August 21, 2025 • 35 mins
Rep. Rose Pugliese, Colorado House minority leader, joins Kristi Burton-Brown (in for Dan), with an update on the special session called by Governor Jared Polis for Thursday, with House majority leader Monica Duran blaming the $1.3 billion shortfall in the state budgent on President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.'
KBB also discusses the potential repeal of Colorado's 'wolf reintroduction program' voted in by state residents.
KBB also discusses the potential repeal of Colorado's 'wolf reintroduction program' voted in by state residents.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Dan Kaplis and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Dan Kaplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown
in for Dan today. Very happy to be with you
all on the first day of Colorado's fourth special session
in as many years. A lot of people saying they
really shouldn't be called special or extraordinary sessions anymore if
we're going to have them every single year. Democrats trying
very very very hard to pitch this session as necessary
(00:39):
only because of the Trump administration. The Republicans in Congress,
like Congressman Gabe Evans, Congresswoman Lauren Bobert, Congressman Jeff Crank,
Congressman Jeff Heard, those are the ones they've put on
a flyer they're spreading around the state and saying it's
all their fault that Colorado needs a special session because
they cost Colorado's one point two billion dollars in a
(00:59):
budget hole.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, part of why, the part of the way you
can tell.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
This is a false and narrative is because the Democrats
are trying so.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Hard to pitch it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
In fact, they're going on a literal travel journey across
the state of Colorado, in the little towns and in
big towns, the whole town halls solely for the purpose
of blaming Republicans at the federal level for a one
point two billion dollar budget shortfall, according to them. I
actually went to one of these town halls because they
were holding one in my hometown. There was actually a
(01:31):
very Republican district, but they wanted to come there, so I.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Figured I would go see how they were pitching.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It, even though of course I've seen it all over
social media, but always interesting to hear in person. And
so the state representative that was speaking at the town
hall I went to, he had a huge.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Problem with how Republicans are pitching it.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
He said, Republicans are saying we have the one point
two billion dollars shortfall here in Colorado because the Democrats
have a spending problem. He's like, this makes me so
mad that they say we have a spending problem. This
is not a spending problem. And then as he kept
talking and he's like, I mean it might be fair
to say that we over budgeted, but you can't say
we've overspent because of the taper cap. And you went
into all the technicalities. But if you over budget and
(02:11):
you over promised that you were going to deliver on
and pay for programs that are going to come to
and you don't have the money to pay for them,
that is just another way to overspend, overbudget, overspend.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Democrats have severely mismanaged the budget in Colorado and that
is the real reason that we have yet another special session.
It started at the capital today and if you really
want to look at the causes, it's here's what happened.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
A few years ago.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
We had three point six billion dollar surplus in the
state of Colorado. You probably remember it because you got
a taper check in the mail, and TABOR at taxpayers
Bill of Rights requires the government to send you back
money over if they collect over the amount that they're
allowed to keep, and they're allowed to increase it every
year by inflation plus population like that. That's the TABOR
(02:59):
increase that's allowed. But they had a three point six
billion dollars surplus and now they have nothing to show
for it. So they are masters of mismanagement of the budget.
They can't get around the fact that they blew a surplus,
that the state budget has grown fifty percent in seven years.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
The state budget is forty four billion.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Dollars and just a few years ago is only nineteen
billion dollars, like they have a ton of money. And
some of them, the more honest liberals in the legislature
will acknowledge that when the state received COVID funds and
extra federal funding around twenty twenty twenty twenty one, they
committed it to all these programs that they can't fund.
(03:43):
Once that money goes away to programs that have ballooned
in cost, and now the bill is coming due and
they can't pay for it.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
And so the easier narrative for them instead of.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Admitting that and talking about the surplus they blew and
talking about the fifty percent growth in the state budget,
the size of the state budget forty four billion dollars,
All they're having to cut is three percent of that
budget down at the Capitol, and they're, you know, whining
and crying like it's the end of the world and
blaming federal Republicans for it. But that is a much
easier narrative than saying, you know what, we have mismanaged
the budget. We did over budget, We misspent federal funds
(04:16):
that really weren't designed for that purpose. We've promised voters
we'd only spend X amount on a project, but.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Really the cost is ballooned and it's way more than
we can afford.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
They don't want to admit any of that, so instead
they are saying that is all the fault of Congressional
Republicans and President Trump. But I think it's really important
to look at this one point two billion dollar budget
shortfall that they're talking about the special session. Now they
technically they have to go in and cut or find
about eight hundred million dollars. There's technicalities that make it,
(04:47):
you know, eight hundred million instead of the full one
point two billion dollars. But where did that one point
two billion dollars go? Like, it didn't just evaporate, it
didn't just get lost. It is going into the pockets
of taxpayers and the businesses that employ taxpayers. That's where
it's going instead of going to the state government of Colorado.
(05:08):
And when you look across the state of Colorado, over
seventy percent of people support the taxpayer Bill of Rights,
which includes the right to a vote on tax increases
before the government imposes them on you, and b you
get those refunds. Like, that's a very Colorado thing to say, hey,
put the money in our pocket instead of back to
the government. It's not necessarily a Republican Democrat unaffiliated only thing.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
It's everyone altogether. A very Colorado thing.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
So for the liberals to run the legislature to think
that everyone else is you know, identifying with them across
the state of Colorado and being like, oh, my goodness,
the poor state government that's missing a one point two
billion dollars. No people are saying, I'm glad it's going
in my pocket. I'm glad it's going to the business
that employs me. So my job stays here in Colorado.
CNBC recently released all this ranking of states around the
(05:56):
nation on different business rankings.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Cost of living.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Colorado has fallen to the forty seventh forty seventh in
the nation on cost of living. That means we're the
third most expensive state in the entire nation. And I
think that shocks exactly no one who lives here. And
so when you consider that the cost of the cost
to live here, whether it be healthcare, whether it be
your mortgage payments, the food bill, when you go to
(06:21):
the grocery store, putting gas in your car. Colorado is
the third most expensive state forty seventh worst when it
comes to cost of living. And how many families across
Colorado have sat down over the last couple of years
and had to cut three percent from their spending budgets
to make it work with the levels of inflation in
our state. But the liberals and the legislature who control
(06:43):
the government right now want to complain about being asked
to go cut three percent because people got that money
back instead of it going to the government.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That illustrates for you exactly who.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Is running our state government and the fact that they
want to wine that they actually have to come back
to Denver to solve this.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That's your job.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I actually know our legislators don't get paid that much
money comparatively to other states, but it's still your job.
You ran, you got elected. Sometimes you have to come
back and do some work. But I really find the
disturbing that the leaders in charge aren't acknowledging what this
one point two billion dollars is. It is a tax
cut in HR one, this big beautiful bill that they
passed at the federal level.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
It is the biggest national tax cut in history.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It increased the child tax credit by thousands of dollars.
It instituted a tax cut actually tax exemption for overtime
wages and tip wages, specifically helping working families and actually
lower income families.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
That specifically who is helped by this federal bill.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
And conveniently the narrative you're in Colorado as well, let's
not really just talk about that. Let's just say the
government here is missing money. Yeah, anytime government's missing money,
ask where it went and if it went to the people, specifically, it.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Went to working people here in Colorado.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
That's always a good thing because people hear what money
their pockets rather than going to the government. So anyway,
that's a little bit of a preview on what you know,
the reason behind special session. If you had heard the
legislatures back in session and didn't really.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Know why, that's why they're there.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And Governor Polis proposed this whole list of what they
need to do, and I think we're about to take
a break. But I do think one thing we should
know is they're using a code for tax increases and
calling it raising revenue.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Like we're going to raise revenue on businesses.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
In the special session, he had a whole list of
bills that he wants to pass to charge businesses more money,
take away their deductions, change tax policy, increase their taxes, like,
that's what you're doing when you're raising revenue as a state.
You are increasing taxes, and they're attempting to do it
on a lot of small businesses, a lot of businesses
that keep people's jobs here in Colorado, and jobs and
businesses are already leaving Colorado. We are not high in
(08:48):
the business friendliness rankings across the nation. You can see
this in Denver, you can see this across the state,
and is because the policy is being passed at the
capitol and now during special session. Instead of cutting their
own budgets, maybe like a five percent across the board
cut in state departments, no, let's go ahead and raise
taxes on businesses.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
That's their goal. So you can look for a whole
lot of bills that are going.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
To do that.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
When we come back after the break, I'm gonna talk
about a new Woolf reintroduction bill that actually just passed
out of committee today. Is one of the first bills
to pass out of committee in the special Session. Think
you'll be very interested in it if you think the
wolf Re introduction in Colorado has been a complete mess.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Keep it here on the Dan Kapla Show and text
your thoughts to five seven seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Start it with Dan, and now.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Back to the Dan Taplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Welcome back to the Dan Tapley Show.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I'm Christy Burton Brown and for Dan today, but got
a comment over the break, And by the way, you
can always send in your own comments. You can text
them and start it with Dan texted to five seven
seven three nine, or you can call in three zero
three seven one three eight two five five and share
your thoughts, ask your questions about special Session if you
want to know what's going on. I'm definitely definitely watching it,
(09:56):
so happy to fill you in on more information.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
But here's the comment we got.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I think that the Liberals have most of their low
information voters believing that Tabor is the enemy of everything
that needs to be free.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
I'm half tempted to.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Give them five years to keep it and then we
can say it's definitely not Tabor, it's you. Well, your
final statement is definitely right. It is not Tabor the
Taxpayer Bill of Rights. It is definitely the liberals instead
and how they're spending. But I think the worry, and
I'm sure this is just you know, said in jests,
sort of sarcastically, but the worry about giving them five
years to keep it is I would be a change
(10:29):
to our constitution. For anyone who doesn't know, and I
bet this Texter does know, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights
is in our constitution and it caps the legislature's ability
to spend.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
It gives us the right to vote on.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Tax increases and returns money to us when the legislature
collects too much. So I think you'd be a little
too risky to give it to them at all ever,
even though it might prove the point, but they'd spend
us high and dry, So I think we probably can't
do that. I think I am hearing that we have
a guest on the phone straight from the Legislature, which
(10:58):
is a actually big tree for us today to hear
a real time update on the special session.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
What's going on.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
We have House Minority Leader Rose POLICI a great representative
and a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Welcome to the dan Kapla Show.
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Oh thanks so much, Christy. I'm so glad to be
on with you. Thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Oh yes, thank you for taking the time. Can you
fill us in on what's going on in this first
day of the special session?
Speaker 6 (11:24):
Yeah, two interesting updates. Probably not surprising for any of
your listeners, but.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
You know, maybe so.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
In our opening remarks, the Speaker basically blamed the whole
special session on HR one and the acts of Congress
and Republicans to hurt the budget and to create this
budget shortfall. I was able to go up on behalf
of our caucus and talk about what I would say
(11:55):
is the truth. Right, we were already in a budget hole.
We fixed a budget hole last session not by cutting,
not by finding efficiencies in government, but by using one
time funds. So we knew this was coming. The DBC
had a forecast on June eighteenth, before the Big Beautiful
(12:15):
Bill or HR one was even signed into law, that
said they were predicting for twenty twenty six that we
would be seven hundred million in a deficit. And I
want your listeners to know because the Democrats love to
save us. But it's not completely accurate, and that is
(12:37):
that we have a balanced budget and then it's balanced
all year. It is not. The budget only needs to
be balanced when the governor signs the long ago into
the law and then when supplemental has happened. Those are
the only two times. So we are already out of balance,
and that is because we are spending more than we're
taking in. And so how do they want to fix
(12:58):
the problem. Democrats want to put it on the backs
of our hard work in Colorado continue to find ways
to tax things like overtime. So my bill was Representative Calswell,
Senator Kirkmeyer, and Senator Byron Pelton would have exempted over
time taxes on overtime at the state level. And you
(13:22):
know the Democrats and committee party line vote killed up
bill and committee that bill also helped protect the tax
parabilla rights. I know you all are super familiar with
this issue, but it basically says, if you're going to
change tax policy per the Constitution, it has to go
to vote to the people, and that is not happening.
And so you know, the Democrats were very strong about
(13:45):
this is all HR one fault, which it's not, and
that it's not actually really cost savings to the keep
the hardworking people of Colorado. It was a really interesting committee.
And obviously they do not support the tax payer Bill
of Rights, and so anything that would require the people
to actually get to vote on tax increases or whether
(14:07):
you're entitled to their tax money cannot happen in this legislature.
So our bill died. Most of the Republican bills I
just got an update right before for this call. Most
of our bills are have died. We have a few
left that are still going through committee. That apparently Republican
solutions are not allowed at a special session.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Well, probably because they cut the budget or in cut
state spending instead of raising revenue on businesses, which I
think i've heard is the governor's goal in this special session.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Can I yeah the wait?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah? Yeah, Well, I just wanted to ask you, and
we're talking to House Minority Leader Rose Puglici.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
So when they killed your bill that would have stopped.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Them from taxing over time, which was like, those are
working families, the ones they say they support here in Colorado.
Did they give any reasoning as to why they didn't,
Why they wanted to continue to tax working families.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
There was some calculation it was like sixty three dollars,
Like it's only going to save people sixty three dollars.
So basically it wasn't worth it, and that there's bigger
tax policy that needs to be discussed. I mean, things
that weren't in the bill.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
The bill basically said, if you're going to change tax policy,
you have to follow a constitution under the Tax payabill
of Rights, which says it goes to a vote to
the people. And by the way, we're not going to
tax over time without a vote of the people. And
they said, no, it's not actually helping those families. And
then they continue to talk about things that were completely
outside of the bill. Despite work cult, we really did
(15:40):
an amazing job. And then you know, I got to
fill in some gaps, but he really took lead on this.
But you know, we kept trying to direct them to
the bill in front of us. That is not in
our bill. That is not in our bill. HR one
didn't do this. You did this, right, But yeah, it's
it's been really interesting. And then as you were saying,
like taxing business is more I mean, obviously we're going
(16:02):
to get more economic development and more businesses moving to
this community or staying in our communities when we tax
them more, the logics will little bit off.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
No, it's definitely true and representative Fulglaci. We have about
two minutes left, so I'm curious, are there any bills
that have made it through committee that you think people
should really be paying attention to.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
So I would have a better update. I think I'm
going to be back on tomorrow with Hyati as my
understanding or someone on the show tomorrow, because they're still
going through committee, so I don't have a great update.
I know we still have a few more bills that
are alive for now that are going through committee still,
so I think it'll be better to assess tomorrow morning
(16:46):
as to where we all ended up on bills.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Make sense? No, that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yes, we should keep definitely having you so you can
give us updates. Really appreciate you taking that time. How
many days do you expect the special session to go?
Or is this too early to say that?
Speaker 6 (17:02):
I think it really just depends on I mean we
anticipated as in prior special sessions that we've ditten already,
like kind of have bills like property taks the second time,
but I feel like this is going to be like
property taks the first time. The Democrats bills go through
for the most part, Republican bills all die and then
we debate them on the floor. I think part of
(17:24):
the issue and really ascertaining how long we're going to
be here is based on, you know, how much we
talk on the floor and how long we get to
talk before they shut us down. That's what I anticipate
will happen. So it could be a shorter session if
we're not actually allowed to exercise our constitutional rights to
(17:44):
represent our people as representatives in the state. So to
be seen, I guess is what I would say. Bills
will be on the floor tomorrow, will start debate tomorrow.
And don't believe those rumors that the Democrats have put
out that we get to go to this state fair
only if Republicans allow us. Basically, what they want us
to do is self silence, which we will not do.
(18:08):
As much as we would all love to go to
the fair. We didn't schedule this special session. We don't
think this special session is needed. It is premature, and
that's called squarely on the governor and on how Democrat leadership.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Thank you for clarifying that truth. We so appreciate having
you on the Dan capless Show. Representative pug Leci, thank
you for your time.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Thank you. All right, that was House Minority Leader Rose Puglici.
She's going to continue to join.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
The show and provide updates through the special Session. I'm
Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dankpla Show. And we
just got an update on some of the bills that died,
some that are still there.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
And we come back.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
We will cover the wolf reintroduction bill that made it
through committee but not sure if it will.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
Pass or not. You're listening to the Dan Kapliss Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You're on the Dan Caplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Welcome back. If you missed the last segment, we talked
to House Minority Leader Rose Puglicy live from the Capital
on the first day of special Session, and as a
surprise to no one who's listening, most of the Republican
bills have gotten killed in committee at this point on
the first day, according to Representative Publici. And these were
(19:15):
bills with real solutions, saying hey, if we have to
cut eight hundred million dollars to fix this supposedly one
point two billion dollars shortfall in the Colorado budget.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Like, let's actually.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Cut let's cut spending, let's stop programs that have been overbudgeted.
But instead, because the Democrats have zero interest in that,
and instead they would rather raise revenue, in other words,
increased taxes on businesses, they are rejecting these, you know,
well thought out common sense plans. Even something is common
sense as continuing to stop taxing overtime and all these
(19:46):
you know, liberals say that they support working families, want
to give them an easier break. But according to Representative
Publicy in committee, the Democrats just said that cutting taxes
on overtime wouldn't really help these families. It's a very
interesting an elitist position to take. Oh, cutting your taxes
on the overtime pay you make wouldn't really help you.
(20:07):
We can decide that from our elite seat in Denver.
I think that's actually a highly ridiculous reason.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
But what else do you expect, Nerama?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Do you want to talk about one unusual bill that so
far has passed through Senate Committee on a vote of
four to one. It is a bipartisan bill attempting to
change the wolf reintroduction. That's an issue here in Colorado.
If you are Colorado and you've heard about woof re introduction,
you had to vote on it on the ballot a
few years ago, and by a very very small margin,
voters did approve a wolf reintroduction plan. Now, typically when
(20:36):
voters passed something on the ballot, most people would say,
you should respect the will of the voters and continue
to carry it out. I think there's some interesting factors
at play with a woof reintroduction plan. There was not
an accurate explanation of how this ballot measure would actually
work out. People voted on something that wasn't fully explained.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
For example, the Blue.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Book that's what you get in the mail before every election,
explaining like the fifth impacts and the details the statsatory
language or constitutional language of every ballot measure you're voting on.
It does provide voters with a lot of information, and
polling has proved that a very big majority of Colorado's
actually read the Blue Book before they vote. And so
the blue Book on the wolf reintroduction ballot measure estimated
that it would cost eight hundred thousand dollars that's what
(21:18):
voters thought, eight hundred thousand dollars to bring wolves back
to Colorado.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Okay, well, so far we.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Have spent three point five million dollars on woof ray introduction,
well beyond what voters were promised.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
And of the twenty five wolves.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
That have currently been brought to Colorado, seven of them
have died or been killed on purpose and some by
state officials because they continue to prey on cattle, sheep, dogs,
other domesticated animals, and that's part of the deals they
continue to do that you can go ahead and kill them.
But a lot of this money is going to pay ranchers,
which is the state is obligated to do when their
(21:53):
livestock is killed by wolves, like it's happening so frequently
that the state is having to pay tons of money
to help the farmers and ranchers recover their costs, and
that's one of the reasons the cost has ballooned.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Well.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
The way the state has carried this wolf reintroduction program
out is absolute ridiculous. They specifically got wolves that were
known to prey on livestock from other states or from Canada,
like they were getting the worst wolves that other states
didn't want to keep and bringing them here to Colorado, Like,
what do you think is gonna happen?
Speaker 3 (22:24):
They're gonna just show.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Up in Colorado and be like, oh, we no longer
like how cow's taste? Like that just makes zero common
sense whatsoever. So high degree of mismanagement by the state
on this wolf reintroduction program. And so because of all that,
a bipartisan group of legislators who come from the area
of the state where the wolves were released, to include
Senator Dylan Roberts, I think Senator Mark Catlin. I'm not
(22:48):
gonna say the other two because I might have their
names wrong, but it was two other Democrat representatives who
jumped on.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
This bill and sponsored it.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
And what they originally wanted to do is actually stop
the reintroduction of wolves and say, hey, we've introduced enough,
you need to stop and redirect the funds allocated to
that to the health insurance program here in Colorado, which
is having less money this budgetary year. And so apparently,
according to the news, they reached some deal with the
Governor's office. Governor's office was very upset at their bill,
(23:14):
most likely because of the governor's partner, Merlyn Reese who's
a big wildlife activist. And so apparently the bill did
redirect two hundred and sixty four thousand of the two
point one million dollars budgeted for the Wolof free introduction
program this year. That's all they could get the Governor's
office to agree to, apparently, and it didn't stop the
(23:35):
continuation of woof free introduction.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
It's at least some adjustment, a little bit less money.
Hopefully that means less wolves will be brought to Colorado.
But cutting only two hundred and sixty four thousand out
of two point one million, I don't think is what
they originally envisioned in this bill. They actually wanted to
stop the wolves from coming to their area of the
state because the huge problem it's causing and the cost
of tax payers.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
But it is.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
It is something I guess in the direction of take
you money away from a very very failed Wolfer introduction program.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
So that's where that stands right now.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
We'll see how it makes its way through the Senate
and then it has to get through the House as well.
I'm Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dan Kapla show.
You can text your thoughts anytime to five seven, seven,
three nine. Start it with Dan. I can answer your
questions about the special session. We can talk more about it.
You also can call in if you have thoughts. Three
zero three seven one three eight two five five is
(24:26):
the number. There's actually ooh, I have a caller from
Jennifer from Denver. I'm gonna go ahead and take you
on the dan Capla show right now. We have three
minutes until I have to take a break, So Jennifer,
welcome to the dan Capla Show.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
Well, thank you, but I have so much to say
KBB okay.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Well great yet start rolling.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
Listen about about this wolf bill. I was calling in
as you were doing the update. Did they take out
the pause to the program out of the bill?
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I think the governor was going to veto it. I
fated that.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Yeah, he was threatening to viewto it. And I'm sad
to hear that because I think I attended two meetings
actually last night in regards to wolves. One of them
was an activist group and they're very concerned about the
legislation and they're going to be testifying in full force.
They believe that if it's paused that the wolf population
will actually die off. They will not continue to reproduce
(25:24):
because they don't they're not given to inbreeding and whatnot.
And I asked one of the women that was holding
this meeting, and I said, when that makes sense to
pause the program and then get everybody on the same
page as to solutions about managing these wolves and slow
down the reintroduction. I mean, the argument is that people
(25:48):
voted for this, so we're stuck with them. Well, we
certainly can improve what's going on, and the wolf advocates
aren't any happier with the management than the ranchers are,
so something clearly has to be done.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Jennifer, you make a good point is there's people across
the spectrum who are unhappy with it, because the people
who wanted the wolves here aren't happy that seven out
of twenty five of them have died or been killed,
like that's not a good rate. And so I think
you're right too that even though in general I agree
with the idea that we should respect the will of
the voters, voters didn't didn't vote on an exact reintroduction plan.
(26:21):
They didn't vote on exactly how the states implementing it.
They didn't vote on a three times greater spending, and
so I think that would be your eyes.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
You're on percent.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
What they voted on was wolves on the ground by
twenty twenty three and that there would be a management plan. Yeah,
not a lot of details there. Then all of a sudden,
we're seeing population goals that we can't even manage thirty wolves,
let alone seven hundred and fifty. Right, So, yeah, there
has to be a plause to this program. And what
I would say to the governor I wish he was
(26:52):
listening right now, is that you say, you don't want
to stop the will of the people, but Taber is
the will of the people. Sure try to stop that.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Oh yeah, no, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I mean even with a special session, like we were
talking a little bit earlier on the show, they're trying
to raise revenue code word for increased taxes on businesses,
which you cannot do. You're cannot change tax policy in
the same year without violating TABOR, and so you won't
see it anyway.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
And that's you're exactly right, Jennifer. So I'm about to
take a break. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
The people.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
That's pretty much how he operates, all right, Jennifer, Thanks
for being on the Dan kaplan Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Please call in if you have thoughts to share three
zero three seven one three eight two five five or
text your thoughts to five seven seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Start it with Dan and keep it here on the
Dan Capla Show.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
And now back to the Dan Kaplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Welcome back to the Dan Taplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
We've been talking about this special session that just started today,
as many people are saying, or the session is really
special anymore when you have I believe four of them
in the last four years.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
This one called well.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Well, it should be called to cut the state budget,
but instead the governor called to raise revenue on businesses
to fill.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
The budget hole.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And I think we talked in the first segment about
how hard the Democrats, Democrat Party, their legislators are trying
to message this like, oh my goodness, it's the faults
of all our federal congressmen who are Republicans in the
Trump administration. They forced us to have a budget shortfall
in Colorado. Like polling actually shows that the majority of
Colorados think our budget problems are the states problems and
(28:26):
not the federal government's problems, and I think the Democrats
have probably seen that polling and realize that they are
actually in a rough spot right now. People don't agree
with the way they're pitching this, and so they're trying real,
real hard to convince people that, you know, it's these
congressmen and women's faults, not our faults, like we haven't overspent.
I will say one of that, one of the Democrats,
(28:47):
Representative Bob Marshall, who represents Highland's Ranch, the only Democrat
in Douglas County well and the.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Only Democrat there. I they really liked.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
The Democrat in Douglas County was a little more honest
than a lot of his other colleagues. He objects to
the overspending narrative that the Republicans have, but he's like,
but you know what, there's a kernel of truth in.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
The fact that we have over budgeted.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
There probably are programs that we've created and the bill's
gonna come do and we can't pay it all. So,
I mean, that's a little bit of honesty. So however
you want to frame it, over budgeting over spending. They've
committed to paying way too much taxpayer money on their
pet projects and pet programs that they can't afford, and
that's the mess they've gotten into. They want to blame
the federal government, but actually voters aren't buying it, which
(29:28):
is a good thing because I think voters in Colorado
actually tend to side with conservatives on economic issues. They'd
rather have money in their own pockets rather than see
the government collect more money.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
And that's one of the most important.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Questions to ask with his one point two billion dollars shortfall,
the eight hundred million in raised revenue or cuts that
the state is trying to go after right now, Like,
what is that one point two billion dollars? It didn't
just evaporate, it's not lost. It actually tax cuts that
went into the pockets of people and the businesses that
employ them. So it's really really important to remember it
went to people instead of the gu government, and that
(30:00):
is a good thing that most Colorados actually agree with.
I'm looking at some of the texts coming in this
one Texter says they just checked and thirty seven percent
of their yearly income is overtime, which is taxed at
a much higher rate. And I think this was in response.
I appreciate you sharing that comment. I think This was
in response to some Dems on the committee who killed
(30:22):
the bill to stop taxing overtime, make it go to
the voters if you want to increase taxes. This was
a bill run by representative for US but Lisa who
joined us on the show, and several other really great legislators.
The Democrats excuse in not voting for this on committee was, well,
cutting taxes on overtime won't really help these families anyway.
I think they said it would give them like about
sixty three dollars. A piece like that is an elitist,
(30:46):
lappable excuse to think that you can sit in Denver
and say we don't think you need that tax break.
You don't need that money, and it's probably only sixty
three dollars, Like, who were they to do they really
calculated how much people get in overtime?
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I guarantee you they haven't.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
That's part of their problem is they don't know how
to handle numbers and how to do calculations. So what
an elitist excuse to kill a doll like that and
decide to tax people on overtime anyway? But thank you
for the texture that is obviously saying hey, I experienced.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
This myself, and that's not a good excuse. It's not
even real.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
We're also talking about wolves and have a question here.
So the wolf fore introduction was fulfilled with criminal wolves
that were released with no bond, A great way to
say it, And yeah, that's absolutely true. And not all
the wolves that have been brought to Colorado, but a
number of them came from states in Canada that wanted
to get rid of them because they were praying on cows, sheep, livestock,
(31:40):
and for whatever reason, the people bringing them.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
To Colorado, we're like, great, let's take them here.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
And then those wolves ended up doing the exact same
thing in Colorado and now for the most part, are
dead because the state has the right actually to kill
them if they continue to pray on cows and livestock.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
So great strategy there.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Let's go ahead and spend millions of dollars bring wolves
to Colorado that we're just gonna end up killing anyway
because they kill rancher's cows, and then we have to
kill the wolves we paid for and then also pay
the rancher for the cows that got killed.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Like what a great plan. So anyway, that's that's.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Where we are more illustration that the current people in
charge of the government really don't know how to handle
numbers or the budget, and they're definitely overspending, miss mismanaging
the budget and over budgeting. So I'm Christy Burton Brown.
You're on the Dan Kapla show. You can call in
anytime with your thoughts three zero three seven one three
eight two five five or text your thoughts to five
(32:30):
seven seven three nine and send them to dan more Tech.
Someone saying I'll take every sixty three dollars that I
can get, and if that isn't the truth, because Colorado
is now the third most expensive state in the nation
for cost of living. These rankings came out with CNBC.
They're ranking a lot of business related aspects of different states,
And yeah, Colorado's forty seventh worst state in the nation
(32:54):
when it comes to cost of living, which means we're
the third most expensive state. So yeah, I mean sixty
three dollars puts food on your table. Three dollars can
fill up a gas tank like that actually does matter
for working families here in Colorado. So even if the
Democrats calculations were right, who are they to say that
doesn't make a difference for working families that are barely
making ends meet here in Colorado.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
And let's see it. Here's another one.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Has anyone tried to introduce a bill to prevent raising
taxes or sorry, raising fees which are just taxes in disguise.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I think someone should do that. Well, you were actually
talking to the right person.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
So in my other life, I work as the executive
vice president for Advanced Colorado and that is one of
our ballot measures that we've gotten cleared through Title Board.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Still working on it actually right now.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And it would actually define fees in the Colorado Constitution
and say that fees basically stop exactly what you're doing.
It would stop the legislature from using fees as just
another way to tax people, and it would say that
fees actually have to be you're actually paying for a
service that you're using. That's what a fee is, and
then the proportion that you're paying is equal to the
(33:58):
amounts of the service that you're actually you ing. It's
obviously worded and better legally is than I'm saying. But
that's the concepts. And if it doesn't fit that definition
and you want to call it a fee, at the
legislature it's actually.
Speaker 3 (34:09):
A tax and that people get to vote on it.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
And what our ballot measure would also do is say
that if it is a fee and it raises over
one hundred million in the first five years, then voters
get to approve that too, because that's also just another
way of raising revenue for the state. And the spirit
of tabor the taxpayer's bill of rights is that you
get to vote on it and the government can't just
start charging you all this extra money just because they
feel like it. So that is a ballot measure we're
(34:33):
pursuing at Advanced Colorado. If you want to find out
more about our work and go to Advanced Colorado dot org.
We run a lot of ballot measures through title Board
on a number of public safety ones as well. Which
speaking of Colorado's rankings, the US Using World Report said
that we are the second most dangerous state in the nation.
Last year, we're the third most dangerous state in the nation.
So we're falling on so many levels. And this is
(34:56):
all while you know, our governor says.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Let's become one of the top ten safest states.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Well, buddy, we have a long way to go, and
none of his policies are making it any better. And
there were some issues he should have brought in special
session if he wanted to solve that, but he declined
to do it. We'll see what happens next session. I
wouldn't hold my breath. I think the ballot is probably
where we're going to solve these public safety issues.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
I'm Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dan Kapli Show.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
I see we probably have a caller in the next segment,
but you should call into Free zero three seven, one
three eight two five five. We'll keep talking about Special
Session book Free introduction. I have an amazing case that
the Lines of Any Freedom is bringing against Colorado when
we come back
This is Dan Kaplis and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Dan Kaplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown
in for Dan today. Very happy to be with you
all on the first day of Colorado's fourth special session
in as many years. A lot of people saying they
really shouldn't be called special or extraordinary sessions anymore if
we're going to have them every single year. Democrats trying
very very very hard to pitch this session as necessary
(00:39):
only because of the Trump administration. The Republicans in Congress,
like Congressman Gabe Evans, Congresswoman Lauren Bobert, Congressman Jeff Crank,
Congressman Jeff Heard, those are the ones they've put on
a flyer they're spreading around the state and saying it's
all their fault that Colorado needs a special session because
they cost Colorado's one point two billion dollars in a
(00:59):
budget hole.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, part of why, the part of the way you
can tell.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
This is a false and narrative is because the Democrats
are trying so.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Hard to pitch it.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
In fact, they're going on a literal travel journey across
the state of Colorado, in the little towns and in
big towns, the whole town halls solely for the purpose
of blaming Republicans at the federal level for a one
point two billion dollar budget shortfall, according to them. I
actually went to one of these town halls because they
were holding one in my hometown. There was actually a
(01:31):
very Republican district, but they wanted to come there, so I.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Figured I would go see how they were pitching.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It, even though of course I've seen it all over
social media, but always interesting to hear in person. And
so the state representative that was speaking at the town
hall I went to, he had a huge.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Problem with how Republicans are pitching it.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
He said, Republicans are saying we have the one point
two billion dollars shortfall here in Colorado because the Democrats
have a spending problem. He's like, this makes me so
mad that they say we have a spending problem. This
is not a spending problem. And then as he kept
talking and he's like, I mean it might be fair
to say that we over budgeted, but you can't say
we've overspent because of the taper cap. And you went
into all the technicalities. But if you over budget and
(02:11):
you over promised that you were going to deliver on
and pay for programs that are going to come to
and you don't have the money to pay for them,
that is just another way to overspend, overbudget, overspend.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Democrats have severely mismanaged the budget in Colorado and that
is the real reason that we have yet another special session.
It started at the capital today and if you really
want to look at the causes, it's here's what happened.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
A few years ago.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
We had three point six billion dollar surplus in the
state of Colorado. You probably remember it because you got
a taper check in the mail, and TABOR at taxpayers
Bill of Rights requires the government to send you back
money over if they collect over the amount that they're
allowed to keep, and they're allowed to increase it every
year by inflation plus population like that. That's the TABOR
(02:59):
increase that's allowed. But they had a three point six
billion dollars surplus and now they have nothing to show
for it. So they are masters of mismanagement of the budget.
They can't get around the fact that they blew a surplus,
that the state budget has grown fifty percent in seven years.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
The state budget is forty four billion.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Dollars and just a few years ago is only nineteen
billion dollars, like they have a ton of money. And
some of them, the more honest liberals in the legislature
will acknowledge that when the state received COVID funds and
extra federal funding around twenty twenty twenty twenty one, they
committed it to all these programs that they can't fund.
(03:43):
Once that money goes away to programs that have ballooned
in cost, and now the bill is coming due and
they can't pay for it.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
And so the easier narrative for them instead of.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Admitting that and talking about the surplus they blew and
talking about the fifty percent growth in the state budget,
the size of the state budget forty four billion dollars,
All they're having to cut is three percent of that
budget down at the Capitol, and they're, you know, whining
and crying like it's the end of the world and
blaming federal Republicans for it. But that is a much
easier narrative than saying, you know what, we have mismanaged
the budget. We did over budget, We misspent federal funds
(04:16):
that really weren't designed for that purpose. We've promised voters
we'd only spend X amount on a project, but.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Really the cost is ballooned and it's way more than
we can afford.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
They don't want to admit any of that, so instead
they are saying that is all the fault of Congressional
Republicans and President Trump. But I think it's really important
to look at this one point two billion dollar budget
shortfall that they're talking about the special session. Now they
technically they have to go in and cut or find
about eight hundred million dollars. There's technicalities that make it,
(04:47):
you know, eight hundred million instead of the full one
point two billion dollars. But where did that one point
two billion dollars go? Like, it didn't just evaporate, it
didn't just get lost. It is going into the pockets
of taxpayers and the businesses that employ taxpayers. That's where
it's going instead of going to the state government of Colorado.
(05:08):
And when you look across the state of Colorado, over
seventy percent of people support the taxpayer Bill of Rights,
which includes the right to a vote on tax increases
before the government imposes them on you, and b you
get those refunds. Like, that's a very Colorado thing to say, hey,
put the money in our pocket instead of back to
the government. It's not necessarily a Republican Democrat unaffiliated only thing.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
It's everyone altogether. A very Colorado thing.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
So for the liberals to run the legislature to think
that everyone else is you know, identifying with them across
the state of Colorado and being like, oh, my goodness,
the poor state government that's missing a one point two
billion dollars. No people are saying, I'm glad it's going
in my pocket. I'm glad it's going to the business
that employs me. So my job stays here in Colorado.
CNBC recently released all this ranking of states around the
(05:56):
nation on different business rankings.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Cost of living.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Colorado has fallen to the forty seventh forty seventh in
the nation on cost of living. That means we're the
third most expensive state in the entire nation. And I
think that shocks exactly no one who lives here. And
so when you consider that the cost of the cost
to live here, whether it be healthcare, whether it be
your mortgage payments, the food bill, when you go to
(06:21):
the grocery store, putting gas in your car. Colorado is
the third most expensive state forty seventh worst when it
comes to cost of living. And how many families across
Colorado have sat down over the last couple of years
and had to cut three percent from their spending budgets
to make it work with the levels of inflation in
our state. But the liberals and the legislature who control
(06:43):
the government right now want to complain about being asked
to go cut three percent because people got that money
back instead of it going to the government.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That illustrates for you exactly who.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Is running our state government and the fact that they
want to wine that they actually have to come back
to Denver to solve this.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
That's your job.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I actually know our legislators don't get paid that much
money comparatively to other states, but it's still your job.
You ran, you got elected. Sometimes you have to come
back and do some work. But I really find the
disturbing that the leaders in charge aren't acknowledging what this
one point two billion dollars is. It is a tax
cut in HR one, this big beautiful bill that they
passed at the federal level.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
It is the biggest national tax cut in history.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It increased the child tax credit by thousands of dollars.
It instituted a tax cut actually tax exemption for overtime
wages and tip wages, specifically helping working families and actually
lower income families.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
That specifically who is helped by this federal bill.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
And conveniently the narrative you're in Colorado as well, let's
not really just talk about that. Let's just say the
government here is missing money. Yeah, anytime government's missing money,
ask where it went and if it went to the people, specifically, it.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Went to working people here in Colorado.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
That's always a good thing because people hear what money
their pockets rather than going to the government. So anyway,
that's a little bit of a preview on what you know,
the reason behind special session. If you had heard the
legislatures back in session and didn't really.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Know why, that's why they're there.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
And Governor Polis proposed this whole list of what they
need to do, and I think we're about to take
a break. But I do think one thing we should
know is they're using a code for tax increases and
calling it raising revenue.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Like we're going to raise revenue on businesses.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
In the special session, he had a whole list of
bills that he wants to pass to charge businesses more money,
take away their deductions, change tax policy, increase their taxes, like,
that's what you're doing when you're raising revenue as a state.
You are increasing taxes, and they're attempting to do it
on a lot of small businesses, a lot of businesses
that keep people's jobs here in Colorado, and jobs and
businesses are already leaving Colorado. We are not high in
(08:48):
the business friendliness rankings across the nation. You can see
this in Denver, you can see this across the state,
and is because the policy is being passed at the
capitol and now during special session. Instead of cutting their
own budgets, maybe like a five percent across the board
cut in state departments, no, let's go ahead and raise
taxes on businesses.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
That's their goal. So you can look for a whole
lot of bills that are going.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
To do that.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
When we come back after the break, I'm gonna talk
about a new Woolf reintroduction bill that actually just passed
out of committee today. Is one of the first bills
to pass out of committee in the special Session. Think
you'll be very interested in it if you think the
wolf Re introduction in Colorado has been a complete mess.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Keep it here on the Dan Kapla Show and text
your thoughts to five seven seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Start it with Dan, and now.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Back to the Dan Taplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Welcome back to the Dan Tapley Show.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
I'm Christy Burton Brown and for Dan today, but got
a comment over the break, And by the way, you
can always send in your own comments. You can text
them and start it with Dan texted to five seven
seven three nine, or you can call in three zero
three seven one three eight two five five and share
your thoughts, ask your questions about special Session if you
want to know what's going on. I'm definitely definitely watching it,
(09:56):
so happy to fill you in on more information.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
But here's the comment we got.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I think that the Liberals have most of their low
information voters believing that Tabor is the enemy of everything
that needs to be free.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
I'm half tempted to.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Give them five years to keep it and then we
can say it's definitely not Tabor, it's you. Well, your
final statement is definitely right. It is not Tabor the
Taxpayer Bill of Rights. It is definitely the liberals instead
and how they're spending. But I think the worry, and
I'm sure this is just you know, said in jests,
sort of sarcastically, but the worry about giving them five
years to keep it is I would be a change
(10:29):
to our constitution. For anyone who doesn't know, and I
bet this Texter does know, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights
is in our constitution and it caps the legislature's ability
to spend.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
It gives us the right to vote on.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Tax increases and returns money to us when the legislature
collects too much. So I think you'd be a little
too risky to give it to them at all ever,
even though it might prove the point, but they'd spend
us high and dry, So I think we probably can't
do that. I think I am hearing that we have
a guest on the phone straight from the Legislature, which
(10:58):
is a actually big tree for us today to hear
a real time update on the special session.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
What's going on.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
We have House Minority Leader Rose POLICI a great representative
and a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Welcome to the dan Kapla Show.
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Oh thanks so much, Christy. I'm so glad to be
on with you. Thank you for the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Oh yes, thank you for taking the time. Can you
fill us in on what's going on in this first
day of the special session?
Speaker 6 (11:24):
Yeah, two interesting updates. Probably not surprising for any of
your listeners, but.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
You know, maybe so.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
In our opening remarks, the Speaker basically blamed the whole
special session on HR one and the acts of Congress
and Republicans to hurt the budget and to create this
budget shortfall. I was able to go up on behalf
of our caucus and talk about what I would say
(11:55):
is the truth. Right, we were already in a budget hole.
We fixed a budget hole last session not by cutting,
not by finding efficiencies in government, but by using one
time funds. So we knew this was coming. The DBC
had a forecast on June eighteenth, before the Big Beautiful
(12:15):
Bill or HR one was even signed into law, that
said they were predicting for twenty twenty six that we
would be seven hundred million in a deficit. And I
want your listeners to know because the Democrats love to
save us. But it's not completely accurate, and that is
(12:37):
that we have a balanced budget and then it's balanced
all year. It is not. The budget only needs to
be balanced when the governor signs the long ago into
the law and then when supplemental has happened. Those are
the only two times. So we are already out of balance,
and that is because we are spending more than we're
taking in. And so how do they want to fix
(12:58):
the problem. Democrats want to put it on the backs
of our hard work in Colorado continue to find ways
to tax things like overtime. So my bill was Representative Calswell,
Senator Kirkmeyer, and Senator Byron Pelton would have exempted over
time taxes on overtime at the state level. And you
(13:22):
know the Democrats and committee party line vote killed up
bill and committee that bill also helped protect the tax
parabilla rights. I know you all are super familiar with
this issue, but it basically says, if you're going to
change tax policy per the Constitution, it has to go
to vote to the people, and that is not happening.
And so you know, the Democrats were very strong about
(13:45):
this is all HR one fault, which it's not, and
that it's not actually really cost savings to the keep
the hardworking people of Colorado. It was a really interesting committee.
And obviously they do not support the tax payer Bill
of Rights, and so anything that would require the people
to actually get to vote on tax increases or whether
(14:07):
you're entitled to their tax money cannot happen in this legislature.
So our bill died. Most of the Republican bills I
just got an update right before for this call. Most
of our bills are have died. We have a few
left that are still going through committee. That apparently Republican
solutions are not allowed at a special session.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Well, probably because they cut the budget or in cut
state spending instead of raising revenue on businesses, which I
think i've heard is the governor's goal in this special session.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Can I yeah the wait?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah? Yeah, Well, I just wanted to ask you, and
we're talking to House Minority Leader Rose Puglici.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
So when they killed your bill that would have stopped.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Them from taxing over time, which was like, those are
working families, the ones they say they support here in Colorado.
Did they give any reasoning as to why they didn't,
Why they wanted to continue to tax working families.
Speaker 6 (15:03):
There was some calculation it was like sixty three dollars,
Like it's only going to save people sixty three dollars.
So basically it wasn't worth it, and that there's bigger
tax policy that needs to be discussed. I mean, things
that weren't in the bill.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
The bill basically said, if you're going to change tax policy,
you have to follow a constitution under the Tax payabill
of Rights, which says it goes to a vote to
the people. And by the way, we're not going to
tax over time without a vote of the people. And
they said, no, it's not actually helping those families. And
then they continue to talk about things that were completely
outside of the bill. Despite work cult, we really did
(15:40):
an amazing job. And then you know, I got to
fill in some gaps, but he really took lead on this.
But you know, we kept trying to direct them to
the bill in front of us. That is not in
our bill. That is not in our bill. HR one
didn't do this. You did this, right, But yeah, it's
it's been really interesting. And then as you were saying,
like taxing business is more I mean, obviously we're going
(16:02):
to get more economic development and more businesses moving to
this community or staying in our communities when we tax
them more, the logics will little bit off.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
No, it's definitely true and representative Fulglaci. We have about
two minutes left, so I'm curious, are there any bills
that have made it through committee that you think people
should really be paying attention to.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
So I would have a better update. I think I'm
going to be back on tomorrow with Hyati as my
understanding or someone on the show tomorrow, because they're still
going through committee, so I don't have a great update.
I know we still have a few more bills that
are alive for now that are going through committee still,
so I think it'll be better to assess tomorrow morning
(16:46):
as to where we all ended up on bills.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Make sense? No, that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yes, we should keep definitely having you so you can
give us updates. Really appreciate you taking that time. How
many days do you expect the special session to go?
Or is this too early to say that?
Speaker 6 (17:02):
I think it really just depends on I mean we
anticipated as in prior special sessions that we've ditten already,
like kind of have bills like property taks the second time,
but I feel like this is going to be like
property taks the first time. The Democrats bills go through
for the most part, Republican bills all die and then
we debate them on the floor. I think part of
(17:24):
the issue and really ascertaining how long we're going to
be here is based on, you know, how much we
talk on the floor and how long we get to
talk before they shut us down. That's what I anticipate
will happen. So it could be a shorter session if
we're not actually allowed to exercise our constitutional rights to
(17:44):
represent our people as representatives in the state. So to
be seen, I guess is what I would say. Bills
will be on the floor tomorrow, will start debate tomorrow.
And don't believe those rumors that the Democrats have put
out that we get to go to this state fair
only if Republicans allow us. Basically, what they want us
to do is self silence, which we will not do.
(18:08):
As much as we would all love to go to
the fair. We didn't schedule this special session. We don't
think this special session is needed. It is premature, and
that's called squarely on the governor and on how Democrat leadership.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Thank you for clarifying that truth. We so appreciate having
you on the Dan capless Show. Representative pug Leci, thank
you for your time.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Thank you. All right, that was House Minority Leader Rose Puglici.
She's going to continue to join.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
The show and provide updates through the special Session. I'm
Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dankpla Show. And we
just got an update on some of the bills that died,
some that are still there.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
And we come back.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
We will cover the wolf reintroduction bill that made it
through committee but not sure if it will.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
Pass or not. You're listening to the Dan Kapliss Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You're on the Dan Caplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Welcome back. If you missed the last segment, we talked
to House Minority Leader Rose Puglicy live from the Capital
on the first day of special Session, and as a
surprise to no one who's listening, most of the Republican
bills have gotten killed in committee at this point on
the first day, according to Representative Publici. And these were
(19:15):
bills with real solutions, saying hey, if we have to
cut eight hundred million dollars to fix this supposedly one
point two billion dollars shortfall in the Colorado budget.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Like, let's actually.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Cut let's cut spending, let's stop programs that have been overbudgeted.
But instead, because the Democrats have zero interest in that,
and instead they would rather raise revenue, in other words,
increased taxes on businesses, they are rejecting these, you know,
well thought out common sense plans. Even something is common
sense as continuing to stop taxing overtime and all these
(19:46):
you know, liberals say that they support working families, want
to give them an easier break. But according to Representative
Publicy in committee, the Democrats just said that cutting taxes
on overtime wouldn't really help these families. It's a very
interesting an elitist position to take. Oh, cutting your taxes
on the overtime pay you make wouldn't really help you.
(20:07):
We can decide that from our elite seat in Denver.
I think that's actually a highly ridiculous reason.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
But what else do you expect, Nerama?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Do you want to talk about one unusual bill that so
far has passed through Senate Committee on a vote of
four to one. It is a bipartisan bill attempting to
change the wolf reintroduction. That's an issue here in Colorado.
If you are Colorado and you've heard about woof re introduction,
you had to vote on it on the ballot a
few years ago, and by a very very small margin,
voters did approve a wolf reintroduction plan. Now, typically when
(20:36):
voters passed something on the ballot, most people would say,
you should respect the will of the voters and continue
to carry it out. I think there's some interesting factors
at play with a woof reintroduction plan. There was not
an accurate explanation of how this ballot measure would actually
work out. People voted on something that wasn't fully explained.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
For example, the Blue.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Book that's what you get in the mail before every election,
explaining like the fifth impacts and the details the statsatory
language or constitutional language of every ballot measure you're voting on.
It does provide voters with a lot of information, and
polling has proved that a very big majority of Colorado's
actually read the Blue Book before they vote. And so
the blue Book on the wolf reintroduction ballot measure estimated
that it would cost eight hundred thousand dollars that's what
(21:18):
voters thought, eight hundred thousand dollars to bring wolves back
to Colorado.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Okay, well, so far we.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Have spent three point five million dollars on woof ray introduction,
well beyond what voters were promised.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
And of the twenty five wolves.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
That have currently been brought to Colorado, seven of them
have died or been killed on purpose and some by
state officials because they continue to prey on cattle, sheep, dogs,
other domesticated animals, and that's part of the deals they
continue to do that you can go ahead and kill them.
But a lot of this money is going to pay ranchers,
which is the state is obligated to do when their
(21:53):
livestock is killed by wolves, like it's happening so frequently
that the state is having to pay tons of money
to help the farmers and ranchers recover their costs, and
that's one of the reasons the cost has ballooned.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Well.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
The way the state has carried this wolf reintroduction program
out is absolute ridiculous. They specifically got wolves that were
known to prey on livestock from other states or from Canada,
like they were getting the worst wolves that other states
didn't want to keep and bringing them here to Colorado, Like,
what do you think is gonna happen?
Speaker 3 (22:24):
They're gonna just show.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Up in Colorado and be like, oh, we no longer
like how cow's taste? Like that just makes zero common
sense whatsoever. So high degree of mismanagement by the state
on this wolf reintroduction program. And so because of all that,
a bipartisan group of legislators who come from the area
of the state where the wolves were released, to include
Senator Dylan Roberts, I think Senator Mark Catlin. I'm not
(22:48):
gonna say the other two because I might have their
names wrong, but it was two other Democrat representatives who
jumped on.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
This bill and sponsored it.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
And what they originally wanted to do is actually stop
the reintroduction of wolves and say, hey, we've introduced enough,
you need to stop and redirect the funds allocated to
that to the health insurance program here in Colorado, which
is having less money this budgetary year. And so apparently,
according to the news, they reached some deal with the
Governor's office. Governor's office was very upset at their bill,
(23:14):
most likely because of the governor's partner, Merlyn Reese who's
a big wildlife activist. And so apparently the bill did
redirect two hundred and sixty four thousand of the two
point one million dollars budgeted for the Wolof free introduction
program this year. That's all they could get the Governor's
office to agree to, apparently, and it didn't stop the
(23:35):
continuation of woof free introduction.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
It's at least some adjustment, a little bit less money.
Hopefully that means less wolves will be brought to Colorado.
But cutting only two hundred and sixty four thousand out
of two point one million, I don't think is what
they originally envisioned in this bill. They actually wanted to
stop the wolves from coming to their area of the
state because the huge problem it's causing and the cost
of tax payers.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
But it is.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
It is something I guess in the direction of take
you money away from a very very failed Wolfer introduction program.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
So that's where that stands right now.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
We'll see how it makes its way through the Senate
and then it has to get through the House as well.
I'm Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dan Kapla show.
You can text your thoughts anytime to five seven, seven,
three nine. Start it with Dan. I can answer your
questions about the special session. We can talk more about it.
You also can call in if you have thoughts. Three
zero three seven one three eight two five five is
(24:26):
the number. There's actually ooh, I have a caller from
Jennifer from Denver. I'm gonna go ahead and take you
on the dan Capla show right now. We have three
minutes until I have to take a break, So Jennifer,
welcome to the dan Capla Show.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
Well, thank you, but I have so much to say
KBB okay.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Well great yet start rolling.
Speaker 4 (24:47):
Listen about about this wolf bill. I was calling in
as you were doing the update. Did they take out
the pause to the program out of the bill?
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (24:57):
I think the governor was going to veto it. I
fated that.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
Yeah, he was threatening to viewto it. And I'm sad
to hear that because I think I attended two meetings
actually last night in regards to wolves. One of them
was an activist group and they're very concerned about the
legislation and they're going to be testifying in full force.
They believe that if it's paused that the wolf population
will actually die off. They will not continue to reproduce
(25:24):
because they don't they're not given to inbreeding and whatnot.
And I asked one of the women that was holding
this meeting, and I said, when that makes sense to
pause the program and then get everybody on the same
page as to solutions about managing these wolves and slow
down the reintroduction. I mean, the argument is that people
(25:48):
voted for this, so we're stuck with them. Well, we
certainly can improve what's going on, and the wolf advocates
aren't any happier with the management than the ranchers are,
so something clearly has to be done.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Jennifer, you make a good point is there's people across
the spectrum who are unhappy with it, because the people
who wanted the wolves here aren't happy that seven out
of twenty five of them have died or been killed,
like that's not a good rate. And so I think
you're right too that even though in general I agree
with the idea that we should respect the will of
the voters, voters didn't didn't vote on an exact reintroduction plan.
(26:21):
They didn't vote on exactly how the states implementing it.
They didn't vote on a three times greater spending, and
so I think that would be your eyes.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
You're on percent.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
What they voted on was wolves on the ground by
twenty twenty three and that there would be a management plan. Yeah,
not a lot of details there. Then all of a sudden,
we're seeing population goals that we can't even manage thirty wolves,
let alone seven hundred and fifty. Right, So, yeah, there
has to be a plause to this program. And what
I would say to the governor I wish he was
(26:52):
listening right now, is that you say, you don't want
to stop the will of the people, but Taber is
the will of the people. Sure try to stop that.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Oh yeah, no, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I mean even with a special session, like we were
talking a little bit earlier on the show, they're trying
to raise revenue code word for increased taxes on businesses,
which you cannot do. You're cannot change tax policy in
the same year without violating TABOR, and so you won't
see it anyway.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
And that's you're exactly right, Jennifer. So I'm about to
take a break. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
The people.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
That's pretty much how he operates, all right, Jennifer, Thanks
for being on the Dan kaplan Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Please call in if you have thoughts to share three
zero three seven one three eight two five five or
text your thoughts to five seven seven three nine.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Start it with Dan and keep it here on the
Dan Capla Show.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
And now back to the Dan Kaplas Show podcast.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
Welcome back to the Dan Taplas Show. I'm Christy Burton Brown.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
We've been talking about this special session that just started today,
as many people are saying, or the session is really
special anymore when you have I believe four of them
in the last four years.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
This one called well.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Well, it should be called to cut the state budget,
but instead the governor called to raise revenue on businesses
to fill.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
The budget hole.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
And I think we talked in the first segment about
how hard the Democrats, Democrat Party, their legislators are trying
to message this like, oh my goodness, it's the faults
of all our federal congressmen who are Republicans in the
Trump administration. They forced us to have a budget shortfall
in Colorado. Like polling actually shows that the majority of
Colorados think our budget problems are the states problems and
(28:26):
not the federal government's problems, and I think the Democrats
have probably seen that polling and realize that they are
actually in a rough spot right now. People don't agree
with the way they're pitching this, and so they're trying real,
real hard to convince people that, you know, it's these
congressmen and women's faults, not our faults, like we haven't overspent.
I will say one of that, one of the Democrats,
(28:47):
Representative Bob Marshall, who represents Highland's Ranch, the only Democrat
in Douglas County well and the.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Only Democrat there. I they really liked.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
The Democrat in Douglas County was a little more honest
than a lot of his other colleagues. He objects to
the overspending narrative that the Republicans have, but he's like,
but you know what, there's a kernel of truth in.
Speaker 3 (29:04):
The fact that we have over budgeted.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
There probably are programs that we've created and the bill's
gonna come do and we can't pay it all. So,
I mean, that's a little bit of honesty. So however
you want to frame it, over budgeting over spending. They've
committed to paying way too much taxpayer money on their
pet projects and pet programs that they can't afford, and
that's the mess they've gotten into. They want to blame
the federal government, but actually voters aren't buying it, which
(29:28):
is a good thing because I think voters in Colorado
actually tend to side with conservatives on economic issues. They'd
rather have money in their own pockets rather than see
the government collect more money.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
And that's one of the most important.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Questions to ask with his one point two billion dollars shortfall,
the eight hundred million in raised revenue or cuts that
the state is trying to go after right now, Like,
what is that one point two billion dollars? It didn't
just evaporate, it's not lost. It actually tax cuts that
went into the pockets of people and the businesses that
employ them. So it's really really important to remember it
went to people instead of the gu government, and that
(30:00):
is a good thing that most Colorados actually agree with.
I'm looking at some of the texts coming in this
one Texter says they just checked and thirty seven percent
of their yearly income is overtime, which is taxed at
a much higher rate. And I think this was in response.
I appreciate you sharing that comment. I think This was
in response to some Dems on the committee who killed
(30:22):
the bill to stop taxing overtime, make it go to
the voters if you want to increase taxes. This was
a bill run by representative for US but Lisa who
joined us on the show, and several other really great legislators.
The Democrats excuse in not voting for this on committee was, well,
cutting taxes on overtime won't really help these families anyway.
I think they said it would give them like about
sixty three dollars. A piece like that is an elitist,
(30:46):
lappable excuse to think that you can sit in Denver
and say we don't think you need that tax break.
You don't need that money, and it's probably only sixty
three dollars, Like, who were they to do they really
calculated how much people get in overtime?
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I guarantee you they haven't.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
That's part of their problem is they don't know how
to handle numbers and how to do calculations. So what
an elitist excuse to kill a doll like that and
decide to tax people on overtime anyway? But thank you
for the texture that is obviously saying hey, I experienced.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
This myself, and that's not a good excuse. It's not
even real.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
We're also talking about wolves and have a question here.
So the wolf fore introduction was fulfilled with criminal wolves
that were released with no bond, A great way to
say it, And yeah, that's absolutely true. And not all
the wolves that have been brought to Colorado, but a
number of them came from states in Canada that wanted
to get rid of them because they were praying on cows, sheep, livestock,
(31:40):
and for whatever reason, the people bringing them.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
To Colorado, we're like, great, let's take them here.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
And then those wolves ended up doing the exact same
thing in Colorado and now for the most part, are
dead because the state has the right actually to kill
them if they continue to pray on cows and livestock.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
So great strategy there.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
Let's go ahead and spend millions of dollars bring wolves
to Colorado that we're just gonna end up killing anyway
because they kill rancher's cows, and then we have to
kill the wolves we paid for and then also pay
the rancher for the cows that got killed.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Like what a great plan. So anyway, that's that's.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Where we are more illustration that the current people in
charge of the government really don't know how to handle
numbers or the budget, and they're definitely overspending, miss mismanaging
the budget and over budgeting. So I'm Christy Burton Brown.
You're on the Dan Kapla show. You can call in
anytime with your thoughts three zero three seven one three
eight two five five or text your thoughts to five
(32:30):
seven seven three nine and send them to dan more Tech.
Someone saying I'll take every sixty three dollars that I
can get, and if that isn't the truth, because Colorado
is now the third most expensive state in the nation
for cost of living. These rankings came out with CNBC.
They're ranking a lot of business related aspects of different states,
And yeah, Colorado's forty seventh worst state in the nation
(32:54):
when it comes to cost of living, which means we're
the third most expensive state. So yeah, I mean sixty
three dollars puts food on your table. Three dollars can
fill up a gas tank like that actually does matter
for working families here in Colorado. So even if the
Democrats calculations were right, who are they to say that
doesn't make a difference for working families that are barely
making ends meet here in Colorado.
Speaker 3 (33:12):
And let's see it. Here's another one.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Has anyone tried to introduce a bill to prevent raising
taxes or sorry, raising fees which are just taxes in disguise.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I think someone should do that. Well, you were actually
talking to the right person.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
So in my other life, I work as the executive
vice president for Advanced Colorado and that is one of
our ballot measures that we've gotten cleared through Title Board.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Still working on it actually right now.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
And it would actually define fees in the Colorado Constitution
and say that fees basically stop exactly what you're doing.
It would stop the legislature from using fees as just
another way to tax people, and it would say that
fees actually have to be you're actually paying for a
service that you're using. That's what a fee is, and
then the proportion that you're paying is equal to the
(33:58):
amounts of the service that you're actually you ing. It's
obviously worded and better legally is than I'm saying. But
that's the concepts. And if it doesn't fit that definition
and you want to call it a fee, at the
legislature it's actually.
Speaker 3 (34:09):
A tax and that people get to vote on it.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
And what our ballot measure would also do is say
that if it is a fee and it raises over
one hundred million in the first five years, then voters
get to approve that too, because that's also just another
way of raising revenue for the state. And the spirit
of tabor the taxpayer's bill of rights is that you
get to vote on it and the government can't just
start charging you all this extra money just because they
feel like it. So that is a ballot measure we're
(34:33):
pursuing at Advanced Colorado. If you want to find out
more about our work and go to Advanced Colorado dot org.
We run a lot of ballot measures through title Board
on a number of public safety ones as well. Which
speaking of Colorado's rankings, the US Using World Report said
that we are the second most dangerous state in the nation.
Last year, we're the third most dangerous state in the nation.
So we're falling on so many levels. And this is
(34:56):
all while you know, our governor says.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Let's become one of the top ten safest states.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Well, buddy, we have a long way to go, and
none of his policies are making it any better. And
there were some issues he should have brought in special
session if he wanted to solve that, but he declined
to do it. We'll see what happens next session. I
wouldn't hold my breath. I think the ballot is probably
where we're going to solve these public safety issues.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
I'm Christy Burton Brown. You're on the Dan Kapli Show.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
I see we probably have a caller in the next segment,
but you should call into Free zero three seven, one
three eight two five five. We'll keep talking about Special
Session book Free introduction. I have an amazing case that
the Lines of Any Freedom is bringing against Colorado when
we come back
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