May
08
Category Archives: Kerr vs. Polis Lawsuit
May
07
Legislators debate whether to sue over Taxpayer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR)
The joint resolution only has until Wednesday to pass, before the General Assembly adjourns sine die. It hasn’t moved in the chamber since April 10, when it was laid over.
TABOR is the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 1992 that requires voter approval for all tax increases. The amendment also limits state revenue growth to inflation plus the rate of population growth, with the intent of controlling state spending. TABOR also requires any revenue surplus to be refunded to taxpayers.
To finish reading this TABOR story, please click (HERE) to go to The Center Square.
Apr
27
Majority Democrats move to slam door on Colorado citizen engagement
A new Democrat-backed bill moving rapidly through the Colorado legislature poses a serious threat to one of the most fundamental rights in our state Constitution: the right of citizens to initiate laws through the petition process.
And hot on the heels of that is yet another legislative attack on the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).
House Bill 25-1327, which has already passed both the House and the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, would significantly restrict the ability of Coloradans to bring citizen initiatives forward. Among other provisions, it shortens an already tight timeline for title-setting, imposes new procedural hurdles, and adds new fines of up to $1,500 on petition organizers for non-compliance with reporting requirements. Continue reading
Apr
18
Hillman: TABOR is the people’s law—Democrats want to sue it out of existence
By Mark Hillman | Colorado Politics
Lawmakers and special interests routinely ask Colorado voters to raise taxes so they can spend more of our money. Most often, voters say, “No!”
Now certain “progressive” Democrat lawmakers plan to use our own tax dollars to sue us for limiting their power to raise our taxes.
That’s disgusting even by the gutter standards of this legislature.
Having demonstrated their contempt for the rights of law-abiding Coloradans to exercise freedom of speech and to keep and bear arms as protected by the U.S. Constitution, Democrats at our State Capitol now want us to believe they care about respecting that same Constitution.
Led by Reps. Sean Camacho (D-Denver) and Lorena Garcia (D-Adams County) and Sens. Lindsay Daugherty (D-Arvada) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora), Democrats have proposed a resolution (HJR 1023) to order the state to initiate a lawsuit challenging the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (aka TABOR) in our state constitution.
Defending TABOR is the state’s responsibility, but no one currently holding statewide elected office publicly supports TABOR, so Colorado taxpayers have a right to believe the deck is stacked to screw us.
Apr
14
If you’re reading this, pause and send a letter to your CO Rep/Senator in opposition to HJR25-1023
Priscilla Rahn @RahnforDougCo
If you’re reading this, pause and send a letter to your CO Rep/Senator. Here is my letter on Res 1023 (Lawsuit to eliminate TABOR.) Can you believe Democrats want to use our public tax dollars to sue “WE THE PEOPLE?” HANDS OFF TABOR!
—-
To the Honorable Members of the Colorado General Assembly,
I write to you in opposition of House Joint Resolution 25-1023, which seeks to challenge the constitutionality of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution.
This resolution proposes a lawsuit alleging that TABOR violates the Guarantee Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Enabling Act by limiting the legislature’s authority over taxation and spending.
The claims against TABOR are constitutionally unsound and ignore both the sovereign will of the people of Colorado and foundational principles of federalism and state constitutional self-determination.
1. TABOR Is a Legitimate Exercise of Constitutional Amendment Power
The Colorado Constitution, Article V, Section 1, enshrines the power of the people to legislate through initiative and referendum, a principle established since our state’s founding. This power includes the ability to amend the Constitution directly — as was done with the adoption of TABOR in 1992.
2. The Guarantee Clause Does Not Prohibit Direct Democracy
The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently treated claims under this clause as nonjusticiable political questions. The presence of direct democracy in a state — such as ballot initiatives — has never been held to violate the republican form of government. Many states, including Colorado, have long utilized ballot measures as an enhancement to representative democracy, not a threat to it.
3. TABOR Reinforces Accountability and Fiscal Restraint
TABOR was adopted after years of public concern over unchecked government spending and tax increases. It does not abolish the legislature’s power — it simply requires consent from voters before taxes are raised or new debt is incurred.
TABOR protects Coloradans by ensuring:
• Transparency in budgeting and taxation
• Taxpayer control over fiscal expansion
• A clear and predictable structure for government finance.
4. TABOR Reflects the Ongoing Will of the People
TABOR has survived multiple attempts at repeal or revision, and the voters have repeatedly affirmed its core protections. Any legislative attempt to sue the people’s will out of existence — without first repealing TABOR through democratic means — risks undermining public confidence in both this body and our constitutional process.
Instead of litigating against the will of the people, I urge you to honor our voices.
#HandsOffTABOR
#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#TABOR
#FollowTheLaw
#FeesAreTaxes
#VoteOnFees
#ReplaceThemAllForNotFollowingVotersWishes
https://x.com/RahnforDougCo/status/1911082221416349714
Apr
08
Colorado Dems push resolution to sue over TABOR
A joint resolution introduced this week, if passed, would require the Committee on Legal Services to hire legal counsel and file a lawsuit over TABOR on behalf of the General Assembly.
TABOR, which was added to the state constitution after voters passed it in 1992, requires voter approval for all proposed tax increases. It also reins in state spending by limiting revenue growth to inflation plus the rate of population growth. Any revenue surplus must be refunded to taxpayers under the constitutional amendment.
Democrats have long pointed to TABOR for the state’s budget woes. Joint Budget Committee Chair Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, on Thursday pointed to TABOR after the Senate passed the state’s $43.9 billion budget bill and dealt with a $1.2 billion deficit.
“This is a budget that no one is happy with but that everyone can be proud of,” he said in a statement. “Thanks to the rationing equation in TABOR, the Joint Budget Committee faced difficult decisions that resulted in painful tradeoffs. But unlike Washington, we made these cuts thoughtfully, strategically and with bipartisan support. We eliminated dozens of programs and invested those savings in public education and public safety and public lands.”
“It’s not a perfect budget, but it’s responsible and responsive to our TABOR constraints while keeping our commitment to the people of Colorado,” Bridges added.
Conservative advocacy groups and defenders of TABOR point to the majority Democrats’ bloated spending as the issue.
“The problem isn’t that people are taxed too little. The problem is that state government is spending too much,” Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican on the JBC, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “It is our moral duty to justify every dollar that we spend. So the first step needs to define our priorities because if you think everything should be funded, if you think everything is a priority, you essentially have no priority.”
To continue reading the rest of this article, please click (HERE) to go to The Center Square
Apr
07
ICYMI Over The Past 31 Years, This Has Been Part Of Their Colorado Democrats Party Platform
#HandsOffTABOR
#DontBeFooled
#ItsYourMoneyNotTheirs
#TABOR
#FollowTheLaw
#FeesAreTaxes
#VoteOnFees
#ReplaceThemAllForNotFollowingVotersWishes
Apr
07
Stop Trying To Kill TABOR. No Means NO!
CALL TO ACTION: Protect TABOR Here we go again… Lawmakers are once again trying to silence Colorado voters and gut TABOR with HJR25-1023. Apparently, letting taxpayers decide on taxes is just too much democracy. We said no to Prop 66, Prop 120, and Prop HH. The courts have dismissed this exact argument once before. NO MEANS NO. The resolution will be heard in the Finance Committee on Monday. Sign up to testify against this foolish waste of our money. Sign up to testify at: leg.colorado.gov/content/commit #ProtectTABOR #HandsOffMyVote
Apr
05
URGENT: Colorado Legislators Want to Sue the People, Reverse TABOR, Biggest Tax Increase Ever?!
This Monday, April 7th, we need you to speak out in defense of your rights, your paycheck, and your family’s finances.
That’s when HJR25-1023: Require General Assembly TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit will be heard in Committee.
This latest scheme is to sue the people of Colorado with the purpose of repealing the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).
If successful, this would be the largest tax increase in Colorado history. Your TABOR tax refund would disappear, taxpayers would lose their right to approve tax increases, and governments across Colorado would be able to steal more money from hardworking Colorado families.
In this video, Natalie Menten provides the background on this measure, talking points you can use during testimony, and information on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Please speak, in-person or remote in defense of TABOR by opposing HJR25-1023.
Testimony information:
Bill info: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hjr25-1023
Hearing time: Monday, April 7th in the House Finance Committee at 1:30 pm in House Committee Room 0112, first floor of the State Capitol.
Sign up here: https://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2025A/commsumm.nsf/NewSignIn.xsp
Easiest to find: “By Committee and Hearing Item”
Committee Name: House Finance
Meeting Date and Time: 04/07/2025 01:30 PM
Hearing Item: House Finance: HJR25-1023 (Require GA TABOR Constitutionality Lawsuit)
Talking Points:
Apr
04
