Related Ethics Headlines

Consumers win big on payday lending battle

dstaggs — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 13:59:40 -0400

Consumers and consumer advocates for payday reform won a major battle Tuesday when the Attorney General’s office adopted rules that allow a refund of all fees on payday loans when there is early repayment of the loan.

The new rules, which grew out of legislation passed in May, were adopted unanimously by the AG’s administrator for the Uniform Consumer Credit Code and a subcommittee of the Council of Advisors on Consumer Credit.

City won't pursue charges stemming from failed Poppaw recall effort

dstaggs — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 13:27:09 -0400

There's no probable cause that organizers of a failed effort to recall Fort Collins City Council member Lisa Poppaw violated municipal campaign laws, a special prosecutor said this week.

Colorado Ethics Watch, a Denver-based watchdog group, filed a complaint in June that said the recall organizers, Stacy Lynne and Rudy Zitti, may have failed to properly register as an issue committee before raising and spending money.

Grice withdraws campaign finance complaint against Buck

dstaggs — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 13:25:09 -0400

Charles “Rick” Grice, the man who translated long rumors into print by filing a campaign finance complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck, withdrew that complaint Monday. He sent a letter to the FEC and a copy of that letter to the Buck campaign saying he no longer wished to pursue the matter.

DPS board slips, posts agenda after meeting happens

ltoro — Fri, 3 Sep 2010 13:03:46 -0400

Denver's school board held an all-day training retreat last month but failed to follow the Colorado Open Records law that requires public bodies to post agendas before meetings.

Ritter staff's job searches raise issue that riles critic of ethics law

dstaggs — Thu, 2 Sep 2010 15:11:52 -0400

A state ethics commission has informed lame- duck Gov. Bill Ritter and his staff that prospective employers can pick up their travel expenses during job searches but to exercise caution.

The Independent Ethics Commission suggested the governor and his staffers seek permission on a case-by-case basis in those situations where there is a concern the expenses would violate an ethics ban voters approved in 2006.

Colorado says Arapahoe County not following law on mail-in ballots

dstaggs — Thu, 2 Sep 2010 15:05:00 -0400

The Colorado attorney general on Wednesday sought an injunction to force officials in Arapahoe County to follow a new law requiring mail-in ballots to be accepted at every polling location.

The injunction was filed in Arapahoe County District Court on behalf of the Colorado secretary of state.

Ritter staff's job searches raise issue that riles critic of ethics law

ltoro — Thu, 2 Sep 2010 11:50:30 -0400

A state ethics commission has informed lame- duck Gov. Bill Ritter and his staff that prospective employers can pick up their travel expenses during job searches but to exercise caution.

Complaint filed against Alderden

dstaggs — Thu, 2 Sep 2010 11:02:40 -0400

The chairman of the Larimer County Democratic Party has filed a formal complaint with state elections officials alleging that Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has misused taxpayer resources to campaign on behalf of the man he wants to replace him.

Alderden strongly rejected the complaint, saying he has "scrupulously" avoided blurring the lines.

AG’s Udis sides with consumers in payday rulemaking

dstaggs — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 12:53:17 -0400

DENVER — After four hours of testimony and deliberation in the old Supreme Court chambers of the state Capitol, First Assistant Attorney General Laura Udis decided to reverse her proposed payday lending rules and effectively reinsert consumer protections which she said are more in line with the spirit of the law passed last legislative session.

Suthers campaign cash hangs over payday loan hearing

dstaggs — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:25:01 -0400

Attorney General John Suthers is not writing the new rules that will govern the payday loan industry in Colorado. That’s why he is playing down the $10,000 in campaign donations he has received from the industry and saying the cash won’t influence the final contours of the new state regulations. The person writing the rules, Laura Udis, has worked in the attorney general’s department of consumer protection for more than two decades. She told the Colorado

Payday lending rules cause heat for Attorney General

dstaggs — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:39:11 -0400

Next Tuesday, Aug. 31, new proposed rules governing payday lenders in Colorado will be reviewed by the Attorney General’s division of Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC). The current proposed rules, released July 30, have already garnered pages of written comments, both from those who supported House Bill 10-1351, the bill that changed payday lending law; from the chief legal counsel for Gov. Bill Ritter; and from payday lending companies and the Colorado trade association that represents them.

No pressure

dstaggs — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:01:08 -0400

An attempt by lawmakers to ease the grip of payday lending on Colorado families has turned into a swirl of controversy in the attorney general's race.

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, a Democrat trying to unseat Republican incumbent John Suthers, has raised questions about $10,350 in contributions from 12 payday lenders to Suthers' campaign — which came precisely at the time Suthers' office was writing rules to implement the state's new, more restrictive payday lending law.

Proposed payday loan rule ‘absurd,’ says Ritter’s attorney

dstaggs — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:45:57 -0400

Proposed new rules for payday lending companies are being attacked by the industry as well as people who want to see stricter regulations.

Gov. Bill Ritter’s chief legal counsel, Craig Welling, called one of the rules “absurd,” but payday lending companies say other parts go beyond a new law calling for them in the first place.

Pinnacol Assurance Fined $80K For State Violations

dstaggs — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:31:25 -0400

DENVER -- Pinnacol Assurance must pay a civil penalty of $80,000 and credit certain policyholders a minimum of $15 million after the state Division of Insurance found the company was essentially gouging some customers.

The penalty and credit are part of a settlement between Pinnacol and the Division of Insurance. The settlement comes on the heels of a state-ordered audit completed earlier this year.

Colorado ethics panel clarifies gift ban for organizations that lawmakers support

dstaggs — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:18:43 -0400

A newly released opinion from the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission "effectively dismantles" the Amendment 41 gift ban for public officials that voters approved in 2006, says a Denver attorney who has been a chief critic of the law.

"I think this is the most dramatic and far-reaching opinion ever issued by the ethics commission," said attorney Doug Friednash, a former Democratic state lawmaker who represented opponents of the gift ban in an unsuccessful legal challenge to overturn it.

Aurora City Council's closed-door interviews raise own questions

dstaggs — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:50:48 -0400

AURORA — The Aurora City Council today will interview five city-manager candidates behind closed doors, a move that some say violates state law and lacks transparency.

Chris Beall, legal counsel for the Colorado Press Association, said the state's open-meetings law allows councils to meet in executive session to discuss such "sensitive matters" as personnel issues.

Pinnacol Must Turn Over Pebble Beach Expense Records

dstaggs — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:16:44 -0400

DENVER -- A Denver judge ruled that Pinnacol Assurance must turn over records of a controversial trip to Pebble Beach that 7NEWS requested under state open records laws.

Denver District Judge Morris Hoffman ruled that Pinnacol is a public agency and that there was no reason to withhold the records.

Committee: Longmont Watch gifts OK

ltoro — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:58:31 -0400

A political group known as Longmont Watch did not break the city’s election law when it donated to City Council candidates after the group broke up, the city’s Election Committee ruled Monday.

The committee “declined to adopt a preliminary finding” on any of four complaints by political activist Kaye Fissinger, who had charged Longmont Watch and council members Alex Sammoury, Gabe Santos and Katie Witt with violating the Longmont Fair Campaign Practices Act.

Probe reveals cozy relationship of oil, gas industry with regulators

dstaggs — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:51:11 -0400

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the federal agency that oversees the country’s 2.3 million miles of oil and natural gas pipelines, has adopted as part of its regulations all or parts of at least 29 standards written by the oil and natural gas industry.

Colorado secretary of state office spends $357,487 on lawsuits

ltoro — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:02:30 -0400

A glut of lawsuits challenging Colorado election rules has forced the secretary of state's office to spend more than ever before to defend itself.

The half-dozen lawsuits — a hodgepodge of challenges to restrictions on fundraising, petitioning and a voter-registration fight leftover from the 2008 election — left the office with a $357,487 legal tab for the fiscal year ending June 30.