A Colorado law protecting your privacy will start this year--an update. How to check crime stats in Colorado. Speak up for your TABOR rights.
A 2021 to help you opt out of data collection and sharing (among other things) will start this year—an update.
A couple Assembly sessions back, a bill to protect your personal data and privacy passed and was signed into law. I took a screenshot and attached for your reference.
At the time I put a reminder in my calendar to check up on this bill (2023 was when it was supposed to be implemented). That reminder popped up and I checked in.
The AG's office is currently developing the rules to implement the bill (recall that there's the bill and then the rulemaking). I put a link to the webpage for that below if you're curious for details.
The law will go into effect on July 1 of this year and at that point you can move to opt out of having your personal data "processed" for the purposes of targeted ads and the like.
I put another reminder in for about that time and will update at that time. If this is something you're concerned with too, be watching.
https://coag.gov/resources/colorado-privacy-act/
Want to check in on crime stats in Colorado? The state has a database.
I came across the website linked below while doing some research. I thought I would share in case you would find it handy.
The site below lets you search crime stats in the state of Colorado by department, year, and category of crime.
Let me walk you through one.
I chose Logan County Sheriff's stats for Motor Vehicle Theft for 2022 (the earliest year available). This is screenshot 1.
There are other categories to search (Hate Crime, DUI/Drugs, Violent Crime, Property Crime, and Domestic Violence).
Going with the one I chose, there are multiple graphs of data on motor vehicle theft near me, but one set I found especially compelling is shown in screenshot 2.
Clearly a strong association between meth and car theft (not surprising).
What was surprising to me was the most popular time of day for car theft: 3 PM to 6 PM. I wasn't expecting that. I think if you'd asked me prior to seeing this I would have thought it most common in the dead of night.
I wonder why, but, like Newton, I make no hypothesis (I will just try to be aware, Sunday's too).
FYI and happy searching.
https://coloradocrimestats.state.co.us/tops
Speak up for your TABOR rights.
I testified on HB23-1166, "Repeal Retail Delivery Fees". Rep Boesenecker, one of the Democrats on the committee, said some pretty ignorant things at the end of the hearing.
Since witnesses are not allowed rebuttal, I chose to rebut his comments in an open letter. It's below.
Stand up for your TABOR rights or you'll find them gone. Clearly, judging by Rep Boesenecker's comments he doesn't value them or is so ignorant of them as to be dangerous.
An open email to Rep Boesenecker, the Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee, and the sponsors of HB23-1166 regarding his statement at the Tuesday 2/21/23 hearing.
Hello to all,
My name is Cory and I testified in support of HB23-1166 (see link below) at your committee hearing on Tuesday 2/21.
It's rare for me to stick around after testifying, but for some reason, I stuck around to listen to the comment and vote from Tuesday's hearing.
I wish that there were time given to witnesses to rebut the statements made by lawmakers because Rep Boesenecker's words at the end of the hearing showed enough ignorance to warrant a follow-up. That is why I write.
If anyone reading this letter would like to hear Rep Boesenecker's words (I transcribe them below, but like to offer original sources to readers) will find them at the first link below; the pertinent part being at about the 3:21:00 mark.
The quote below is Rep Boesenecker's response to comments that I made, and that were related to the committee by more than one legislator (including the sponsor). The overall thrust of our comment was a sense that the Democrats in the Assembly did not honor the public's repeatedly-affirmed view that we should be asked for consent on tax increases; we (the public) have repeatedly affirmed our desire to protecting our rights under TABOR. Multiple attempts to remove it or neuter it failed. More recently, we voted in Proposition 117 where we had to (due to the Assembly's abuse of "fees" and enterprises, along with the Colorado Supreme Court's rubberstamping of same) tell our government that we wanted to be asked for consent for the creation of large government enterprises.
Rep Boesenecker, your response to those complaints was as follows:
"I was on the Finance Committee when this was heard [SB260] in 2021 before the House and the testimony was lengthy, it was a long evening as you can imagine, and I do need to mention for folks that have flagged the concern that the public absolutely was included in that process. There was lengthy online and in person testimony, and that was well received regardless of where it came from. I suspect that the same was true on the Senate side: that the public was absolutely included in that process as they are today and here."
You'll pardon me Rep Boesenecker, but your thoughts, at best, bespeak an ignorance of the concerns that I and fellow Coloradans have.
Sir, "consent" and "comment" are two different things. Our rights under TABOR and the law as written in Proposition 117 make it clear that we want to be asked permission, not asked if we'd like to comment. I comment on bills regularly and have no illusions as to the process. In between caucus meetings, secret quadratic voting systems, Governor Polis' legislative liaison being busy on the floor of the Assembly, meetings with special interest "stakeholders", and mad scrambles to try and find a Republican (Priola) to sign on so you and an obliging press can call bills "bipartisan", I and many others I know have a clear view of just how much our comment is worth to the Democrats running the state.
TABOR and Proposition 117 vouchsafe our right to be asked permission, not if we have an opinion. Again, the two are different animals.
I hope that in the future you take note of the difference. Regardless of how you vote, you can at least be better informed and more thoughtful in your comment.
Cory.
https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00327/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20230221/-1/13952
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1166