Free Republic

The matchup was inevitable. For the past two months, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff ... His complex proposal would undo the tightest part of that knot by lifting the spending limits imposed by the 1992 Taxpayer's Bill of Rights... Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs,... "For this purpose, I come before you as the author of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, and as is my wont, I will speak plainly," he began. "This measure, if adopted, will mean unlimited state spending forever." Bruce railed against what he saw as a conspiracy by the "tax-and-spend crowd" to "con" voters into giving up government...

DENVER -- Lawmakers in the state are trying to determine what kind of action will be taken against Republican Rep. Douglas Bruce after he was ordered to leave the podium of the Colorado House of Representatives for saying that Colorado doesn't need "5,000 more illiterate peasants." Bruce made the comment Monday during a debate on a bill that would allow the state to help immigrant workers get temporary visas from the federal government. Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who was chairing the floor debate, ordered Bruce to leave the speaker's podium after saying, "How dare you?" Bruce denied later he was...

DENVER (AP) ― Rep. Douglas Bruce was ordered to leave the podium of the Colorado House of Representatives on Monday after calling Mexican workers "illiterate peasants." Bruce, a Republican with a history of provoking controversy with his statements and actions, made the comment during a debate on a bill designed to ease a farmworker shortage in Colorado. It drew an audible gasp from the House. "How dare you," said Rep. Kathleen Curry, a Democrat who was serving as chairwoman during the debate. She told Bruce he was no longer recognized to speak. The bill under discussion would allow the state...

Anti-tax crusader Douglas Bruce will likely be sworn in Monday to fill a vacant House seat. Just when he will be sworn in is still a matter of contention. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff wants him to take the oath at 8 a.m. Bruce said he wants to wait until 10 a.m., when the House begins its session. "I regret that this simple ministerial act is the latest focus of political consternation and unneeded tension," he wrote. "These publicized pressures are added reason I asked the speaker to allow me 90 seconds right after my oath to speak to my new...

El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce handily won appointment this morning to fill the soon-to-be vacant legislative seat representing northeast Colorado Springs. Bruce takes over the seat that has been held since 2001 by GOP Rep. Bill Cadman. Cadman will be sworn in on Dec. 11 to the Senate District 10 seat that opened up upon Republican Ron May’s Oct. 31 resignation. Long known for his pointed conservative views and often abrasive personality... He told the vacancy committee meeting that he plans to push for tax cuts and limited government with the same ferocity that has marked his public career.

State lawmakers are bracing for a tidal wave named Douglas Bruce. The anti-tax crusader and author of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights may end up in the legislature. Bruce made it official Monday when he announced he would seek state Rep. Bill Cadman's soon-to-be vacant seat, ending weeks of speculation. Bruce said he wants to stand against the "Democrats' socialist agenda" and attempts to raise taxes. "I want to be in state government, but not a part of it," he said. "If your goal is to drain the swamp, you have to wrestle with the alligators." Cadman is the favorite...

Constitutional convention weighed Conflicting laws' effect on budget spurs proposal By Julia C. Martinez, Denver Post Capitol Bureau Bipartisan momentum appears to be building at the state Capitol for a historic constitutional convention to reform budget-limiting provisions of Colorado's constitution. Republicans and Democrats on a legislative committee trying to forge solutions to conflicting laws admitted Thursday they have hit a roadblock and probably cannot win the necessary two-thirds vote in the legislature to make needed reforms to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, Amendment 23 and other laws passed by voters. "We have elements of the budget that are in conflict...