Vacancy replacement process modified

Legislators got the message. When a vacancy occurs in a General Assembly seat, a replacement is currently appointed by a "vacancy committee" comprising party officers of a House District and precinct chairs. The number of these off-election appointments varies at any point in time, but recently, several GA seats have occurred within days and months of the November 2024 election, with House and Senate districts served by unelected legislators.

HB25-1315, Vacancies in the General Assembly, changes the format for selecting replacement legislators. Vacancy committees must have a minimum number of members. Seats filled from July of an even year to July of an odd year must be filled the following November by election.

The election will include unaffiliated voters and voters of the same party as the replacement legislator. Financial regulations apply to "vacancy contenders" to improve transparency by tracking and limiting contributions. Vacancy committee meetings must be livestreamed and recorded.

Caps on self-paying health care supports consumers

Self-paying health care consumers may request an estimate of the cost of their care. HB25-1317, Correct Error in Self-Pay Estimate Statute, places an overage limit on how much over the estimate a health care provider may charge for a service.

The adjustment may be no more than 15% of the estimate or $400, whichever is less. The cap does not apply if there's a medical emergency or other unforeseen event increasing the cost of care.

Colorado in the running as part of land swap for Greenland

President Donald Trump announced today that he wants to permanently control Greenland for its mineral resources and Arctic routes to protect us from Chinese and Russian incursions. Denmark currently holds Greenland as an "autonomous" territory. Greenland's position as a Danish colony was certified in the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 after the Napoleonic wars when Denmark, an ally of the loser France, ceded Norway to Sweden but managed to keep Greenland and Iceland as part of its kingdom.

Trump is offering Maine as a swap for Greenland. His idea is to get rid of a civil rights court case threatened by the Democratic Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, by handing over the former territory of the Massachusetts colony to the Danes. As an extra incentive to support his Maine for Greenland swap, Trump is considering adding Colorado to the mix because our state is taking civil rights stands similar to Maine's. Trump will simultaneously get total control of Arctic commerce and dump two blue states that could block his third race for US President.

If Colorado should become a colony of the Danish kingdom, we would also become Danish citizens and would have to learn Danish, as it's the official language of Denmark. We would, however, receive significant discounts on Swedish-owned Ikea products as the Swedes have a no-tariff agreement with Denmark.

Decisions as to the swaps of Greenland for Maine and possibly for Colorado should occur soon after April 1 when the proposal was first offered by the US. Trump expects Denmark's decision by tax day, April 15.