2021 Freedom Action Report Archive

It’s taken a little while to have all the right pieces in place to be able to send this email, but we sure are happy to be doing so.

Right now, a large group of Colorado State employees has formed and is making plans to fight back against Jared Polis’ unconstitutional vaccine mandate and serial testing requirements, including retaining an attorney to answer questions and pursue legal action.

If all goes according to plan, Governor Polis could have to legally defend his dictatorship.

Why does this matter?

Even with all the recent legal victories which have either banned, blocked or delayed President Biden’s vaccine mandate, the mandate put in place by Governor Polis for Colorado State Employees has not been officially challenged.

This means those who are employed by the State of Colorado are still required to be vaccinated or undergo near-constant testing to hopefully produce negative test results.

It’s silly really, but then again, most of the government response to this so-called pandemic has been.

With more cases being recorded this week of the Omicron variant in vaccinated than unvaccinated people, one might thing that maybe Polis should be testing the vaccinated employees instead. (Sorry, let’s not give him any ideas)

With Polis up for re-election next year, a lawsuit against him is probably not the type of press he is looking for.

Getting him to walk back the mandate is the ultimate goal.

Next Step?

If you are a State Employee, your next step is simple:

Fill out this form to be put in contact with the group who is putting their foot down and telling Polis “no more”.

No matter what, your names will remain confidential.

If you are not a State Employee, but know someone who is, please forward them this email or direct them to our social media page where they can sign up or learn more.

The Legal Battle

When we first announced this opportunity for employees to work together and fight back last week, the amount of new interest more than doubled the size of the already-organized group.

These folks have also retained an attorney to answer questions and lay the groundwork for a massive lawsuit against Governor Polis.

And thanks to those of you who are monthly donors to our legal arm, The Freedom Defense Fund, Colorado Freedom Force was able to step forward and pledge financial support to help these patriots out.

If you want to assist in the legal fight and help sue polis, you can support the Freedom Defense Fund here:

Enjoy your holidays!

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS- After being almost completely banned last year from Facebook, CFF’s page has roared back as a useful tool for sharing important information and organizing the grassroots of Colorado.

We are only a few followers away from reaching 10,000, so please if you aren’t already following our page, do so right now here:

The tides could very well be turning in our favor here in Colorado, but only time will tell.

These recent elections showed true promise in certain parts of the state, but also highlighted areas where more citizens will need to take a stand if we want less tyranny and more pro-freedom victories.

That rings especially true for statewide ballots, whether it be candidates or ballot initiatives.

There’s just one, big problem.

The majority of Colorado’s current Legislative body has virtually no regard whatsoever for the will of the voters, including even those more moderate voters of their own party.

So if we are going to win, and keep winning, we will all have to have a plan.

Problem is… it has to be a secret plan.

Why the Secrets?

When Proposition 120 received 57% “NO” on this year’s ballot, the real blame should have been handed to Colorado Legislators.

As originally written, it was a good idea. The initiative would have lowered property tax rates for nearly all Coloradans.

But after SB21-293 passed and was signed into law by Governor Polis, the initiative ended up being rather confusing, and would have granted those rate reductions to only a select few (barring a legal fight, or course).

The real mistake the proponents of the measure made was in their timing.

You see, signatures were gathered and the initiative was approved for the ballot before the Legislature adjourned, which gave politicians the opportunity to undermine the potential new law before We The People could even vote on it.

This is similar to the games played with “fees” and the breaking down the categories of fees so TABOR could still be ignored.

Fact is, those in the majority right now simply do not care what you think or what you want.

Strategy 1:

As stated numerous times, the newly drawn legislative districts create a very unique opportunity in Colorado, and freedom fighters can and will really shake things up next fall if we’re willing to put in the work and the cash.

In several races, incumbents will be pitted against each other, and in others, races are now considered to be “open” since their former representative is no longer a resident.

So, if you’re serious about making some changes in the Legislature, you’ll want to become a supporter of our Political Action Committee, The Colorado Fund for Freedom.

Just click this button to donate to the Fund:

Strategy 2:

Over the past few weeks, our team has held strategy calls with our local volunteers to discuss the opportunity of running a series of ballot initiatives next year.

You read that right, A SERIES.

The idea is that if anyone is going to put in the effort of carrying petitions and gathering signatures, why not carry multiple petitions and kill multiple birds with one stone?

The plan is to have 3 circulating simultaneously, each with a different subject.

This should cut the cost in 1/3, which considering the average initiative takes nearly $1M to make the ballot, is some serious savings.

The catch…. ?

We won’t be announcing exactly what the ballot questions will be until the Legislature is adjourning in 2022.

While nothing is set in stone, the subjects will be:

1) Election Integrity
2) Medical Freedom
3) Limiting the Governor’s Powers

If you want to join one of the upcoming strategy calls, please respond to this email to begin the conversation.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS- There a numerous opportunities to win back some seats in Colorado next year, but you’re financial help will be needed to get it done.

About once a year or so, The Colorado Freedom Force takes it upon ourselves to serve up a healthy dose of tough love.

Right now, across the state, the number of returned ballots is looking abysmally low.

Obviously, we are concerned and voters across the state continue to raise serious concerns regarding the integrity of our elections.

But really, there is no better way to make absolute certain your vote DOES NOT count than to NOT turn in your ballot at all. 

(Yes, voting in person is an option and one which should be pursued whenever feasible)

While the ballot initiatives on your ballot this year may not read as super exciting, the down-ballot questions such as local leaders and school boards are crucially important this year to shaping the way we as Coloradans move forward.

In Aurora, there is a possibility of another candidate endorsed by the Socialist Party to be elected to the City Council. 

Your vote could stop that.

In El Paso County, Weld County, Douglas County, Jefferson County and others, unprecedented money is being poured into school board races by teacher’s unions who want to force masks (and vaccinations) on our children.

Your vote could stop that.

Across the state, elected officials are asking to keep the money they over-taxed from you, rather than giving it back as a TABOR refund.

Your vote could stop that.

In Adams County, School District 27J is facing a property tax increase measure.

Your vote could stop that!

The bottom line.. get out there and vote.

With just two days before the elections, it’s safe to say nothing will be happening to change your opinion on the integrity of our elections.

Don’t let that be the obstacle right now to allowing more socialism into our state.

THAT SAID…

Thanks to the feedback of our supporters and our grassroots leaders across the state (and the obvious, glaring problem before us), Election Integrity will be the foremost priority of our organization’s agenda in the coming months.

Strategic alliances are already being formed and legal language is being written!

Please stay tuned for more information.

And as always, thanks for being a continued reader of The Freedom Action Report.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS- If you’re not yet a monthly donor to the Colorado Freedom Force, click below and help make a difference in Colorado’s fight for freedom!

Of all the issues out there to focus your time and energy on related to defending freedom, the drawing of new district lines probably doesn’t rank too highly in the excitement category.

In fact, the whole process can seem complicated and even downright unapproachable.

Today’s Freedom Action Report aims to shine a little light into this crucial process, helping you have a better understanding of the do’s and don’ts when getting involved.

While most of the focus tends to be given to Congressional districts, especially with the additional of an eighth district this year, don’t forget the immense significance of local elections where we hope to keep Governor Polis’ overreach in check.

If you recall, Colorado voters decided by a huge margin in 2018 to create an new districting commission and hopefully do away with gerrymandering.

Now, a group of Colorado citizens is tasked with drawing new district lines all across our State, and they have to make it appear to be “independent”.

Numerous map concepts have been submitted already, and current discussion is related to the “Second Staff Plan” released Sept 15th.

If you haven’t seen any of these maps yet, check them out here.

The Process

Although it may feel like it sometimes, the drawing of new district lines isn’t entirely a partisan wild wild west.

The Colorado Constitution lays out definitions and guidelines on how these changes should be approached, and in order to be heard, you will want to understand them and follow them as best you can.

These guidelines apply to both Congressional districts and Legislative Districts, all of which are subject to change this year.

“Communities of Interest” is what this process, and these citizen comments technically revolve around. Here’s how they are defined:

(I) “Community of interest” means any group in Colorado that shares one or more substantial interests that may be the subject of federal [state] legislative action, is composed of a reasonably proximate population, and thus should be considered for inclusion within a single district for purposes of ensuring its fair and effective representation.

(II) Such interests include but are not limited to matters reflecting:

(A) Shared public policy concerns of urban, rural, agricultural, industrial, or trade areas; and

(B) Shared public policy concerns such as education, employment, environment, public health, transportation, water needs and supplies, and issues of demonstrable regional significance.

(III) Groups that may comprise a community of interest include racial, ethnic, and language minority groups, subject to compliance with subsections (1)(b) and (4)(b) of section 44.3 [48.1] of this article V, which subsections protect against the denial or abridgement of the right to vote due to a person’s race or language minority group.

(IV) “Community of interest” does not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.

Its part four which is important to keep in mind when submitting comments. Ideally, this is not supposed to be a political thing (though we all know it is).

Our simple advice would be to focus more on Section II when submitting comments.

Keywords like agricultural, transportation, water needs, and even employment are great ways to highlight the importance difference in rural and urban communities.

For example, the proposed first map combined Boulder with the Northern Western Slope into the same Congressional district.

In what universe do the citizens of Boulder and the citizens of Craig have similar employment, transportation and agricultural needs?

Thanks to citizens from all over the state, this specific district was heavily altered for the second map proposal.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the rules, you can download them here.

Timeline

All maps must be approved by the Colorado Supreme Court before finalization.

There is still time to make a difference, either by submitting comments or attending a local meeting.

A list of upcoming meetings can be found here.

Congressional maps must be approved by December 15, 2021 and Legislative maps by December 29, 2021.

Remember, what is decided this year in terms of district lines will be locked in for ten years.

Don’t Sit This Out

So please head over to the re-districting site and make your voice heard.

For the sake of our freedoms, these districts need to be as fair as possible.

This is a crucial process which only comes around once a decade!

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS- Please consider a contribution today to the Colorado Freedom Force.

Your support enables us to continue these educational communications as well as expand our audience across the state.

One of the most ominous initiatives seeking an appearance on your 2022 ballot met its early demise this week in Colorado’s Supreme Court. 

Initiative 16, formerly known as the PAUSE Act, would have placed unworkable restrictions on animal production in Colorado such as requiring each animal live at least 25% of it’s life expectancy, as well as redefining “sexual acts with an animal” to include artificial insemination and other common and safe practices.

Fortunately, the radical vegan activists trying to force their opinions into our everyday lives got a little too big for their britches this time around.

Read more about the defeat of Initiative 16 in this week’s Freedom Action Report.

One attack at a time, please.

If you’re a radical, left-wing activist in Colorado, hubris can sometimes be your worst enemy.

Except in times of disaster, man-made or otherwise, you must slowly nibble away at freedoms of Americans for sustained encroachment of your socialist ideas.

That lesson from Karl Marx must have been missed by Alexander Sage and Brent Johannes, the proponents of the initiative, both from the Boulder area.

While all of the contents on Initiative 16 were infuriating to rural voters and agricultural producers, it was really a technicality of sorts which ultimately killed the petition.

You see, ballot initiatives in Colorado must adhere to a single subject.

Even though the first two hearings got it wrong, Colorado’s Supreme Court was wise enough (voting 7-0) to see the dual subjects.

One subject was the age requirement for harvesting animals.

The other was the redefining of “sexual acts with animals”.

Because Colorado’s Title Board won’t be hearing any new initiatives until this December, we can rest easy just for now knowing this initiative is not advancing.

Impressive Coalescing

If there are any positive takeaways from the introduction of Initiative 16, it is the true spectacle of Coloradans coming together to oppose this initiative.

At the time of its defeat, nearly 50 of our 64 counties had passed resolutions to oppose the initiative.

Multiple organizations were organizing volunteers and beginning to pay for radio ads to raise awareness ahead of time.

Had Initiative 16 made it to the ballot, it would have faced fierce opposition.

Follow the Money

A small detail which has been seemingly overlooked thus far is the money which paid for attorney’s fees to try and save the initiative.

The attorneys advocating for Initiative 16 were from Recht Kornfeld, PC.

This law firm receives most of their money from democrat megadonors (think “The Blueprint”), and are the usual suspects there to back liberal policies and attack grassroots groups legally to keep them tied up financially, leaving them unable to carry out their mission.

With the presence of such a large (and expensive) firm, no one can credibly argue that these activists were doing this on their own. 

Obviously, the attack on Colorado animal production was part of a larger effort, the following the money proves that.

The Forest, not the Trees

There’s a fairly common saying, “focus on the forest, not the trees” which you may hear from time to time.

This saying is perfectly applicable in the case of Initiative 16.

If you were to speak with an older cattle producer, they would tell you something along the lines of “this is nothing new”.

Colorado’s rural residents have fought back attacks on their land, their water, their family values and their western way of life for decades.

If you’re someone who only came to recognize this fight as a result of the intensity of Initiative 16, take a step back and look at the forest, not the trees.

Whether you live on 1,000 acres or in a high rise in the city, protecting those who feed you is always of grave importance.

If agriculture loses, you’ll be fed by the government instead… and it’ll be a sh*t sandwich.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

From The Colorado Freedom Force

Nothing screams “transparency” quite like passing controversial legislation in the wee hours of the night.

That’s exactly what your legislators did this week at the Capitol.

Every piece of legislation which requires a fiscal note has at least four public hearings before it can reach the Governor’s desk.

There’s two in the House Chamber, and two in the Senate Chamber, and they provide the opportunity for the public to address the legislators through comment and testimony.

Particularly controversial bills tend to draw hundreds of citizens to participate in the process.

Now… It would be reasonable to think these hearings should be held at a time which is convenient for most people to participate.

Since when is anything taking place at the Capitol “reasonable” or “convenient”?

On Tuesday, there were a total of 14 bills (each consequential in nature) schedule to be heard with public comment between 1:30 and 2:00 pm.

Instead, all those citizens physically present at the Capitol, and those in a queue for virtual participation were left entirely in the dark as no effort was made to communicate the delays.

Hearings actually began at 8:19 pm, 8:47 pm and 9:17 pm. The last concluded with a vote at 1:56 am.

All 14 bills passed their respective committees in the dark of the night.

Here’s a quick look at what legislators forced on us this time:

14 bills?!?

• HB21-1014: Disability Symbol Identification Document

• HB21-1162: Management of Plastic Products

• HB21-1250: Measures to Address Law Enforcement Accountability

• HB21-1255: Protection Order Issued Against Domestic Abuser

• HB21-1269: PUC Study of Community Choice Energy

• HB21-1280: Pre-trial Detention Reform

• HB21-1281: Community Behavior Health Disaster Program

• HB21-1294: K-12 Education Accountability Systems Performance Audit

• HB21-1298: Expand Firearm Background Check Requirements

• HB21-1299: Office of Gun Violence

• HB21-1303: Global Warming Potential for Public Projects Materials

• HB21-1304: Early Childhood System

• SB21-272: Measures to Modernize the Public Utilities Commission

• SB21-280: Bias Motivated Crimes

For the sake of simplicity, you can click this link to view a brief summary of each bill on our newly re-built website.

Citizen Engagement

A great big “thank you” goes out to all our subscribers who are testifying against so many of these anti-freedom bills. 

Engaged citizens are the key to holding government officials accountable, especially when they pull stunts like passing legislation in the middle of the night.

Please continue to send us your stories!

And please continue to fight against this radical assault of our liberties!

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – With the Colorado Freedom Force, you have a network of fighters in your corner.

Please consider supporting our efforts to defend freedom in Colorado with a contribution.

From The Colorado Freedom Force

Colorado has a new buzz word, and it’s “fee”.

But the problem with buzz words is that oftentimes the true value proposition of the word gets lost as a result of overuse.

In this instance, it’s possible that is exactly the objective.

By now, we all know when legislators say “fee”, it simply means they plan to take more money away from you, but have to skirt TABOR to do it by calling it something other than a tax.

In the major transportation bill which passed the Colorado Senate Monday, the word “fee” is used a whopping 485 times. (The bill is 197 pages long)

The transportation bill, SB21-260, plans to raise a total of $3.8 billion in new “fees”.

In this week’s Freedom Action Report, we will take a closer look at this massive bill, backed by an “historic coalition” in Colorado.

Can they do this?

At this point, there’s a good chance you’re wondering if this is even allowed.

Didn’t Coloradans just vote to pass Proposition 117 on last year’s ballot which limits the Legislature’s use of fees and forces a new ballot question for any new fee which would raise more than $100 million over five years?

The transportation bill is $3.8 billion in new fees, and $5.8 billion total.

Essentially, Colorado legislators took a look at the new rules and said “hold my beer”.

By breaking all these new fees up into a handful of smaller “enterprises”, which are the government-owned businesses which collect the fees and then provide a service with the money, lawmakers not only skirt TABOR, but skirt the new rules under Proposition 117 as well.

This means you get no chance to vote it down directly.

This is a prime example of how much the will of the people really matters to elected officials, especially when our will is an inconvenience for them carrying out their socialist agenda.

What’s in it?

$3.8 billion in new fees is A LOT… So where’s it all coming from, and where is it going?

Current language calls for:

     • A road usage fee which grows over 10 years to a max of 8 cents per gallon
     • 5.3 cents on each food delivery
     • 6.9 cents on each retail delivery
     • A $50 raise on vehicle registration fee for electric vehicles
     • Setting the $2 per day rental vehicle fee to grow with inflation
     • 3.5 cents on rideshares in a zero-emission vehicle
     • 7.5 cents on rideshares in any other vehicle
     • Earmarked money for electric vehicle charging stations

Why Oppose it?

If you think the clever tactics of breaking up enterprises was the only trick buried in this bill, think again.

Senate Bill 260 seems to be more about building (permanent) government than building roads.

Not one of these new fees sunsets, and almost all will continue to grow with inflation.

SB 260 makes the question clear:

Do you want to improve Colorado’s roads and bridges with the taxes you already pay?

Or do you want to permanently expand government and fund politicians’ pet projects?

Of course the roads need to be fixed.

Of course transportation infrastructure is important.

But We the People of Colorado have spoken out again and again to say we don’t want new taxes and fees, we want a more fiscally responsible government when it comes to solving problems such as these.

Over the last year, State and local governments have received more than $12B in federal stimulus money. 

A simple amendment from Senate Republicans would have diverted $2B of those funds to be put to work right away toward infrastructure, drastically cutting the fee/tax burden the transportation bill will create.

This bill has already passed the State Senate, and will be heard soon in the State House.

Please contact your elected officials and make your voice heard this week.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

From The Colorado Freedom Force

Tick tock…. tick tock…

Counting down the days until the Colorado Legislature adjourns feels like sitting through your kid’s school play in which they’re only playing a minor role.

But you have to do it… right?

Yes, you do.

Just like we all have to keep a close eye on legislation each year to protect our freedoms.

Today marks one month remaining in this year’s legislative session, so at least we are in the home stretch.

With well over 500 bills this year and still growing… here are a few to add to your watch list:

BAD BILLS

HB21-1295 (Bacon-D) – Rebuttable Presumption in Charter School Appeals

This bill shifts the final say in the authorization of charter schools to the local school boards, leaving charter schools without the ability to appeal to the state Board of Education. 

Coincidentally, Rep. Jennifer Bacon who introduced the bill, is also a member of the Denver School Board of Education. (full text)

SB21-260 (Fenberg-D) – Sustainability of the Transportation System

This bill aims to raise $3.784 billion in revenue through fees on purchases from gasoline, food delivery and rideshare services. Another $1.484 billion would be siphoned out of the State’s general fund.

This would be the first gas tax increase since 1991 (currently 22 cents per gallon).

The bill was sent to the Senate Finance Committee. Its first hearing has not yet been scheduled. (full text)

GOOD BILLS

HB21-1191 (Ransom-R) – Prohibit Discrimination COVID-19 Status

The bill prohibits an employer from taking adverse action against an employee or an applicant for employment based on the employee’s or applicant’s COVID-19 immunization status.

Additionally, the bill specifies that the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory, that the State cannot require any individual to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, and that government agencies and private businesses, including health insurers, cannot discriminate against clients, patrons, or customers based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. (full text)

Did you happen to see the surprise hidden inside Governor Polis’ May mask mandate update?

It’s quite confusing, and probably entirely unconstitutional.

Owners of grocery stores, gyms, restaurants and other establishments have no idea how to follow and/or enforce Polis’ new rule.

It reads “this order is also further amended to allow indoor spaces where more than ten people are present to go without masks, so long as at least 80 percent of those individuals are fully vaccinated.”

Question is… how on earth are these business owners supposed to know?

It turns out the enforcement of the order calls for a variation on the vaccine-passport idea, which is receiving a lot of pushback… obviously.

But, business owners cannot access a customer’s protected health information, such as their COVID-19 immunization status. Potential customers would have to be willing voluntarily share their vaccination records with the business if they choose to do so.

In the end, this rule change will not really change much of anything for businesses.

Since the majority of Coloradans are still unvaccinated, nearly all indoor, public settings like grocery stores, retail stores and gyms will still be under Polis’ thumb and have to require masks.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

From The Colorado Freedom Force

Kiss your Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties goodbye!

That is, if Senate Bill 256 passes and is signed into law this year.

Last week, Democrat Colorado legislators including Tom Sullivan introduced a new slate of anti Second Amendment bills and are rallying for their quick passage and implementation.

These are in additional to two previous anti-2A laws, which were already passed and signed into law by Governor Polis – HB21-1106 and SB21-078.

Here are those three new bills.

BAD BILLS

SB21-256 (Fenberg-D) – Local Regulation of Firearms

This bill repeals Colorado’s preemption law preventing localities from passing their own gun control. This law has ensured all law-abiding Coloradans have the same rights regardless of where they reside and has also ensured that adults licensed to carry a handgun for self-defense are not prevented from doing so just because they seek a higher education.

Without it, there will be a confusing patchwork of laws that are difficult to know and obey, and county lines will serve as arbitrary boundaries where law-abiding citizens are left defenseless. (full text)

HB21-1298 (Amabile-D) – Expand Firearm Transfer Background Checks

This bill allows for the indefinite delay of firearm transfers. Current state law allows licensed firearm dealers to proceed with firearm transfers if the Colorado Bureau of Investigation does not make a determination within three days for what is supposed to be an instant background check done by computers. 

In addition, HB 1298 goes beyond federal law by expanding the criteria in which individuals lose their Second Amendment rights without due process. (full text)

This is an important week to take action and contact your representatives directly.

Please call and ask your state senator to OPPOSE SB21-256 and your representative to OPPOSE both HB21-1298 and HB21-1299.

You can find their contact information on our website, here.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Please considering joining your fellow Coloradans who have recently made the decision to become sustaining donors to Colorado Freedom Force.

Regularly scheduled contributions are an excellent way to support pro-freedom organizations such as CFF, enabling us to stay on track with activating and educating Coloradans.

Scroll the the bottom of this page for a donate button.

From The Colorado Freedom Force

What’s with all the political obsession with race?

Of course, that question is 100% rhetorical.

When you consider the “why” when you’re wondering what our politicians and news media are doing, you should always remember that behind the scenes, a very skilled team is tracking the data on every word to see what is working in terms of messaging.

That means when you’re told every move you make from how you buttered your toast this morning to the automobile you choose to drive is “racist”, it’s because the messaging has been tested and proven to work.

“Work” may be as simple as it got a reaction out of you.

There’s no simple way to break this trend, but it’s always worth being conscious of the role you might play on the data side of things.

When you see those click-bait articles talking about race, just skip right past them. 

Don’t comment on race-themed posts on social media.

Don’t take polls that discuss race. 

It’s all a trap, and we regularly find ourselves ensnared. 

If we can all put a small effort into breaking this trend, we might get back to the days when we get to hear the news media cover meaningful legislation, or maybe they will even cover tax-related news (which according to voting results is what Coloradans actually care the most about).

The race card also gets played when we discuss immigration, and our featured “bad bill” this week is a dangerous one, and it should be defeated without any discussion of race.

BAD BILLS

SB21-199 (Jaquez-Lewis-D) – Remove Barriers to Certain Public Opportunities

For such an innocent sounding bill name, this piece of legislation is a modern day trojan horse.

The bill repeals existing provisions requiring a person to demonstrate their lawful presence in the United States to be eligible for certain public benefits.

Lawful presence would no longer be a requirement of eligibility for state or local public benefits.

The intentions and the results of this bill require very little explanation. Allowing illegal immigrants complete access to “public benefits” means you get to see more of your tax dollars spent on wasteful government programs, with the fact that those benefitting are not even legal citizens of our country.(full text)

Initiative 16 continues to inch closer to signature gathering, as a rehearing regarding the initiative’s title did not yield the desired results.

The next step will be a Colorado Supreme Court hearing, which has not been scheduled. 

In the meantime, volunteers are being organized around the state to be prepared to push back on this dangerous, anti-agriculture initiative with a “decline to sign” effort to educate voters before they add their names to a petition. 

If you still want to learn more about this initiative, check out www.stoppause.org

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Have you considered become a sustaining supporter of the Colorado Freedom Force yet?

Monthly or even quarterly contributions are an excellent way to support pro-freedom organizations such as CFF. 

Please click the link below to make a contribution!

From The Colorado Freedom Force

It’s really difficult to watch the actions of some politicians and not think “he or she must think we are complete idiots”.

For more than a full year now, Governor Polis has repeatedly extended his mask mandates and kept the whole state under his thumb. He used a childish, color-coded dial to signify the danger level of COVID cases almost as if it were a game to him.

But on Friday, Polis signified he’s bored with playing King. He will be handing the important responsibility of violating our rights off to unelected bureaucrats.

The biggest question is “WHY NOW?”

Why all of a sudden does Polis think these decisions can be made at a local level, but for the last year those same entities were incapable and only he could save us all from that bad old virus?

In fact, when Weld County signified they would be making their own decisions on how to handle COVID-19 about a year ago, Polis said he “absolutely will use every mechanism” to prevent Weld County from ignoring the State’s health orders, including withholding funding and even stripping licenses from businesses which chose to open in violation of Polis’ orders.

But that’s not all…

Polis said last week “the number of cases and hospitalizations will sadly continue to go up before it goes down”.

Several state public health officials acknowledge that the state, like much of the nation, is entering a “fourth wave” of infection. (huge eyeroll…)

Even though the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is on pause while regulators examine some rare but serious potential side effects?

At the end of the day, you just have to scratch your head on this one a little.

It’s not that the restrictions shouldn’t be lifted, since they should have never happened in the first place. You just have to wonder what the real motive is behind Polis’ handoff.

Maybe it’s a little too close to campaign season? Or maybe Polis is just tired of playing King?

Ether way, this shift is sure to create a whole new string of battles.

Douglas County has already indicated their interest in breaking free from the Tri-County model, as has Mesa County. Hopefully more counties will follow suit.

BAD BILLS

SB21-016 (Pettersen-D) – Potentially a Blank Check for Planned Parenthood

You may remember when Colorado Freedom Force helped to sound the alarm last year regarding SB20-156.

A near carbon copy has been resurrected this session after being sidelined last year, and it’s a loosely worded and highly dangerous bill designed to force insurance providers to cover every service offered by Planned Parenthood.

Under current Colorado Law, State tax dollars may not be used for abortion services. But, SB21-016 is a clever workaround to pass the buck on to insurance providers, forcing them to pay whatever Planned Parenthood decides to charge.

That means in the end, we will all pay those costs in our insurance premiums.

The most dangerous element to this bill is not in the text, but in what the text doesn’t say.

In providing a lengthy list of “free” medical services which include but are not limited to treatments for STIs and the morning after pill, the bill fails to explicitly say whether abortion is included in this list.

If you read the language of the bill, you’ll not see any language to say abortion is excluded from the list of “free” stuff.(full text)

Colorado’s 53rd House District is currently vacant after Rep. Jeni Arndt resigned on Friday to become the Mayor of Fort Collins.

When there is a vacancy in the Colorado General Assembly, the political party that last held the seat is responsible for selecting a replacement.

A vacancy committee will meet on Friday, April 22nd and then vote for Arndt’s successor the following day.

Already, three  Democrat candidates expressed their intentions to fill the seat.

Arndt received 75.3% of the votes in her district in the 2020 election.

The individual selected by the committee will have to seek reelection in November of next year.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Have you considered become a sustaining contributor to the Colorado Freedom Force yet?

Monthly or even quarterly contributions are an excellent way to support pro-freedom organizations such as CFF on auto-pilot. 

Please click the link below to make a contribution!

From The Colorado Freedom Force

The hot topic in Colorado politics this week is HB21-1232, or the “Public Option” healthcare bill. 

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. 

In fact, this is the third year in a row now some variation of this scheme has been pushed.

Its no surprise this is a contentious bill, because its a contentious issue in general.

There are deep flaws in our current health care system and there is a grave need to fix it… however, this “public option” is unfortunately not the solution Coloradans need or deserve.

We’re dedicating this week’s Freedom Action Report entirely to the Public Option bill to help you understand what its all about, and also to help defeat this bill in the Legislature.

Some background for you:

This bill is nothing new, as it was tried in 2019 and was narrowly defeated.

Governor Polis made it known this Public Option was a priority for him, and so the bill returned in 2020 with a clear path to being signed into law… until COVID-19 suspended the Legislature and delayed almost all bills.

With proponents and opponents having 3 years to prepare, we can all expect a lengthy debate.

On Friday, HB21-1232 had its first hearing in the State House, which lasted for ten hours!

Ultimately, that wasn’t enough time and the hearing was rolled over until this coming Tuesday. 

Now is a great time to contact your Representative and let them know where you stand on this bill.

So what exactly is the “Public Option”?

As introduced, HB21-1232 gives health insurers, hospitals and doctors just two years to decrease the cost health insurance premiums by 20%.

The bill also creates the Colorado Option Authority, a quasi-governmental agency in charge of regulating the price of health care services in the state.

The Public Option doesn’t force anyone to use the plan, but it does force providers to offer it, and hospitals to accept it. (full bill text)

The Economic Impact:

Any time government mandates something, there is always an economic impact, and it’s usually a negative one.

A report by the free-enterprise think tank, Common Sense Institute, found the plan could result in up to $1 billion less in payments to doctors, nurses, hospitals and other health care providers.

The report estimated 3,900 to 4,900 health care jobs could be lost. If the system is bloated, then the loss f jobs would be less important… But, it’s clear to see less doctors and nurses will translate into less access to health care, even if the cost is lower.

Why is the Public Option the wrong option?

We agree wholeheartedly with the mission of lowering health care costs. Make no mistake about that.

The concerns surrounding HB21-1232 are that it not only creates more government by setting up an advisory committee, comprised over members with the authority to “suspend, revoke or impose conditions on a health facility’s license or certificate of authority,” according to the bill.

Remember how overreaching the Tri-County Health Department was regarding COVID-19 restrictions? 

The last thing Coloradans need is more unelected bureaucrats making decisions regarding our health on our behalf.

Additionally, the 20% cut in just two hears has been argued by providers to be too aggressive. Ultimately, 20% is probably an arbitrary number and not a result of an in-depth study.

So let’s instead put our heads together and come up with a reasonable, free-market solution to lowering the cost of healthcare, and let our elected officials know we don’t need them to solve our problems.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – The next hearing on HB21-1232 is Tuesday!

Please be sure to call your Representative and tell them to OPPOSE HB21-1232. 

Our health care system is in need of change, but this Public Option is the wrong option.

From The Colorado Freedom Force

The Second Amendment has continued to be a heavily discussed subject in Colorado this year, and after this week’s shooting in Boulder, it’s more front-and-center than ever.

That’s dangerous.

As usual, the “we have to do something” crowd will be making impassioned stump speeches and pitching the same long list of laws they want to pass which will, in the end, do nothing to stop criminals from being what they are – people who don’t follow the law.

But facts don’t matter here, nor does common sense or logic. So please remember that when attempting to explain your position to internet trolls.

This week, we will only mention one bad bill in order to give you a little more time to focus on the other action items here in this email.

Many of the other significant bills, especially the good ones, have been killed in committee along party line votes.

BAD BILL: 

SB21-182 (Buckner – D) School Discipline (or lack thereof)

This bill prohibits a student from being arrested, ticketed or cited for most misdemeanor crimes if it is committed on school grounds or at a school function. Officers would be unable to handcuff an elementary school student.

The bill also requires reporting to be broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, status as a student with a disability, and socioeconomic status. (full text)

After several delays, the slate of election integrity bills are scheduled for hearings tomorrow, March 29th.

If you’ve yet to sign our petition, please click the image below and sign so we can deliver your digital signature to the following legislators on the State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee:

Alex Valdez – District 5
Steven Woodrow – District 6
Jennifer Bacon – District 7
Tracey Bennet – District 12
Judy Amabile – District 13
Dave Williams – District 15
Chris Kennedy – District 23
Monica Duran – District 24
Patrick Neville – District 45
Rod Bockenfeld – District 56
Ron Hanks – District 60

Let’s flood these committee members with signatures and show them just how important these bills are to Colorado voters.

To follow up on a subject from last week – Initiative 16 a.k.a the PAUSE Act, we are seeing really great progress at the grassroots level.

Local organizers were able to put together an informative website which seems to be getting better every day – check it out here.

And as issue committees do, The Stop PAUSE Coalition is requesting contributions to help launch an advertising campaign to begin the process of educating voters and recruiting volunteers.

If this is something you would like to support, you can find their secure donate link here:

There’s a great deal of significance to this issue, and more information and education will be available each and every day. 

Rural Coloradans suffered a loss last fall when urban and suburban residents voted to allow the government to introduce wolves.

This time around, they’re ready to fight back even harder, and we look forward to standing alongside our rural members to preserve Colorado’s values.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Today really is the last day to sign the election integrity petition if you haven’t already. 

You can copy and paste the link below to share directly to social media:

Election Reform Bills

From The Colorado Freedom Force

Here in Colorado, you really do have to keep your head on a swivel. Overreach into our daily lives is coming from all angles.

Unfortunately, it’s not an exaggeration whatsoever.

While the Legislature brings forth never-ending threats of new laws which need to be stopped, freedom fighters have to watch our backs for ballot initiatives, lawsuits and executive orders which encroach on our liberties.

For all the times we’ve made war analogies and you rolled your eyes… Do you see it now?

This just wouldn’t be a real Freedom Action Report if we didn’t discuss activity in the Legislature, but there’s a giant (new) Gorilla in the room as of this week which we simply cannot ignore for one second.

Read more about Initiative 16 (The PAUSE Act) in the second section of this weeks email below:

GOOD BILLS

HB21-1197 (Woog-R) Income Tax Credit for Income Taxes Paid

For income tax years 2021-2025, this bill provides a tax credit to individuals with federal taxable incomes below $20,000 for single tax filers, or $40,000 for individuals filing a joint return. The credit for qualified taxpayers will be equal to the tax amount owed for the year so that the tax due from these qualified taxpayers will be equal to zero. (full text)

BAD BILLS

SB21-116 (Danielson-D) – Prohibit American Indian Mascots

This bill prohibits American Indian references as mascots including the use of names, symbols and images which depict or refer to an American Indian tribe, individual, custom, or tradition. These names, symbols, and references cannot be used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead or team name for public elementary, middle, junior high, high school, district charter schools, institution charter schools and public institutions of higher education.

Any public K-12 school using an American Indian mascot after October 1, 2021 is instructed to cease use immediately. After June 1, 2022, any public school or institution of higher education using an American Indian mascot will be fined $25,000 each month that the mascot continues to be used. (full text)

HB21-1194 (Tipper-D) – Immigration Legal Defense Fund

This bill proposes to use taxpayer money to support immigrants facing deportation. HB 21-1194 directs state General Fund dollars to a newly created Immigration Legal Assistance Fund. Grants from the Fund will be awarded to Colorado organizations that provide legal representation to indigent clients to cover litigation expenses and costs for representation before an immigration court.

Seventy percent of the money in the Fund is to be used to serve clients who are detained in the custody of the US Department of Homeland Security for deportation proceedings and thirty percent of the money is to be used for clients who are not detained for deportation proceedings. (full text)

Yesterday was Governor Polis’ infamous MeatOut day, and it couldn’t be more clear that he ate a hearty helping of crow for dinner.

Thousands of Coloradans gathered throughout the state to enjoy the delicious products of our very own Ag producers, and social media was simply flooded with shots of beautiful porterhouses and ribeyes galore.

But leave it to Boulder radicals to rain on a parade! A major topic of discussion at these events was the recent progress of Initiative 16, otherwise known as the PAUSE Act.

The Initiative made its way through the Title Board on Wednesday, which is just one of the necessary steps to be taken before we see this question on our ballots in 2022.

Like other statewide initiatives, activists will need to gather approximately 125,000 valid signatures (their website states a goal of 150,000) in six months.

We could not possibly begin to cover all the different ways Initiative 16 would be detrimental to Colorado’s $7B agricultural industry in this email, so we are creating a page on our website where we can offer more detail (and update it as we receive more information).

For now, if you’re not yet familiar with The PAUSE Act, here are a few of the highlights:

 – Would increase food prices for all Coloradans
 – Would destroy tens of thousands of jobs
 – Creates unrealistic laws related to animal husbandry
 – Limits even licensed veterinarians from common practices

Much like the Introduction of non-native wolves ballot questions which passed last fall, the real conversation to be had surrounding Initiative 16 will be rural Coloradans pleading with urban and suburban voters to simply stay out of their business and theirs lives.

And also similar to the wolf introduction, the ballot question is worded in a fashion which will make the average, uneducated voter offer a simple “yes” and move on without second thought.

This year and next, it will take a non-stop, coordinated messaging campaign if Coloradans are going to successfully stop The Pause Act.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – For those of you who have remained active on Facebook, there is a group to join to connect with neighbors for fighting against Initiative 16. 

We have a long fight ahead of us, so please join up and get ready to organize together to fight back. Here’s the link to the group:

From The Colorado Freedom Force

When novelist George Orwell wrote “1984”, he did so to serve as a warning of just how far a totalitarian government will go to acquire and maintain power.

He did not do so to provide the Left with an instruction manual.

Apparently Governor Polis and his cabal of radicals in the legislature didn’t get that memo – or they’re just too power hungry to care.

One of the bad bills we will discuss in this week’s Freedom Action Report is a chapter right out of Orwell’s book, and a real life horror story.

If you thought the censorship was bad last fall, just wait until your government gives themselves a legal authority to decide what is true and what isn’t.

See our update on noteworthy Colorado legislation below:

GOOD BILLS

HB21-1191 (Ransom-R) Prohibit Discrimination COVID-19 Vaccine Status

This forward-looking bill aims to head off any possible discrimination tactics which could be used against those of us who decide to not take the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bill prohibits discrimination from employers and licensed health facilities, as well as clarifies the vaccine is not mandatory, meaning the State cannot force any individual obtain a vaccine.

HB21-1185 (Neville-R) Block Governor from Suspending Firearm Sales During an Emergency

This bill modifies existing law, which currently grants the Governor of Colorado the power to limit the sale, dispensing or transportation of firearms during a time of emergency.

The bill also repeals the prohibition on completing a handgun training class via the internet or in a location other than the physical location where the certified instructor offers the course.

BAD BILLS

SB21-132 (Donovan-D) – Digital Communications Regulation

This bill, introduced by Democrat Kerry Donovan would create a new, government commission tasked with determining what is “disinformation”, “fake news” and “conspiracy theories”. The bill language appears to be borrowed directly from a similar proposal made by New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in January. 

The bill adds government authority behind the already expansive, liberal takeover by Silicon Valley tech giants, giving them unprecedented power over our digital communications.

HB21-1106 (Duran-D) – Safe Storage of Firearms

Making its second Action Report appearance of the session, this “safe storage” bill has passed the State House (along party lines, of course) and is headed to the Senate.

If passed, and signed into law, this bill forces Colorado gun owners to make a difficult decision. You can either opt to follow the law, rendering your weapon essentially useless if needed in a split second, or be committing a second degree misdemeanor crime.

In the Colorado Legislature, there are now more than 400 bills which have been introduced, all with the same objective – to become a law which we have to live under.

Activism in our state continues to grow, and for all of those taking the time to contact your representatives or dedicating your time to testify remotely… Thank You!

It is important to use these times to closely catalog the actions of our elected officials, because many voters may forget between now and the 20+ months which will pass between now and the 2022 elections.

The main sponsor of the government “Ministry of Truth”, Kerry Donovan, has already announced her intentions to challenge Rep. Lauren Boebert for her Congressional seat next year.

We will be watching… and hope you will be too.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Our petition to support election reform legislation has gathered thousands of signatures so far!  

Votes on these bills have been delayed, so there is still time to sign if you haven’t already. Please also share the link with pro-freedom friends around the state!

Click the image below to sign!

From The Colorado Freedom Force

We can probably all agree election integrity is an absolute necessity right now when it comes to defending our Constitutional Republic.

For some, this isn’t a new issue at all. Ballot harvesting, especially on or around college campuses in Colorado, has been a threat for many years.

But, after the 2020 elections, there are more eyes on the subject than ever before.

Just like so many of the other issues in our fight for freedom, there are numerous strategies and ideologies out there right now about how to secure our elections.

In this week’s Freedom Action Report, we will discuss just one of those strategies because not only is it already in motion, but it doesn’t require any heavy lifting on your part. 

The only catch is, if you’re going to lend a hand (or your signature), you’ll have to do it today.

A series of bills were recently introduced in the Colorado Legislature which are focused on securing our elections.

Alone, each bill merely whittles away at the edges of this massive problem.

But together, (if passed) these bills could be a big step in the right direction.

Barring any delays, this bills are scheduled for a hearing March 8th (TOMORROW!).

So please sign our citizens action petition today so we can flood the committee members with signatures and show them just how important these bills are to Colorado voters.

Click the image below to sign!

HB-1053 will allow any citizen to request a hand recount of physical ballots, finally putting into law a procedure for hand-counting in an election recount.

HB-1086 provides only an individual who has provided proof of citizenship may vote in an election.

HB-1088 will require the state auditor to audit 1/5 of all voter registrations every year. This audit would require all voter registrations be checked against other public records to verify the accuracy of registrations.

Passing these bills in the Legislature is just one of many ways to skin this cat.

But signing our petition, or picking up the phone to call the committee representatives is a simple enough task, and one we all ought to pursue right now. 

So please sign and share this petition today so tens of thousands of signatures can be deliver to the Capitol tomorrow before these bills have their hearings.

For Freedom,

The Colorado Freedom Force

PS – Please sign and share this petition today to give our team time to organize signatures and deliver them to the committee before the hearings. 

You can copy and paste the link below to share directly to social media:

Election Reform Bills