Now we're going to go straight to the phones. She's calling from the belly of the beast, where what thresh hell is being cooked up for? Colorado Senator State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer. How are things going up there? It's been a few days now, what's already been ruined? I mean, that's just the way I'm looking at it.
I'm just kidding.
No, Actually, you shouldn't be looking at you should be looking at it that way.
So what are some of the things I understand that the Democrats are unveiling. They're housing affordability plan today, And anytime Democrats talk about affordability, I grab my wallet. Okay, because they've done nothing but make things more expensive here. Would you know the details of this housing affordability plan?
Yet?
Nope, they don't tell us until they unveil it. They're not really good at stakeholdering. They're not really good at telling us, you know, the minority party, what's going on. So we'll hear about it more, you know, this afternoon. I guess that's good point.
Let's talk about Republican you know, priorities in this legislative session. I hate to say it, not that they matter that much because you guys put bill after bill after bill, and they get killed in committee after committee after committee. Let's start with any area where there may be bipartisan cooperation. Do we have anything that we can look at now and say, yes, we're going to work together and make that happen.
Not that I see, I mean, I just have the list of bills. So here's what happens. You know, in the first few days, the first couple of weeks or so, here, we'll be introducing up to three hundred bills. The legislators get to carry five bills. Your first three are due, you know, by the before session even starts. You've got to get them in and then we start reading them across the desk and they start getting scheduled for hearing. So within the first couple of weeks, we have three
hundred bills that are introduced. I don't know that they all get they all won't get heard right away, but you know that's what we're doing. So we're in here looking at the bills that are introduced. And you know, even though there's all these huge calls for by partisanship, you know, on first day and everybody's supposed to go wrong and be buddies with everybody. Most of the bills that get introduced first are pretty much all partisan bills,
all Democrat bills. And it's not so much what new fresh things are going to do to us this year, it's what old things are they bringing them back and making worse.
Tell me about some of those, because I think I know some of them already. I know that they're trying to up end the Labor Peace Act as a giveaway to the unions.
Absolutely, that one's coming back, and it just again rewrites the Colorado Labor's Peace Act. And you know, here's the thing, it's the Peace Act and it's been working for like sixty years. I don't know why they have to mess with it other than they want to make their unions happy. But you know, they're just trying to strengthen union leverage. So that one is coming back. It doesn't look like
they made much changes from last year. I think to me, one of the concerns that's coming back, it's Senate Bill twenty six eighteen, which they labeled it Minor Identity and Parenting Decisions.
What is that? That's as horrible?
I call it the War on Parents two point zero. If you remember last year we had House Build twenty five thirteen twelve, which was about misgendering and dead naming.
This one kind of picked up on that, and basically it says that your parenting time and your decision making authority, you know, like let's say you're in a custody case type thing and your child, who maybe other parents has taken care of, has changed their identity, they become a protected class, and if you don't agree to it, then your custody decisions, your parenting time, you could be penalized. You know, I kind of don't.
We're seeing the numbers when it comes to trans identification dropping like a rock among younger generations. So the trans you know, craze or whatever you want to call it, the trans situation we've been going through seems to be sort of you know, ebbing at this point in time. And what I find remarkable is that they're not even trying to hide it, barb. I mean, they're literally saying, if you don't agree with what we say about your kid,
then we're going to curtail your parenting time. And I've seen so many of these custody stories where you have a lunatic mom who decided the kid was trans when they were eighteen months old, and you have a dad
going no, no, no, and the dad loses custody. I mean, this is just it's so egregious, and yet they honestly don't see anything wrong with these positions because they just blatantly just here we go, We're just gonna we're gonna take away your parental rights if you disagree with the states take on what your kid needs.
That's exactly right. I mean this one, it's it's a mandate. It requires courts that when they're determining parent in time that they have to consider whether a parent affirms the child's identity.
How is that not a violation of free speech?
I mean, I if I'm a parent that finds myself in this situation, I'm suing because they're forced me to engage in state in state for speech. If I don't believe that my kid is trans, and the state says the only way you can have parenting time is if you say that you believe that your kids are trands. That's compelled speech. That's pretty clearly a violation of the First Amendment.
In my view, it.
Appears to me. But you know, the thing is parenting time should really be decided by safety and stability, not you know, whether parents comply with government approved belief And that's what's going on here. So this will be a fight on House floor, it'll be a fight on the Senate floor. We'll see what the governor is going to do this year, because last year he threatened vetoed, but then they sort of kind of amended the bill and he went ahead and finned it. So that's how I
call it the war on parents two point zero. They're just going to keep up with saying that government's going to decide how your children are raised and they'll decide how much time you get to spend with them.
So let me ask about something you and I have spoken about before. We talked about it before the special session. You wanted the governor to address it in the special session, and it has to do with the competency rules. We've seen multiple high profile cases where people were arrested for in some cases a violent act and then they were immediately released when they were.
Found to be not competent.
First of all, I want to go back because you voted for this, and I want to allow you to explain how the change was made, and then tell me what has been proposed, and please tell me something has been proposed already to fix this problem.
Yeah, so the constitution is pretty clear. When someone is deemed unrestorable and incompetent, they can't just language in a correctional facility. The bill that was passed, the intent was is that they would either be committed to a criminal institution or a civil institution. What happened was the burden of proof changed and the burden of proof was placed on the District Attorney's office, the prosecutors instead of the public defender. And hence we're into a situation where individuals
are being released because they may have Alzheimer's. They may have they may be intellectually disabled. So in other words, the IQ maybe like forty or thirty five or something, and you're not going to restore that, and they're incompetent. They should have had a civil commitment. We don't have the beds for that. So a bill is coming back to fix that. I have not seen that bill yet,
it hasn't been introduced. I know that Minority Leader Simpson and Minority Leader Caldwell are on that bill with Senator Mobley from Boulder. I'm not sure who the other Democrat is on that bill, but I do know I got an update on it because we talk about it at the Joint Budget Committee to ensure that we're looking at the amount of funding that is necessary to ensure that we have the beds for the civil commitments so that we can get these people into facilities and get them
the care that they need. We're not going to be able to restore them. They're always going to be incompetent, but you know, they're still in a situation where we're keeping the neighborhoods safe and actually keeping them safe from doing harm to themselves as well and putting them into a civil institution. So that bill is working this way through. I heard it's going to be like two hundred pages
or something that measure. I think the district attorneys I've been talking with them there they are going to, as far as I know, support it, but none of us have seen the bill, so I can't say they're going to do that until we see the bill and they've had the opportunity to make sure they're changes that are in there, and there isn't something else that is going to come back and smack us in the face. So
they're still working them through. We haven't got it done, but we're all prepared to, Like when I talk to Senator Simpson, we're prepared to support the bill. I'm prepared as a Joint Budget Committee to support the funding for it. So that's where we're out on that.
So let me ask, because you're on the Joint Budget Committee and you know the budget it's going to be tied again this year. You said at the end of the special session, we balanced nothing because they just drew down the reserves. Right, that's how they balance the budget. They took a lot of one time money and they quote fixed the budget in the special session. So now, what kind of shortfall is Colorado facing at this moment?
So sure, in the current fiscal year, we have a three hundred and seventy million dollars shortfall that will have to balance. And the way they want to balance that in this current fiscal year is by lowering the amounts for our reserve. So instead of a fifteen percent reserve, we'll end up with a thirteen percent reserve. Again, they wouldn't cut spending, They're going to cut our savings account. That's essentially what that adds up to, you know, we're
not in a recession. This problem that we're in, the structural deficit that we're in, is a price is a crisis of priorities for my colleagues across the aisle, and they want to fund things that are not you know, what I call core government services and are things that we you know, we absolutely have to fund, and not fund the things that we do absolutely need to be funding. So that's where we're at in this current fiscal year.
We'll be starting off the next budget year as we're looking at writing the budget about eight hundred and forty million in the red. And that's going to grow because we haven't even got all the numbers from the Department of health Care Policy and Finance, which does Medicaid, so big, huge problem. And here's the other thing. Just today, this
is how silly this is. Just today, we had a supplemental request for in this current fiscal year about fifteen million dollars for the Department of Corrections because they need additional bed capacity, like nine hundred beds something in that range. Nine hundred additional beds because of the inmate population is increasing.
Instead of agreeing to fund the additional beds. The Democrats on the Joint Budget Committee or taking the governor to task, they think they should be letting they think the governor should be letting these people out of prison. And in fact, I heard several times that we need to let people out aren't dangerous, And I'm like, well, who is that? Because they're in jail, they're in a correctional facility, maybe they're dangerous.
Are you telling me that the Democrats are advocating for the release of Tina Peters.
I mean, she's not a violent criminal.
I'm just saying so it sounds to me like they're saying we need to release Tina Peters, doesn't it.
I mean, I'm just gonna go there.
You know, I may have to ask that question and bring that up point because I'm sure this is coming back in front of us on Monday. But I'm just looking at them, going, you know, eventually, we have to pay for this one way or another, Like you can't just go let people out of jail. There's you know, a system that we have. There's things called parole and community corrections and different things. They all have to get funded.
But in the meantime they're like, well they can just languish in the county jails and you know, can be the county jail problem. You know, the shriff and the county commissioners, they could be their problem. But I just think it. I mean, that just tells you their mindset. We need to be letting people out because they're not dangerous. And I'm like, they're in jail they committed a crime. Right.
It's funny because the governor, just the governor was just out touting our massive reductions in crime, right, And I found the most interesting part about the crime reduction, and we did. We had a great year of crime reduction across the state. Do you know where they had the biggest crime reduction in terms of our major cities Aurora Aurora where the conservative city council strengthened the penalties for
crimes and amazingly crime went down. It's almost like they can't see the cause and effect of their policies.
Well, and we just kind of vote by the people that talk about truth incentive. So you know, how about we follow the will of the voters. These people need to say in jail, if you know, they committed a crime, they need to do the time kind of thing. And we need to ensure. How many times have we heard about how we're going to improve safety in the state. I mean, Governor Polis said in one of the State of the States, was that three or four years ago, you wanted to be in the top ten of the
most safest state. Information. Well, we got in the top ten. It's the top ten of the most dangerous states in the nation. So and that's because of their policies that they've been doing. I mean, let's be clear, it's one party control. They're in control of the House, the Senate, and the governor's office, and they keep making these poor decisions. And every time you're right, every time they say they're going to do something for us, you might as well
hold onto your pocketbook. You might as well understand that things are just going to get worse, because that's what's happened over the course the last seven years.
That is sad but true.
Let me ask you, a Texter said, is there anything on the horizon about gun bills? I mean, obviously they've made buying a weapon in Colorado fifty fresh layers of hell, and it is as misery here.
So they what do they cook it out for us gun owners?
Well, you remember the red Flag law, the Extreme Risk Protection Order. Yeah, they're bringing it back and expanding it, and it dramatically. This build dramatically expands who can petition a court to seize someone's firearms. This is an extremely
unconstitutional law that we have in place. I know this is you know, when I was a county commissioner, this is why we created a second Amendment Sanctuary County, because they're like, look, we aren't going to enforce law that basically tells us to violate our oath, which is to uphold the Constitution. But this one says essentially that anybody who this is who can petition a court to seize
the firearms. Institutions like schools, hospitals, behavior health facilities, and corresponding programs, they can all file petitions, including against miners. And they also authorize broad disclosure of private medical and mental health records. Screw dude, Wait a.
Minute, I just I just I just choked on my question. You just said they can be filed against miners. Miners cannot legally own a firearm. So are they going to come in and try to take the weapons that are in someone's house.
Yeah, they're already trying to do that. That's what the red flagli was about in the first place.
But if it's if they're if they're filing it against a minor, and a miner doesn't own the firearms, so they're trying to come in and say, Look like if they try to file it against my kid, they would come in and say, oh, Mandy and Chuck, we're gonna have to take your guns.
Yeah, oh gosh. And here here's the other thing, authorizing broad disclosure of private medical and mental health records. Who's gonna go Who's going to take your kid in for mental health? Now? Nobody? Well, I mean, you're just mean interest saying it. It'll be a chilin effect on treatment if we can do process, I mean essentially. I mean they're just I know, I said we can say that. They're just saying script, you don't have any more due process.
We're gonna come seezure guns. That's the whole purpose here. So I think it's an issue again. So that's what they're doing there. There's another bill that I know you're gonna love. It's Senate Bill twenty six zero zero five
Simple Liability for Immigration Enforcement. Shut up better enough? That word what it's not mat words that you're thanks for a state, but this bill creates a new state level cause of action allows individuals to suit anyone involved in simple immigration enforcements and private individuals.
How in the world.
Does federal supremacy not just immediately shut that down? I mean, how in the world do they think they have authority over a federal agency?
Because I'm telling you my colleagues across the aisle down here, I think they can rewrite the Constitution on the Senate floor, on the Senate House floors. I they don't have any Are.
They familiar with the document at all? Because it doesn't sound like they are at all.
Yeah. So, yeah, the individuals who's carrying this is Senator Gonzalez, who's running against US Senator John Hey, come o her. Okay, then one last question for you. Oh yeah, because.
We're almost out of time and I want to get this in.
I said this earlier on the show. I don't have any I don't think there's any evidence out there. We don't have undercover investigators busting massive amounts of fraud in our medicaid system. But Barb, I want someone in government to say, you know what, we don't know if we have a problem, we'd like to make sure that our dollars are being spent on the people who need them
the most. Can we please set up some kind of like colleifraudo website where people can you know, upload tips about fraud just and then maybe look at doing a Medicaid audit, just to make sure that and not on the people that are getting medicaid. Right, I'm talking about the organizations that we've seen in other states that have been set up to defraud Medicaid and other organizations. I would love to see someone put that forward and say, look,
if you know a fraud, let us know. We'll investigate it to make sure that the taxpayer dollars are going to the people who deserve them and not a single other person.
Well, and the reality is we do audits, we do look through things like that. You're right, I mean, there is so there's so much in state government, and you're right, that would be a great idea. I don't think the Democrats would ever agree to that, just so you know, but it doesn't mean we can't try. But I just don't think they would ever agreed to that. That would have a fiscal note on it. They'd kill it right there, you know, they would weagonize the fiscal note against this
on the bill. But here's the thing. If you were just reading even some of the recent articles in the paper, you'll know that we did have some massive fraud in the Department of health Care Policy and Finance in the Medicaid in the emergency medical transports. And we learned about it in twenty three when I was on the Joint
Budget Committee. We were shutting down the program. But from the article that I today, there's like millions and millions of dollars that still went out the door even after we were supposedly shut down the program, hired a new contractor and tried to deal with it in a different way and get it under control. It's been over. I'm assuming it's been over at the Attorney General's office, because he's the one who should be going after this loss.
Well, I was going to ask, where's the attorney government. He's too busy suing Trump. He doesn't have time to pursue criminal charges against that.
Senator Barb Kirkmeyer.
I look forward to these visits throughout the legislative session. I'm calling them, what fresh hell is this with Barb Kirkmeyer.
So there you go.
We'll talk to Barb throughout the session as it continues down its path, so make notes of the worst of the worst so you can share.
Them with me on the show.
That's right, Thank you, Mandy.
All right, thanks Barb. We'll talk again.
Zoon.
That's State Senator Barb Kirkmeyer.