Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has covered Colorado politics and government since spring of 2006. She loves the variety and challenge of the state capitol beat and talking to people from all walks of life. Bente's work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, American PublicMedia'sMarketplace, and she was a contributor for WNYC's The Next Big Thing. She has won numerous local and national awards, including best beat reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Bente grew up in Minnesota and England, and loves skiing, hiking, and is an aspiring cello player. She lives in Lakewood with her husband.
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As demonstrations swirled around the Capitol five years ago, state lawmakers came together on a sweeping package of reforms that are still playing out. -
The Republican reconciliation bill includes a ten-year time out on just the kind of laws that Colorado is now struggling with. -
The law takes effect in less than a year, but efforts to update it seem to have stalled out, at least for now. -
The governor issued an executive order Friday requiring local governments to show they’re enacting policies to encourage more housing in order to qualify for transportation and energy funds. -
Lawmakers were trying to increase security for passengers and drivers, but the country’s largest rideshare company says it will leave Colorado if the bill becomes law. -
“Tina is an innocent Political Prisoner being horribly and unjustly punished in the form of Cruel and Unusual Punishment,” he wrote. -
Opponents had focused on a provision they feared could lead to parents losing custody over their religious beliefs. -
The veto override vote now heads to the House. The last veto overrides in Colorado were in 2011 and 2007 under former Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter, and both dealt with budget spending requests. -
"He has a right to veto a bill. We have a right to override that veto." -
Sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would strengthen age restrictions for accessing sexual content online are pulling the measure over concerns from Polis and an upcoming SCOTUS decision on the issue.
