such as Medicaid, grow faster than consumer inflation, TABOR limits how much the state has left over to pay for non-mandatory programs. Democrats say it's partially why the state faced a $1.2 billion budget hole this year, which will likely be filled by an array of program repeals and agency cuts. 'The point of this is to be able to have a more flexible fiscal policy in this state that allows us to be responsive to the needs of the community,' Garcia said. 'That doesn't mean extraction of more taxes, but it would mean being flexible with how we use the revenue we have.' Rep. Bob Marshall, a Highlands Ranch Democrat, during the committee hearing questioned whether allowing a lawsuit would open up every citizen-referred initiative to litigation, such as the recently approved constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and another measure directing lawmakers to spend $350 million on law enforcement and public safety. Witnesses responded that court cases all stand on their own, so there wouldn't be such unintended consequences. People representing educational associations, health care organizations, left-leaning economic groups, former lawmakers and lawyers from the previous TABOR challenge case testified in support of the resolution. They repeatedly pointed out the unique nature of TABOR in Colorado, as no other state has such a system. 'Although TABOR has had decades of significant negative impacts on Colorado's finances, similar proposals have surfaced in other states in the past decade. However, not one of those proposals was approved,' said Maggie Gómez, the Colorado state director for the State Innovation Exchange.'It's obvious that other states don't believe TABOR is a risk worth taking.' The opposition primarily comprised individual citizens who argued that TABOR set limits on a growing government and allows voters to have a say in state spending. 'TABOR ensures government lives within its means and gives people the final say on tax increases,' said Hope Scheppelman, the former vice chair of the state's Republican Party. Republicans will likely uniformly oppose the resolution. It needs a simple majority in both chambers to pass. Democrats control strong majorities in the state House and Senate. 'TABOR is the protection of the taxpayer. When the government overtaxes you, they have to return the money back to your pocket,' said Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Loveland Republican. 'This bill looks to overrun and override a basic transparency between government and the taxpayer.' The resolution now heads to the full House for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado gun shows could face more safety regulations under proposed bill
Potential buyers try out guns which are displayed on an exhibitor's table during the Nation's Gun Show on Nov. 18, 2016 at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. (Photo by) The Colorado House of Representatives approved a bill on Friday that would set new safety regulations and requirements for gun shows that operate in the state. House Bill 25-1238 passed on a 34-30 vote, with eight Democrats joining Republicans in opposition. 'Just as we expect other large-scale events to have security measures in place, gun shows should also take responsibility for the safety of their patrons and the surrounding community,' Rep. Sean Camacho, a Denver Democrat, said during debate on the bill last week. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Camacho ran the bill with Rep. Junie Joseph, a Boulder Democrat. It is sponsored by Democratic Sens. Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins and Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge in the Senate. 'This bill is about enforcing Colorado state law — laws that we have already passed. The intent of this is to make sure when you are going to a gun show, that it is safe for you and your family and your friends,' Camacho said. 'Many people are already doing this. This bill is about those who are not.' A 2022 analysis found that there were 417 advertised gun shows in Colorado between 2011 and 2019. The bill would require gun show promoters to create and submit a security plan to local law enforcement two weeks before the event that includes the anticipated vendors, estimated number of attendees, number of security personnel who will be at the show and a floor plan of the venue. Gun show promoters would also need to have liability insurance for the event. Vendors would need to have a federal firearms license and the state firearms dealer permit created by the Legislature last year. They would need to attest that they will comply with state laws around background checks, waiting periods, high-capacity magazines and ghost guns. Various notices of those state laws would need to be displayed around the venue. Vendors would also need to keep ammunition out of easy reach to attendees to comply with a bill expected to pass into law this year about ammunition sales. Additionally, the bill would set standards for video surveillance of the parking lot, entrances and exits in order to deter theft and record any instances of crime. The promoter would need to retain that video footage for six months. 'I have veterans that have gun shows that aren't going to be able to put cameras in parking lots in southeastern Colorado. Hell, they don't even have a paved parking lot in southeastern Colorado,' said Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter, a Trinidad Republican. Republicans argued that the requirements in the bill would limit gun show operations in Colorado and push the vendors to sell at shows in other states. Camacho countered that there are companies that rent portable security cameras for parking lots at an affordable price. The bill would also prohibit minors from attending gun shows unless they are with a parent, grandparent or legal guardian. The minimum age to buy a gun in Colorado is 21. 'Gun shows, in order to be able to continue selling guns, are likely going to say 'We're not admitting anyone 18 or younger,'' said Rep. Stephanie Luck, a Penrose Republican who questioned how a promoter could verify a familial relationship. 'It will switch from being a family-friendly event and a community-building event with food and quilts and all of the things we heard before, into just selling weaponry.' First violations of the bill would be a Class 2 misdemeanor, and subsequent violations would result in a Class 1 misdemeanor and a five-year ban from holding gun shows for promoters. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Democrats hold a 23-12 majority. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
