Resolving family legal issues can be stressful and complicated. Emotions run high, and it can be difficult to see the matter clearly. You need objective legal counsel from an experienced family attorney. Call the Law Office of John Williams in Charlotte, NC. John Williams can assist you if you're filing for divorce. He also handles child custody and guardianship cases.
Arrange for a consultation with a divorce attorney in Charlotte, NC today.
State Issues
Colorado Wasteful Spending (FY 2024-25)
Department of Corrections: $ 7,995,411 Increase 28.3 FTE
● Transgender Unit and Healthcare
- $2,677,911 to create two transgender living units totaling 148 beds.
- $5,317,500 for “gender-confirming surgical care.
●Clinical Staff Incentives
- $6,312,464 General Fund to provide incentive payments for certain DOC clinical staff up to $25,000.
- The bill includes an increase of $6,312,464 General Fund to provide incentive payments for certain DOC clinical staff up to $25,000.
●HB 24-1389 School Funding 2023-24 for New Arrival Students (immigrants): $24,000,000
- The bill provides $24,000,000 to be distributed to school districts and charter schools for new arrival students. It increases state expenditures and school district funding in the current FY 2023-24 only.
● Office of New Americans Expansion (immigrants): $119,029 General Fund and 1.5 FTE
- $119,029 General Fund and 1.5 FTE for an administrator to manage ONA grants, coordinate with other entities, and identify opportunities for new migrant career pathway enhancement and a full-time program assistant to support the ONA Director.
-This office has had difficulty expending grants.
●SB 24-182 Immigrant Identification Document Issuance: $ 122,855
- The bill changes certain requirements for the issuance of driver licenses or state identification cards to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States. The bill increases state expenditures for FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 only.
●HB 24-1280 Welcome, Reception, Integration, Grant Program:
$ 2,436,862
- The bill creates the Statewide Welcome, Reception, and Integration Grant Program to provide assistance to migrants. It transfers funds in FY 2024-25 only.
●Immigrant Legal Defense Fund: $ 350,000
- Long Bill budget amendment
- A doubling of the fund for FY 2024-25 making a total budget of $700,000. This funding is used for public defense for people facing immigration legal issues. Sponsored by Rep. Mabrey and Sen. Gonzalez.
●Office of Health Equity and Environmental Justice: $ 2,840,715
- Funding for the Office
- Mission: Build partnerships to mobilize community power and transform systems to advance health equity and environmental justice.
- What this office does to advance their mission:
1. Build relationships with communities and across sectors to address root causes of health disparities.
2. Use equity in decision-making and partner with all sectors of government to embed health and equity considerations into their decision-making process.
3. Use data to support the narrative of the social determinants of health and tell the story of what creates health.
4. De-center communications from the English language or any one dominant language, and prioritize language justice when engaging with communities.
5. Develop, implement, and provide guidance on health equity training, practice, and policies within CDPHE and across the state of Colorado.
6. Focus on upstream determinants of health, guided by the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative.
●HB 24-1197 Department of Public Safety Supplemental: $ 9,800,000
- Funding for Community-based organizations providing service for migrants.
- Funds to provide grants to community-based organizations providing services to people migrating to Colorado.
●Department of Education: $ 56,100,000
- Expanding Healthy Meals for All Program.
- Adds $56.1 million total funds for the Healthy School Meals for All Program, including $40.6 million from the Healthy School Meals for All Program General Fund Exempt Account and $15.5 million from the General Fund. This includes an increase of $56.0 million for meal reimbursements and $100,000 for consulting resources.
●HB 21-1318 Department of Public Health & Environment: $ 198,192
- Outdoor Equity Program
- This bill injected identity politics into access to the outdoors.
●Department of Public Health & Environment: $2,840,715 total funds and 8.3 FTE
- Creating the Office of Health Equity and Environmental Justice by combining two offices.
- The bill includes an increase of $2,840,715 total funds and 8.3 FTE, including a reduction of $11,349 General Fund, to join the Environmental Justice Program with the Office of Health Equity to form the Office of Health Equity and Environmental Justice (OHEEJ) for the purpose of centralizing environmental justice staff. OHEEJ is responsible for ongoing environmental justice work, including administration of environmental health mitigation grants through the Community Impact Cash Fund.
●Department of Revenue: $714,515 total funds and 8.3 FTE
- GENTAX & DRIVES SUPPORT FUNDING: The bill includes an increase of $714,515 total funds and 8.3 FTE, comprised of $442,906 General Fund and $271,609 cash funds from the Colorado DRIVES Vehicle Services. Account, in FY 2024-25. Funds will address the backlog of upgrades and system enhancements to the DRIVES and GenTax systems stemming from legislative, user experience, and system operational demands.
Secretary Griswold's Reckless Assault on Election Integrity
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's recent statement rejecting the U.S. Department of Justice's request for voter registration data is not just misguided; it is a blatant act of partisan obstruction that undermines the very foundation of the American Republic. By declaring that the DOJ "can take a hike" and lacks any "legal right" to this information, Griswold has elevated political theater over her sworn duty to uphold federal law. Her rhetoric, laced with unfounded accusations of election subversion, dismisses a straightforward federal effort to verify citizenship and ensure only eligible Americans vote. This is not about "sensitive" data or federal overreach. It is about enforcing the law to protect the integrity of our elections, and Griswold's refusal endangers that trust.
The Mischaracterization of "Sensitive" Data
Griswold labels the requested information, full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and partial Social Security or driver's license numbers, as "sensitive voting information." This framing is deliberately alarmist and ignores reality. The federal government already maintains vast databases through agencies like the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security that include similar details for millions of citizens. The DOJ's request is not an invasion of privacy but a targeted validation exercise. Federal law mandates that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections, yet noncitizen voting erodes public confidence when it occurs.
This data is precisely what enables cross-checks against federal citizenship records via tools like the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. Expanded under recent executive actions, SAVE allows bulk verification to "scrub aliens from voter rolls," as DHS has stated. Far from exposing voters to harm, sharing this information safeguards the process by confirming eligibility. Griswold's portrayal of it as a tool for "undermining elections" is fear-mongering that prioritizes partisan narratives over factual compliance. Colorado voters deserve better than a leader who treats routine verification as a conspiracy.
Solid Legal Ground for the DOJ's Authority
Griswold's claim that the DOJ has no legal right to this data is flatly wrong. Federal statutes explicitly empower the department to demand and inspect voter registration records to enforce election integrity. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 requires states to maintain accurate statewide voter registration lists and cooperate in verification efforts, including data matching with federal databases to confirm eligibility. HAVA's Title III mandates that states develop centralized, interactive databases and enter agreements for verifying voter data, precisely to prevent fraud and ensure compliance.
Complementing HAVA is the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which charges the Attorney General with overseeing state voter roll maintenance and authorizes demands for records to assess adherence. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 further bolsters this authority, allowing the DOJ to request "records relating to any application, registration... or other act requisite to voting" upon providing a basis and purpose, which it has done here: validating citizenship per federal mandates. These laws preempt state privacy concerns when federal election standards are at stake, as courts have affirmed in similar disputes.
Griswold's office previously complied with a May 2025 DOJ request by sharing public data, yet now balks at unredacted details essential for deeper verification. This selective cooperation exposes her stance as politically motivated, not legally defensible. By ignoring these statutes, she risks court intervention, as seen in the DOJ's successful suits against other noncompliant states.
A Pattern of Lawsuits and National Accountability
The DOJ has not hesitated to act against obstruction. Since May 2025, it has sued at least 14 states, including California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, for refusing to provide voter rolls. These cases cite the same HAVA, NVRA, and Civil Rights Act violations, demanding unredacted lists to enable citizenship checks. Colorado's defiance places it squarely in this lineup, inviting litigation that could force compliance and waste taxpayer dollars on avoidable battles.
This wave of suits underscores a national crisis: too many states, often led by Democrats, resist federal oversight under the guise of privacy. Yet the Constitution balances state administration with congressional authority over federal elections. As Attorney General Pam Bondi has warned, "States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists." Griswold's November 18 letter, co-signed by nine other secretaries, demanding DOJ transparency was a stalling tactic; the agencies' non-response does not erase the legal imperative.
Partisan Obstruction at the Expense of Democracy
Griswold's vitriolic dismissal, accusing the "Trump Department of Justice" of plotting to "hurt the American people," reveals the true driver: blind partisanship. This is not about protecting Coloradans; it is about shielding a narrative that federal integrity efforts are inherently suspect. By framing compliance as complicity in subversion, she sows division and erodes trust in elections, the very harm she claims to prevent.
Colorado's voters, like all Americans, rely on leaders who prioritize law over ideology. Griswold's stance invites chaos, potentially allowing ineligible votes to slip through while tying up resources in court. It is time for her to reverse course, honor federal mandates, and affirm that clean rolls benefit everyone. Anything less is a betrayal of her office and the citizens she serves. For someone vying for the job of Attorney General of Colorado, her blatant disregard for the law is stunning!
Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB”
Michael is a father of five, grandfather of three, United States Air Force veteran, international recording artist, and Editor-in-Chief of the Colorado DOGE Report. He is passionate about the United States of America and the founders’ genius in crafting the Constitution.