After a costly effort to unmask the creators of an anonymous website backing three controversial tax-relief issues, an administrative law judge has fined three of the listed proponents of the measures for violating state campaign finance laws -- and concluded that tax crusader Douglas Bruce was deeply involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to prepare and promote the issues.

DENVER — An independent group has been enlisted to investigate a sexual harassment complaint against state Rep. Wes McKinley.

McKinley, D-Walsh, said he was interviewed Wednesday by a human resources group hired by the state Legislature to conduct a probe into the allegation against him.

Colorado Ethics Watch released the 2010 Ethics and Transparency Legislation Review. The report is based on nine pieces of legislation that are grouped into three categories: transparency, accountability and campaign integrity.

Douglas Bruce claims he was on vacation. If he read headlines he was generating back home, he probably laughed his head off. Once again, Bruce was fighting the establishment and winning.

He was winning because of an oddity in Colorado law that makes the subpoenas of administrative law judges no more compelling than Facebook party invitations from strangers. A former prosecutor, Bruce knows the law and how to exploit it to his full advantage.

Douglas Bruce, who avoided more than two dozen attempts last month to be served with a court order to testify in a campaign-finance hearing, said Tuesday he was away on vacation.

“Last year at this time I went to China. This time I went to Pennsylvania. So what?” he said in an interview.

More than 150 Colorado school districts are scrambling to fulfill what might be the most sweeping open records request in the state's history. The request comes from the Colorado Attorney General's Office, which is defending the state against a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's school-funding system.

A report released Monday from the Colorado Office of the State Auditor shows just how urgently Colorado’s largest workers compensation fund needs effective, impartial oversight — now.

The 103-page report details in no uncertain terms that Pinnacol Assurance’s CEO and vice presidents have been handsomely compensated by any measure.

DENVER -- Officials from the state-chartered workers' compensation insurer Pinnacol Assurance have some explaining to do.

The Legislative Audit Committee is meeting Monday to go over the company's financial performance and lawmakers want to ask CEO Ken Ross about a golf trip to Pebble Beach, Calif., that was intended to reward top-producing agents. However, the Call7 Investigators learned that members of Pinnacol's board of directors were also taking part in the all expense paid trip.

Erin Toll has resigned as director of Colorado’s Division of Real Estate after having settled a personnel complaint against her state bosses.

The resignation, announced Friday, is retroactive to May 31.

Separately, Perry & Co. Real Estate Professionals announced Friday that Toll is joining the company immediately as a broker associate.

U.S. District Judge Phillip Brimmer isn't likely to rule until Friday at the earliest. Each passing day makes it harder for Jon Caldara to gather signatures for his ballot initiative to overturn the federal health-care reform law in Colorado.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff said Wednesday night that after the media reported his plans to run for Senate last spring, White House officials informed him of their intent to support his opponent, incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, for the seat and suggested Romanoff might be interested in one of three possible though ”not guaranteed” jobs.

State legislators across the nation are introducing and passing campaign finance legislation to mitigate the impact of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations and unions may now directly and expressly advocate for the election or defeat of candidates for federal office.

Though the necessary signatures were gathered and submitted to Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, the effort's organizers have been accused of failing to register their campaigns as required by state law.

Doug Bruce remains for now one step ahead of the law. The controversial father of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights is apparently running from the law by staying at home and refusing to answer the door. In a high profile campaign finance trial taking place in Denver, Bruce has been fingered as the not-so-secret “Mr X”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis on Wednesday canceled a June fundraiser after two pharmaceutical lobbyists hosting it found out the event may violate state campaign law.

Linda Pryor, a lobbyist for Pfizer, and Jeff Woodhouse, a lobbyist for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), were two of the three people listed as hosts for a $150 to $1,050 per person fundraiser for McInnis scheduled for June 7 at the Denver Country Club.