The Mountain Minute: 5/1/2025

🎧 Mountain Minute – May 1, 2025
As the Colorado legislative session enters its final week, school boards push back on HB25-1312, fees quietly rise to cover budget gaps, and immigration policies could cost the state billions. Here’s your unfiltered update from the Rockies.

Colorado News:
🔹 School Boards Push Back on HB25-1312 – A late-night Senate Judiciary hearing drew statewide opposition that we’ll report on soon. But yesterday, school board members stood up to say the gender identity bill overrides local control and exposes districts to costly lawsuits. Full coverage of the hearing coming in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/drawing-the-line-school-boards-warn-hb25-1312-oversteps-on-parental-rights-brings-policy-chaos/

🔹 Lawmakers Hike Fees to Fill Budget Gaps – Facing budget shortfalls, legislators are raising fees on car insurance, restaurant inspections, court filings, and more—bringing in millions without going to voters for tax hikes. Critics say it’s a workaround to avoid TABOR limits.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/colorado-lawmakers-hike-fees-to-fill-budget-gaps/

🔹 Immigration Bill Could Cost Billions – A proposed bill to block ICE detainer cooperation is drawing fire. Opponents—including local sheriffs—warn it could jeopardize billions in federal funding and create safety risks.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/sitting-on-a-powder-keg-opponents-slam-sb25-276-for-shielding-illegal-aliens-risking-federal-funds/

🔹 Former ICE Director Speaks Out – John Fabbricatore explained how detainee processing works in response to a major Colorado Springs nightclub bust. He warns that ignoring ICE cooperation doesn't make communities safer—it makes enforcement more dangerous.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/john-fabbricatore-details-ice-detainee-process-as-state-pushes-back-against-federal-enforcement/

🔹 Homelessness Divide: Housing vs. Work-First – A state report supports Denver’s housing-first model, while a private study highlights Aurora’s success with a work-first approach. The contrast underscores deep philosophical divides on how to solve homelessness.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/denver-vs-aurora-homelessness-reports-reveal-two-competing-visions/

🔹 Real ID Deadline Approaches – Starting May 7, Coloradans will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or passport to fly domestically. Officials urge residents to check their IDs now.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/final-boarding-call-real-id-enforcement-begins-for-u-s-air-travel-may-7/

National News:
🔹 Trump’s Deportation Numbers Still Lag – Despite media panic, Trump’s deportation levels are still below those of Obama and early Biden years. Some suggest the outrage is more narrative than numbers.
Read more: https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/04/joondeph-trump-could-put-hillary-clinton-in-charge-of-immigration/

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