February 17, 2015 11:58 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (Feb. 17)

• 7 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Still hung over from celebrating the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington? It's time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here's a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Consumer groups are worried that Colorado's Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) may not be reauthorized for the first time since its founding in 1984. The OCC was created to represent consumers in front of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) whenever rate hikes are sought by energy and telecommunications companies.

► Following on the heels of one of the least effective sessions of Congress in history, Republicans continue to struggle to get anything done on Capitol Hill. As the Los Angeles Times explains:

After six weeks in session and 139 roll call votes in a House and Senate that feature some of the largest Republican majorities in generations, one of the most telling statistics from the new Congress is this: President Obama's veto threats outnumber the bills Congress has been able to send him.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► The fracking debate in Colorado is guaranteed to heat up again with news that oil and gas drilling is making its way to the Metro Denver area. Congratulations, Arapahoe County, you're the next contestant on, "Oh, crap, it's in my backyard now?" Check out the details at this new website from Conservation Colorado.

► Ryan Maye Handy of the Colorado Springs Gazette takes a look at new legislation in Colorado that could soon arrive on Gov. John Hickenlooper's desk for approval. Microbeads — your end is near!!!

► Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Doty, a Republican, announced that she will seek the SD-26 seat that will open in 2016 when Sen. Linda Newell is term-limited. Doty joins Democratic Rep. Daniel Kagan in a race that will be among the most-watched contests in 2016. 

► Republican Steve King, a former state senator and onetime candidate for Sheriff in Mesa County, has become a walking ethics violation. King is being charged again by the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission over conflict-of-interest violations, this time relating to his unreported work for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. This story may be a ticking time bomb for Republicans and Colorado Mesa University, where critics have long questioned the University's penchant for finding paychecks for local elected officials.    

► FOX 31 reporter Eli Stokols takes a look at the state health risks associated with the anti-vaccination movement.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is seeking the Presidency in 2016. Does it matter that the Republican Governor does not have a college degree?

► Colorado Republican Party Chair Ryan Call has some serious 'splaining to do after one of his hand-picked operatives pleads guilty to federal charges of illegal coordination between a campaign committee and a so-called "Super PAC." The charges are not related to Tyler Harber's work in Colorado, but the implications are terrible for Call's re-election efforts.

ICYMI

► A federal audit says the County Sheriffs of Colorado misspent about half of a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Justice Department. The grant was supposed to help fund a program to notify crime victims of the status of criminals, but the County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) spent a good $700,000 on promotional sweatshirts and t-shirts, as well as meals for spouses. Maybe the t-shirts were supposed to have useful information printed on the front and back.

► The head of Denver's police union is calling for the resignation of DPD Chief Robert White.

► Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver) will not attend a controversial address to Congress planned for March 3 by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.