Governor Jared Polis

On Friday, elections for the Empire Electric Association’s board of directors will come to a close. David Sitton is a Cortez resident and a long-term incumbent running against Jennifer Magnuson in the utility cooperative’s sixth district, which includes parts of Cortez and Mancos. Sitton, who first ran for his board seat in 1996, says that one of the biggest challenges the cooperative faces is the need for additional infrastructure in order to handle higher demand for electricity. Sitton also says he doesn’t see the board as having political issues that need to be resolved, and that he views its main role as being to provide oversight of the business. And Governor Jared Polis vetoed several bills Tuesday that had previously passed the state legislature.

Elections for the Empire Electric Association’s board of directors are underway. Elise Goggin is a resident of Cortez and is running for a board seat against incumbent Kent Lindsay in the utility cooperative’s fifth district, which includes McElmo Canyon, Towaoc and parts of Cortez. Board members are elected by the members of the cooperative in a democratic election, and can play a role in determining what utility rates will be. And Governor Jared Polis signed a bill last week that supports the practice of agrivoltaics.

Colorado is considering changing its Red Flag law after the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. And the state Joint Budget Committee continues to review next year’s spending plan.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis was in Southwest Colorado on Tuesday, including a stop in Rico where he met with the town’s volunteer fire department.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has vetoed a bill that would have required developers to include electric vehicle chargers in new building projects. And lawmakers in Washington, D.C. discussed the Western water crisis on Tuesday.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a bill to cover college tuition for the state’s foster youth. And Colorado has launched a new bus service connecting the Front Range to the mountains.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has issued an executive order he says will help residents endure the nationwide shortage of baby formula. Governor Polis also signed a bill on Wednesday he says will prevent people from dying of fentanyl poisoning.

Governor Jared Polis has signed a bill to mail Colorado taxpayers a refund check in August. And the birth rate in Utah is quickly falling, according to a new report from the Utah Foundation focusing on the state's investment in the next generation.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a fifty six million dollar wildfire prevention program into law. And the Plumtaw Fire is burning about seven miles north of Pagosa Springs in the San Juan National Forest.

The dust is just starting to settle in the aftermath of Colorado’s legislative session. Lawmakers were frantically working Wednesday night to pass dozens of bills just minutes before a midnight deadline. But not everything got through. Here are some of the highlights from the final weeks of Colorado’s legislative session.