Tag: Brandon Shaffer

Though the power of the Tea Party weighed on the minds of some Republican legislators today, it was not strong enough to stop the passage of a resolution that would make it more difficult for people to amend the constitution through the ballot amendment process.

Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, and Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, Wednesday said that the Senate had no intention of "rubber stamping" Gov. John Hickenlooper's budget plan. They said they would work to ensure the cuts to K-12 were limited, though Shaffer failed to provide specifics on how that would be done or if he would vote for a bill that didn't include substantial cuts.

State Sen. Pat Steadman introduced his civil unions bill in the Colorado capitol Monday, a Valentine's Day treat for lawmakers to consider in the coming months. “Civil unions will allow committed couples to share in the responsibilities and protections in Colorado law that most families take for granted," he said in a release. "Our society is stronger when we promote personal responsibility and taking care of one another, and civil unions do just that."

Durango Republican state Sen. Ellen Roberts is fighting hard to keep oil and gas severance taxes from going to K-12 education statewide, but, according to the Durango Herald, it’s likely a losing battle.

State Sen. Gail Schwartz, a Snowmass Democrat whose narrow win in November saw what some deemed the “most tasteless” mailers of the campaign, now finds herself in the middle of the ugliest incident of the young legislative session. State Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, was banned Friday from the Senate chamber for accosting Schwartz there on Wednesday.

For somebody often awkward in his public speeches, prone to stutter-stepping his way through sentences, Governor-elect John Hickenlooper has superb skills as a salesman. Maybe it goes back to his days as a barkeep in Denver’s LoDo, bantering for a moment before moving onto the next table. Now he’ll be using those same skills as a street-savvy, business-friendly Democrat who will also become the most public face as state government faces the need to quickly cut $1.1 billion from the state budget.

Democrats in the Colorado State Senate today announced their leadership for the 2011 session. They are: Senate President: Sen. Brandon Shaffer (SD-17, Longmont) Senate President Pro...

State Senate President Brandon Shaffer rallied the crowd at the Democratic headquarters early this morning with a short speech meant to wake up reporters...

In the wake of a race that saw attacks ads slung and supporters clashing between former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Sen. Michael Bennet, the Colorado Democratic Party put out a press release this morning announcing it was hosting a unity party on the West Steps of the Capitol noon Thursday.

DENVER-- A Colorado youth symphony played the national anthem to open the Colorado Senate this morning, the gavel bang marking the start of a legislative session that will be characterized by extraordinary wrangling over the recession-constrained budget in a heated election year.