Purplish is CPR News' podcast about state politics, state government, elections and political identity. Hosted by public affairs reporters Bente Birkeland and Andrew Kenney.
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  • Should Colorado keep the death penalty? As lawmakers once again debate abolition, it's a question that divides parties, and friends, at the state capitol.
    In this March 2013 photo, state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, speaks at a podium during a debate inside the Colorado State Legislature, in Denver.In this March 2013 photo, state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, speaks at a podium during a debate inside the Colorado State Legislature, in Denver.
  • This week we're talking about some of the ways things can get personal -- very personal -- at the state capitol.
    <p>Colorado Republican State Sen. Owen Hill sits with his daughters Miette, left, and Ellis on the opening day of the 2016 Colorado Legislature, at the Capitol, in Denver, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2016. </p><p>Colorado Republican State Sen. Owen Hill sits with his daughters Miette, left, and Ellis on the opening day of the 2016 Colorado Legislature, at the Capitol, in Denver, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2016. </p>
  • Colorado’s capitol is current firmly in the hands of the Democrats, so that means smooth sailing for all their policies right? Yeah, not so much.
    State Reps. Jovan Melton (left to right), Perry Buck and Meg Froelich inform Gov. Jared Polis that the House is ready for business on The first day of the 2020 legislative session. The Colorado State Capitol. Jan. 8, 2020.State Reps. Jovan Melton (left to right), Perry Buck and Meg Froelich inform Gov. Jared Polis that the House is ready for business on The first day of the 2020 legislative session. The Colorado State Capitol. Jan. 8, 2020.
  • A lot has happened, dear podcast listener, since Sam, Bente, and Megan chatted in our final episode last year.
    State Capitol PreviewState Capitol Preview
  • Colorado’s 2019 legislative session is over. The last four months of frantic lawmaking were a test for Democrats, who took complete control of the state Capitol last November. This episode, we look back at everything they were able to achieve — and why arguments over process at times got in the way of their biggest goals. And how Republicans, who lacked the votes to block legislation, found other ways to make their voices heard. The result was a session that showed passing bills isn’t as simple as just having a majority.
    <p>As state Rep. Tom Sullivan looks on, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs into law HB 1177 Friday, April 12, 2019, making Colorado the 15th state in the country to have a so-called "red flag" gun law. Sullivan was elected in November and was one of the bill’s sponsors. He got involved in politics after his son Alex was killed in the Aurora Theater shooting.</p>
<p>As state Rep. Tom Sullivan looks on, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs into law HB 1177 Friday, April 12, 2019, making Colorado the 15th state in the country to have a so-called "red flag" gun law. Sullivan was elected in November and was one of the bill’s sponsors. He got involved in politics after his son Alex was killed in the Aurora Theater shooting.</p>
  • Ken Crumb’s story likely sounds familiar. A Front Range resident sees oil and gas drilling in his community. He doesn’t like it and organizes his neighbors to pass a local drilling ban. The thing is, in Ken’s case, this all happened more than 30 years ago. And that community he rallied was Greeley -- not exactly a hotbed of anti-fracking sentiment today. This episode, we look back at perhaps Colorado’s first fractivist. What Ken did ended up limiting local control of oil and gas development. Now, Democratic lawmakers have passed a bill to tilt the scales back in the other direction.
    <p>A lone pump jack in a field south of Dacono, April 2, 2019.</p>
<p>A lone pump jack in a field south of Dacono, April 2, 2019.</p>
  • Colorado is on the verge of becoming the 12th state to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. The plan could someday commit all of Colorado’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes nationwide -- no matter who wins the state.
    <p>A Colorado elector holds a signed vote certificate during the electoral vote at the Capitol in Denver, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Colorado's nine Democratic electors cast their votes for Hillary Clinton, who won the state.</p>
<p>A Colorado elector holds a signed vote certificate during the electoral vote at the Capitol in Denver, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Colorado's nine Democratic electors cast their votes for Hillary Clinton, who won the state.</p>
  • The last couple months have shown the depths of congressional dysfunction. Many think the problem isn’t so much the people who serve there. It’s a process that funnels all power to party leaders, stifling debate among the ranks. In 1988, Colorado voters recognized a similar issue in their state legislature. The remedy was something called the GAVEL Amendment -- an acronym for Give A Vote To Every Legislator.

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