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Millions of undocumented people in the U.S. should be given a path to legal status after the country finds a way to stop illegal immigration, business and government leaders said in a report Wednesday. The University of Denver report argues that legalizing as many of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants as possible could strengthen the economy and national security. But it should come with conditions, such as requiring new immigrants to learn English, pass criminal and medical background checks, and pay any taxes that they owe, the document states. The report is the product of a year of discussions...

Budget Committee Senator Says Freeze Was Mismanaged. Gov. Bill Ritter promised a hiring freeze last year to help bridge the budget gap, but a CALL7 investigation found that as many as 2,300 employees were hired during the “freeze.” “We have taken a number of steps to shore up our fiscal house: imposing a hiring freeze, stopping several new construction projects and halting non-essential spending requests,” Ritter said in his January 2009 State of the State speech. But a CALL7 investigation found that the number of state employees increased during Ritter’s hiring freeze, and Ritter’s top staff, who were tasked with...

So far, Colorado has released 10 prisoners early as part of a plan to save $19 million, including a man previously convicted of a child sex-assault case. Gov. Bill Ritter has said that no sex offenders, kidnappers or sex offenders would be released early. Fifty-one-year-old Benny Joe Rael was convicted of a child sex-assault case back in 1982 although that's not the crime he had been serving time for.

Andrew Romanoff set his sights on a race for the U.S. Senate only after the breakdown of several months of backroom negotiations with Gov. Bill Ritter to find an alternative political opportunity for the popular former state House speaker. the potential deal centered on appointing Romanoff lieutenant governor when Barbara O'Brien — who was considering other options — stepped aside. Romanoff allies said Ritter finally told the veteran state legislator in a meeting between the two men in late June that he would not get the job. That set off a chain of events that led Romanoff to consider a...

Former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is poised to mount a Democratic primary campaign against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet. Urged to challenge Gov. Bill Ritter as he seeks re-election in 2010, Romanoff has instead turned his attention to next year's Senate race, sources close to Romanoff told The Denver Post. One source reported that Romanoff offered a campaign position to a veteran Democratic strategist. Romanoff could not be reached for comment Friday night, but several people close to him said they expect him to announce next month. Wally Stealey, a longtime lobbyist and political mover in Pueblo, said Romanoff called...

Gov. Bill Ritter's plan to cut the state budget through inmate releases could reduce Colorado's prison population by 1,000 in a year and immediately save $19 million. It will also almost certainly accelerate the commission of new crimes, and could force layoffs from a privately run prison. Ritter's plan calls for trimming parole supervision for some inmates already out of prison, and releasing some non-sex-offender inmates early and placing them on parole. A total of 5,700 inmates or parolees could see their status change as a result of Ritter's cut. A Metropolitan State College of Denver professor says it's unavoidable...

Democrat Bill Ritter rode an anti-Republican sentiment into the governor's office in 2006, but a new poll suggests he might have a much harder time in his re-election bid. In the survey of 1,050 likely Colorado voters, Ritter's disapproval ratings are higher than his approval ratings among all voters, including Hispanics and the most crucial bloc of all in Colorado politics: unaffiliated voters. Ritter ... most likely will face one of two Grand Junction Republicans next year: former Congressman Scott McInnis or Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry. The poll shows McInnis beating Ritter, 48-41, and Ritter barely edging Penry, 40-42....

The two cities of El Paso and Denver are 800 miles apart, but they both exist in the rarified world of "sanctuary cities," where mayors and city officials love to proclaim, "We welcome all immigrants, regardless of immigration status." This is PC code for welcoming illegal aliens, but it also means they welcome the prosecution of Border Patrol agents and immigration enforcement agents who take their jobs too seriously. The prosecution, imprisonment and eventual release of El Paso Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean made headlines for two years, but few Americans outside Denver have ever heard of...

What is the breaking point? Where will the resistance form? Heavy questions, but unavoidable in the current political climate. The productive members of society can only be pushed so far, some say. What they envision is not defiance of law or a reversal of the election. It is people's growing disengagement from a new economic order that punishes effort and rewards envy — the creepy future that Bill Ritter and Barack Obama intend for us. Columnist Michelle Malkin calls that withdrawal "going Galt." Malkin was the first speaker last weekend when several hundred Coloradans gathered for a free-market leadership conference...

Gov. Bill Ritter says he would sign a bill giving in-state tuition to illegal immigrants if it reaches his desk....

As Gov. Bill Ritter was looking to slash the budget because of the economic downturn, he and nine other state employees spent more than $78,000 for a trip to Asia late last year... During the trip, Ritter and two other top state officials flew business class on state money, paying $6,500 per ticket ... "It would appear that this is above and beyond what was necessary for a trade delegation of this type," said state Sen. Ted Harvey... Ritter...said business class was necessary because the state employees had to be rested to do business on the trip.

Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet is expected to be named Saturday as the future U.S. Senate replacement for Interior Secretary nominee Ken Salazar, according to two Democratic sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to name his U.S. Senate replacement pick on Saturday, ending a brief but frenzied period of speculation about who will take the seat of Interior Secretary nominee Ken Salazar. The selection would be preliminary, since Salazar is not expected to resign his U.S. Senate seat until sometime after Jan. 15, when he faces a confirmation hearing — and later...

In a confidential internal memorandum obtained by Face The State, the Colorado Democracy Alliance outlines a roster of "operatives" who worked for Democratic victory in the 2006 general election. The document outlines specific tasks for various members of the state's liberal infrastructure, including a campaign to "educate the idiots," assigned to the state's AFL-CIO union. Among the operation's intended targets: "minorities, GED's, drop-outs." Individuals named in the document, marked "CONFIDENTIAL," "for internal use only," and "DO NOT DISTRIBUTE," are high-level elected Democrats including House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, former Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, as well as Gov. Bill Ritter's press aide...

Saying uncertain economic times require tough measures, Gov. Bill Ritter announced a freeze on hiring new state employees on Thursday and ordered a halt to new construction. It was a major reversal for Ritter. On Monday he said it was too early to begin slashing the state budget before Congress approves a bailout of the financial industry.

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 24th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Govs. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Bill Ritter, D-Colo.; Robert Gibbs, Obama campaign spokesman.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Caroline Kennedy, co-chair, Obama's vice presidential search committee; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Govs. Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kan., and Ed Rendell, D-Pa.; Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill. THIS WEEK (ABC): David Axelrod, Obama campaign senior adviser; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-Ariz.; Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Rep. James...

Christian leaders gathered in Denver Tuesday in opposition to an anti-Christian censorship law that could open the door to censoring the Bible. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed the state bill, SB 200, which aims at silencing all publications that discriminate against homosexuality. "Section 8 of Senate Bill 200 is a wide open door for any judge to censor anything that condemns homosexuality, including Scripture," Colorado State Rep. Kevin Lundberg said. Many Christians fear that one day the Bible will be considered illegal in America. "I do believe that the Bible is banned, under the plain language of this new statute,"...

Well we know someone who has been knocked off Barack Obama's short list for VP. Colorado governor Bill Ritter was on some talk show the other day and man did he stick his foot in his mouth. http://michellemalkin.com/2008/08/04/oops-democrat-on-vp-shortlist-underscores-obamas-inexperience/ The talk show host apparently asked Governor Ritter why he didn't feel he was a good choice for Obama's VP. Ritter's response was, "Well, just because, I think there are a lot of things that he has to take into consideration. I've been governor for 18 months. My experience before that was as a district attorney. I loved being a district attorney...but...

This is definitely snort-worthy. The foot of Democrat VP shortlister Bill Ritter, governor of Colorado, meets his mouth:“Michelle – check out Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s oops this morning on the Mike Rosen show, hour two (www.850koa.com). When asked about rumors that he was on the list as a vice presidential candidate he remarked (not quoting) that his 18 months of gubernatorial experience were insufficient to be considered for vice president. When asked to compare this to [Obama's] 143 days of experience [in the Senate], he quickly changed the subject.�I’ve transcribed the relevant parts of the exchanges, in which Ritter first...

Greg Kolomitz, former campaign manager to Gov. Bill Ritter, has started a defense fund to pay his legal bills, and his wife has e-mailed friends alleging that Kolomitz has been "falsely accused" of mismanaging campaign and inaugural funds. The e-mail plea never mentions Ritter by name, but leaves no doubt about who the family thinks is responsible for the "false" accusations that led to an ongoing investigation of Kolomitz. "We have found ourselves in a legal battle with someone whom we believed to be our friend. In April, Ritter alleged that Kolomitz had wrongly used inaugural funds to pay off...

District Attorney Will Investigate. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter on Monday notified prosecutors that more spending violations have been uncovered from his 2006 campaign, and that a former aide has written his campaign a check for $10,340 to correct the problem. Ritter had told the Arapahoe County district attorney in April that his campaign violated finance laws by improperly paying about $217,000 to 28 vendors last year. He said at the time his campaign and inaugural committee chairman, Greg Kolomitz, also overpaid himself and his company $83,250 out of Ritter's inaugural account. Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said the district attorney is...

When a Christian pastor in Canada wrote a commentary on the Bible's perspective on homosexuality, a government commission ordered him to renounce his faith and apologize. When a family owned photography studio in New Mexico refused, on religious grounds, to take pictures at a same-sex ceremony, the fine for such "discrimination" was $6,600. Now the experts say Colorado is joining in the repression of the practice of Christianity. "Getting beyond the bathroom and locker room issue, the biggest danger this law poses is to the religious or moral consciences of small business owners who may object to doing business...

Thursday, June 12, 2008 YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK WorldNetDaily Exclusive Biblical message now criminalized Penalties created for those criticizing homosexuality outside church walls Posted: June 12, 2008 12:45 am Eastern By Bob Unruh WorldNetDaily A new Colorado law is helping homosexual activists achieve their goal of forcing Christians to teach biblical condemnation of homosexuality only behind the closed doors of their sanctuaries. The as-yet untested state law promotes sexual identity "perception" to the level of skin color under state discrimination laws. Some opponents are calling it a "bona fide censorship law," and top analysts for Focus on the Family, the...

Bathroom Wars By Chuck Colson6/6/2008 Related Audio/Video Downloads Potty Politics Three months ago, I told you about a new law in Montgomery County, Maryland, that demands co-ed locker rooms and restrooms in all public accommodations. The law was intended to accommodate “transgendered people”—that is, men who say they perceive themselves to be women, and women who claim they consider themselves men. I said, at the time, that we would see extremists in other jurisdictions attempting to pass similar laws. And that is exactly what is happening.Last week, Colorado’s legislature passed—and Gov. Bill Ritter signed—a law that will open all...

DENVER — Republican leaders are sending a letter to Gov. Bill Ritter demanding he immediately start making budget cuts to cover the $118 million the state has spent from an education tax that a district court ruled was unconstitutional. A copy of the letter, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, says the governor also could call the Legislature back into session to decide which programs to cut if the ruling stands. The letter tells Ritter, "If you refuse to act, we strongly believe you owe the people of Colorado an explanation as to why you are so certain that the...

"We passed 100 percent of what we set out to do," Ritter told an approving crowd of about 100 health professionals and legislators at Children's Hospital in Aurora. Applause and whoops erupted over the signing of a law that makes 50,000 more uninsured children eligible for federal Medicaid benefits and for the state plan, Colorado Child Health Care Plan Plus, known as CHP+. The law expands the eligibility rules to include kids in families with incomes that are 225 percent above the federal poverty level. The old cutoff was incomes at 205 percent above the poverty line.

How can any logical person think this is a good idea? Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, a Democrat, signed Senate Bill 200, which essentially let’s any man who says he’s really a woman, use the women’s facilities in public places. By facilities, I mean the restroom and locker room: The bill initially outlines requirements for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and also bans discrimination based on sexual orientation for things like housing, car insurance, funeral services and public accommodation. The bill also extends bans on discrimination, where previously unwritten, for things like race, creed, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital...

A Denver District Court judge ruled today that Gov. Bill Ritter's controversial mill-levy freeze is unconstitutional. "However well-intentioned and commendable the purpose and consequences ... this Court must be concerned only with enforcement of the Colorado Constitution," District Court Court Judge Christina Habas ... A group of taxpayers, organized by the conservative Independence Institute, filed suit late last year against the Colorado Department of Education, arguing that the property-tax freeze amounts to an unconstitutional tax increase because voters did not directly approve it. "All that's required to raise taxes in this state is to ask first. Only the most arrogant...

Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, issued this statement late today after Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed SB 200: “Who would have believed that the Colorado state Legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women’s restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation? “Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence. The legislation lists every conceivable type of organization to which this law...

Item likely vital to finance case. A laptop owned by the former campaign manager that Gov. Bill Ritter publicly disowned has been reported stolen, raising unanswered questions about its contents. Ritter accused Greg Kolomitz on April 15 of writing himself and his company $83,250 worth of unauthorized checks. The governor also produced an audit finding Kolomitz improperly paid $217,164.56 in campaign bills with money donated for the Democratic governor's inauguration. Three days later, on April 18, Kolomitz reported to Denver police that his Dell laptop had been stolen from inside his locked Colfax Avenue political consulting firm... "Unknown suspect(s) took...

It was a night filled with costumes, kegs, and partying. One problem, it took place at the Colorado Governor's Mansion. photos posted on the internet show Governor Bill Ritter's 22-year-old son August Ritter III drinking from a keg at a recent masquerade party held at the historic home. The other picture shows August Ritter and an unidentified female playing around with the state flag. An invitation, reading, "Mansion Masquerade-Because Life is Too Tasty Not to Party"-

Official testifies in TABOR lawsuit that more money collected as a result of mill levy freeze. State treasurer Cary Kennedy conceded today on the witness stand that a bill passed last year by the legislature alters the way taxes are calculated with the net result that many property owners pay more. But Kennedy continued to insist the 2007 law, SB 199, does not violate Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Kennedy's testimony came on the second day of a lawsuit brought by opponents of the 2007 law. They say SB 199 should have been referred to voters under TABOR provisions. The...

A judge today will hear a case calling Gov. Ritter's move unconstitutional because voters didn't approve it. The year-long controversy around Gov. Bill Ritter's mill-levy freeze spills into a Denver courtroom today, where a judge will decide whether the state has to give the money from the freeze back. A group of taxpayers, organized by the conservative Independence Institute, filed suit late last year against the Colorado Department of Education, arguing that the property-tax freeze amounts to an unconstitutional tax increase because voters did not directly approve it. The trial in the case is scheduled to start today in Denver...

A state representative lodged a campaign-finance complaint against Gov. Bill Ritter today, kick-starting a second investigation into campaign funds Ritter has said were spent incorrectly. The complaint, from Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, prompts the process for reviewing campaign-finance violations. Without the complaint, it is unclear whether the Secretary of State's Office could have begun a formal inquiry. "There are some very specific rules you've got to follow," Lambert said of campaign-finance laws. "This seemed to violate at least several of them and needs to be investigated further."

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony's level of impairment after he was stopped by police Monday morning was described as "extreme" by investigating officers. CBS4 News obtained internal police reports that show Anthony insisted he had only "two glasses of red wine" prior to the DUI stop. After his arrest, police Sgt. Rich Coisman, a 13-year veteran, drove Anthony to the downtown Denver Ritz Carlton hotel, where Anthony's fiancee was staying. That drive has critics charging the department with providing preferential treatment to the Nuggets forward. "I've never had a client I can recall receive that kind of treatment," said attorney...

Gov. Bill Ritter paid more than $200,000 in campaign expenses out of his inaugural account in violation of campaign-finance laws, his office announced today as March disclosures come due. Ritter has put up his home as collateral on a $200,000 loan to repay the misspent funds...

As Gov. Bill Ritter continues his efforts to make his coalition with Big Labor look reasonable, one Colorado union is showing just how out of touch with reality union bosses really are. United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 7 had introduced five statewide ballot initiatives that if approved for the November ballot and passed by voters, would collectively and significantly raise the cost of hiring new workers. At a time when the U.S. economy continues to shed thousands of low-skilled jobs each quarter, the timing of the Local 7’s proposal is extremely questionable. One of the initiatives would require...

State troopers in Colorado have voted to form a union, according to Colorado WINS, a labor union coalition seeking to organize approximately 32,000 state workers. The state trooper employee organization, known as the Association of Colorado State Patrol Professionals, is the first of its kind to form since Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter issued an executive order in November supporting state worker efforts to unionize and form employee partnerships.

Colorado Democrats caucused in record numbers Tuesday night, clueless about which candidate their party leaders prefer for president. That's because Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Ken Salazar, Rep. Mark Udall and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper have refused to make picks ... But where is the backbone in silence? And what is more worthy of a clear stand than the question of who governs our country? "There's a certain responsibility to being a leader in your party. In a presidential race, that means taking a side," said state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams. Though Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama differ only slightly...

$100 more for car registration among road funding ideas. A healthy transportation network is the lifeblood of the state's economy, Gov. Bill Ritter and others believe, but Colorado voters have a spotty record for providing cash transfusions. This fall, an electorate that has roundly turned down cheaper highway fixes that wouldn't have raised taxes could be asked to approve significantly more spending. Didn't like spending $100 million more a year for five years on transportation without paying any new taxes, as was proposed by a referendum voters rejected in 1998? Then how would you like spending an additional $1.5 billion...

While business leaders rail at Gov. Bill Ritter's partnership push, workers are making gains - some even when unionizing fails. Meanwhile, a fight to make Colorado a right-to-work state looms. When Gov. Bill Ritter eased the path for organizing state workers in November, he set off just one of the high-profile fights destined to take place here in 2008. "We are seeing the next generation of union members coming along," said Mark Schwane, Colorado director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Ritter upended the business-labor balance by handing unions huge new resources to organize... "You have...

SHOOTING TAKES HIT: Public shooting opportunities in national forests are disappearing, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter proposes to do something about it. Ritter says several previously isolated forest shooting ranges have been shut down because of homebuilding nearby, and shooters have been forced into dispersed shooting activities. Now the Forest Service is considering closing down some dispersed-shooting areas because of development and increased non-shooting recreational use. Ritter says he would make recreational shooting improvements a priority if he is elected governor. He wants Colorado to take the lead in establishing more shooting ranges, beginning with a pilot program he...

<p>He met with Hollywood producers and a Montana timber company executive, and he traveled to corporate board rooms across America.</p> <p>And in the end, Mayor John Hickenlooper was one of those who helped the Denver host committee for the Democratic National Convention reach its $15 million goal Friday.</p>

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order granting conditional collective bargaining rights to state employees has produced at least one unintended major benefit: It has belatedly focused public attention on a confusing set of laws and court decisions that govern the rights of public employees to organize and bargain collectively. Ritter's order, of course, does nothing to improve the landscape — and if allowed to stand, will further muddle the issue. Thanks to a narrow 1992 Colorado Supreme Court decision, it is already quite tangled. The court in that year held that government employees had a qualified right to strike, a...

Aides rushed to be prepared before he issued union order. On the day he issued his executive order making unions a bigger player in state government, Gov. Bill Ritter and union representatives assured Coloradans they weren't going to rock the boat. But behind the scenes, the waters were anything but calm, e-mails and other documents provided by Ritter's office in response to a Rocky Mountain News open records request show. Ritter's senior staff scrambled in the hours leading up to his announcement to deal with what they accurately predicted would be "a good deal of backlash." And a group representing...

Colorado Republicans have reacted to Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order establishing limited collective bargaining rights for state employees by "squealing like a stuck pig," as we say in Eastern Colorado. Some degree of GOP fury is understandable. Instead of bringing such an important public policy decision to the legislature, where it could be debated with full input from interested citizens, the governor made his move at 3:30 p.m. on Friday after talking almost exclusively to the union leaders who helped elect him. As Republicans learned with their notorious 2003 "midnight gerrymander," such attempts to slip partisan power plays under the...

Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order recognizing unions in state government would be reversed under a bill drafted during the weekend by four Republican lawmakers. "If our new governor thought that this fight was over when the ink dried on his executive order, he was sadly mistaken," said Penry, R-Fruita. "Bill Ritter won't get away with this one." The development comes on the heels of a letter that House Minority Leader Mike May sent Ritter on Monday. The letter asks that Ritter put his order on hold for 120 days so lawmakers can have time to study its effects on state...

Gov. Bill Ritter Said Thursday he may ask voters to approve a tax increase next year for one of Colorado's big needs, but he's not sure yet which one it would be. Ritter said higher education, transportation and health care all need more funding but he hasn't determined which need is most pressing. The governor also defended his executive order granting the 49,000 state government employees the right to join unions. Ritter said the decision won't increase the budget and won't take away the power of lawmakers to set the budget. Ritter went before the budget committee to discuss his...

When Coloradans elected Bill Ritter as governor, they thought they were getting a modern-day version of Roy Romer, a pro-business Democrat. Instead, they got Jimmy Hoffa. Ritter campaigned under the guise of a moderate "new Democrat" but now we know he's simply a toady to labor bosses and the old vestiges of his party — a bag man for unions and special interests.

So, now we know. When he was running for the highest office in the state, we all heard a lot of promises from Bill Ritter: promises about consultation with Colorado’s major constituencies, collaborative government, moderation — all the “new Democrat” codswallop. Maybe you thought we had elected a “moderate.” But at this point, everyone on this side of the sod should know that we elected a weasel. The governor’s plan to unionize government flies in the face of everything he promised during his campaign. At least, everything he promised publicly. Evidently, there were other, more serious, promises made behind closed...

When Coloradans elected Bill Ritter as governor, they thought they were getting a modern-day version of Roy Romer, a pro-business Democrat. Instead, they got Jimmy Hoffa. Ritter campaigned under the guise of a moderate "new Democrat" but now we know he's simply a toady to labor bosses and the old vestiges of his party — a bag man for unions and special interests. The governor on Friday unveiled his plan to drive up the cost of doing business in Colorado by forcing collective bargaining on thousands of state employees. We're concerned this may be the beginning of the end of...